There’s no denying that relay races are a lot of work. A weekend relay often means stepping away from work, leaving the comfort of your bed to run through the night on little sleep and a diet of peanut butter and bananas, and returning home completely exhausted. So why do we keep signing up? Because relays are about community, about the journey, and about the payoff at the finish line.
The Cascade Lakes Relay captures all of that perfectly.
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If you’ve never considered it before, this might be the year to put it on your list.
The Basics
The Cascade Lakes Relay (CRL36) is a 216.6-mile team relay run over the course of two days, typically completed by teams of up to 12 runners split across two vehicles. The course is divided into 36 legs ranging from roughly 3 to 9 miles each. In a full 12-person team, each runner completes 3 legs (about 18 miles total). Ultra teams, made up of fewer runners, take on more legs per person, increasing the challenge significantly.
The race starts at Diamond Lake Resort in Southern Oregon and winds through the Oregon Outback, past wide-open rural landscapes, and eventually loops around the Cascade Lakes Highway before finishing in Bend. Along the way, you’ll trade traffic noise for quiet backroads, pine forests, and the kind of scenery that reminds you why you run in the first place. The full relay typically takes around 32 hours to complete.
Course Experience
One of the defining features of this relay is the route itself. From Southern Oregon into Central Oregon, runners pass through remote stretches of highway, farmland, and forested mountain terrain before finishing near Mt. Bachelor and into Bend.
You’ll likely see more cows than cars, and spend more time smelling pine trees than exhaust fumes. It’s the kind of point-to-point journey that makes the miles feel like part of something bigger than just a race.
Other Relay Options
If the full running relay isn’t your style, there are a couple of alternatives.
The walk relay begins at leg 18 in Willow Butte and covers 94 miles to the finish. Teams of 6 to 12 walkers complete 18 legs total, with each participant covering roughly 11 to 18 miles depending on team size. Like the running relay, this is an overnight effort, and teams should expect to be on course through the night.
There is also CLR24, a shortened running relay option that begins at exchange 12 in Silver Lake and covers the final 24 legs of the course. Teams of 6 to 12 runners still experience the relay format, with each runner completing 2 to 3 legs depending on team size. It’s a great entry point for those who want the relay experience without taking on the full distance.
What to Know Before You Go
Like most relays, Cascade Lakes is self-supported. Teams are responsible for carrying their own food, water, and supplies between designated aid points. There are no traditional aid stations along most of the route, so planning ahead is essential.
Each team is also required to provide volunteers (typically two per team, or one for ultra teams), though there is an option to opt into a “Hire a Volunteer” program where fees go toward local charities and community organizations that help staff the event.
If you don’t have a full team, there’s also a “Find a Team” option where runners and walkers can connect through a shared spreadsheet and join existing groups.
Post-Race
The finish line in Bend brings everyone together at Riverbend Park, where the atmosphere shifts from endurance effort to celebration. Friends and family can join for food, music, and a beer garden that feels like a well-earned reward after 30+ hours on the road.
It’s one of those finishes where old teammates and new friends blur together, and everyone has a story from the course.
Why Run Cascade Lakes Relay
Every relay asks a lot of you, but Cascade Lakes tends to give a little something back in return.
- One of the biggest differences is flow. Compared to larger, more congested relay events, Cascade Lakes generally offers smoother transitions, less van traffic, and fewer bottlenecks at exchanges. That means less time sitting in parking chaos between legs and more time actually resting before your next run.
- Timing also plays a big role. The event takes place in June, which typically brings more moderate temperatures compared to the hotter, more punishing conditions (including wildfires) the race had to navigate when it was held later in the summer.
- And of course, the scenery. From Diamond Lake Resort to the forests around Mt. Bachelor and the wide-open stretches of Central Oregon, this is a course that constantly reminds you you’re somewhere special. Running through cow country and mountain roads has a way of resetting your perspective in the middle of fatigue.
In the end, it’s not just about covering 216 miles. It’s about doing it together, one leg at a time, through a landscape that makes the effort feel worth it. If you’ve never tried a relay like this before, Cascade Lakes is an easy one to put on the bucket list. And once you’ve done it, it’s even easier to come back.