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May 12, 2008 |
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Team & Event photos courtesy of |
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As the sun started to peak across the horizon, teams lined up to begin their journey through the beautiful Willamette Valley for the 3rd annual Willamette Valley Relay. Starting in Champoeg Park, teams experienced the beauty of the Willamette Valley -- the rolling hills, scenic terrain, and breath-taking views of the mountains, hills and valleys throughout Oregon's Willamette Valley. The weather cooperated this year and provided participants and volunteers a little breather from the heat of the past. But no one can recreate the beauty of the evening -- the cool breezes, clear skies, brilliant stars and a rising moon that would have excited any photographer. "Just wanted to let you know what a wonderful event the Willamette Valley relay was. It was two of my friends first time doing a relay and they can't stop talking about it. We are so looking forward to it next year. Keep up the good work" This year, we had support from great organizations along the route -- a rich BBQ of burgers and chicken with all the fixings was provided by the Emmanuel Bible Church. The Albany Fire Department provided Allyn Brothers coffee, cookies, fruit and other great treats in the late evening. At finish line, participants were able to enjoy the treats from "Three Guys a Smokin BBQ. DJ Paul, from Altered Ego entertained finishers as they recuperated, relaxed and reflected of their great accomplishment. This year's "Triple E Award" was awarded to "Girls Night Out" for the third year in a row! This unique award is voted on by all participants for the team that is the most encouraging, entertaining and enthusiastic! (Once you see this team, you will understand why they continue to win this award)! The best dressed van was awarded to Cowboy Soles, who decorated their van with a bull frog in a cowboy hat (visit the WOW gallery (link) for pictures of this and all the great vans). They also handed out baggies of goodies to most of the volunteers to thank them for their help which showed a genuine concern for the event and those involved. "We've participated all 3 years and this is the best one yet!" The volunteers were awesome the motorcycle support from the Intel Motorcycle Club are just a few of the elements that make the Willamette Valley Relay a unique event. "I felt as if the people involved in the race actually cared about us -- we'd have people making sure everything was OK at the staging areas, then WOW committee officials would drive by and chat, then the motorcycle people would come by.... made me feel everyone involved had a concern that the event be safe and fun for everyone." WVR volunteer Out of the 40 teams, 29 teams came within 1 hour of their predicted times (72.5%) and 16 of those within 30 minutes (55% of those within 1 hour, 40% overall)!! Congratulations to the team that got within 24 seconds of their predicted times!!! We provide this as a means to reinforce the importance of ensuring your predicted times are accurate so that you don't have to wait for the course to be set up. Click here to view a list of race results. The experience of this kind of event and the sense of pride in the accomplishment is unbelievable which is why there were many tears shed as participants crossed the finish line with their team mates. Team photos by Joe Hawes, from FlashPRO Events Photography are posted at (http://racephotos.net/RaceHome.asp?nRaceID=19) What Our Participants are Saying: "Just wanted to let you know what a wonderful event the Willamette Valley relay was. It was two of my friends first time doing a relay and they can’t stop talking about it. We are so looking forward to it next year. Keep up the good work" "The 2006 WVR Relay was, once again, a great experience. The weather cooperated, the course was well marked, the volunteers were outstanding and the guys on motorcycles were omnipresent. Thanks, Judy, for giving us these wonderful two days." WVR 2006 Results Visit RacePhotos.net for viewing more photos. Click the thumbnails to view the full size.
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