Baker to Vegas Relay

The Chula Vista Police Department participates annually in the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay. This event is restricted to law enforcement teams and is a 120 mile relay consisting of 20 stages through the desert and mountains from Baker, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada. The teams are primarily from California but attracts teams from Dallas, New York, Canada, and as far away as England.

The Chula Vista Police Department running team consists of officers at all levels of the department ranging from the Police Chief, Rick Emerson, to a new officer just out of training. The team has participated in this event for the past ten years. CVPD has claimed first place in the past and has traditionally placed very high within its own division consisting of teams whose sizes are similar to that of the Chula Vista Police Department. The running team usually completes the course in a little over 15 hours.

Race conditions are almost unknown until the starter's pistol goes off. Early runners may face 120 degree heat along Highway 127, while later in the evening runners may be faced with fending off winds, freezing rain, or blowing snow near Mountain Springs Summit. In fact, the 1987 race was halted halfway between Pahrump and Las Vegas due to blizzard conditions. The 20 race legs vary from flat stretches of desert to the infamous "billy-goat legs," which climb 5,600 feet in elevation to the Summit.

The relay race course runs from Baker, California, through the Mojave desert to the town of Shoshone, California, then north to Pahrump, Nevada, over the Mountain Springs Pass (5600') and down to Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 200 teams of 20 runners will enter this yearly competition. Each runner averages 6 miles per stage. Over 17,000 runners, support personnel, race volunteers, family, friends and visitors, were involved in the 2002 race.

This event builds camaraderie amongst officers from various law enforcement agencies and helps officers from the Chula Vista Police Department participate in a friendly competition that promotes good sportsmanship and team spirit.