Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station personnel will be competing in the 2013 Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay Run this weekend, April 13 and 14.

Did you know every year deputies and other personnel from your Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station volunteer their time to compete in the annual Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay Run? The race, dubbed the “largest police foot pursuit in the world,” is a grueling 120-mile relay run that begins in Baker, California on a Saturday and ends in Las Vegas, Nevada early Sunday morning. Started in 1985, the race has grown to involve more than 6,000 competitors and thousands of additional support staff annually. Since the inception of the race, more than 100,000 law enforcement personnel have tread across the desert in this challenging event.

It is the largest law enforcement event of its kind in the world with teams participating from Canada, Germany and throughout the United States. It is a positive event for your deputies and other station staff members to participate in, reinforcing the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s principles of camaraderie, physical fitness and teamwork — all of which are important to protecting our community. The support staff, logistics and teamwork required to field a team in this event year-after-year is a testament to the fortitude and commitment of the men and women protecting our community.

This year, 20 runners from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station are entered into the Invitational Mixed category. The Santa Clarita team will compete against other teams from all over the United States including Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino, Fresno, Orange County, and Los Angeles California; Las Vegas Nevada; Denver Colorado and Albuquerque New Mexico, just to name a few.

Participation in this event would not be possible if it were not for the countless station volunteers and staff who offered their time to support the team with radio communications, logistics, transportation, and other key roles. Community business leaders and organizations stepped up in support of the team providing vehicles, entrance fee support, team equipment and other items crucial to the safety and success of an all day and night run through the desert.

For more information, visit http://www.bakervegas.com