Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies are gearing up for a 120-mile run from Baker to Las Vegas as part of an annual relay for law enforcement officials.

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The Challenge Cup “Baker To Vegas” Relay Race will be held April 13-14, starting 25 miles north of Baker on Highway 127 and continuing on a 120-mile circuit to the Hilton Hotel Convention Room in Las Vegas.

“The purpose of it is a friendly competition between local law enforcement, and we compete with law enforcement officers from around the world,” said Deputy Josh Dubin of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

“We do it for station unity and to promote physical fitness,” he said. “We have 20 runners and 20 support staff.”

All of the participants are off-duty deputies who are volunteering their time, Dubin said. 

The Challenge Cup / Baker to Vegas Relay was the vision of Los Angeles Police Department officers Chuck Foote and Larry Moore, according to the event’s website bakervegas.com.

The relay was spawned following the format laid by the LAPD Metro Division’s Death Valley Relay, which came to an abrupt end in 1985, after a seven-year stint of running through the Devil’s Graveyard, according to the relay’s website.

 “Course temperatures were well over 100 degrees last year,” Dubin said.

“There has to be a follow vehicle behind the runner at all time,” Dubin said. “It starts at noon, and it ends the next morning at 6 a.m.”

Here’s a look at the history of the Baker to Vegas relay.

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• Article: Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station Deputies Ready For Annual Relay
• Source: Santa Clarita News
• Author: Perry Smith