Riverside County law enforcement officers gear up for Baker-to-Vegas Challenge Cup Relay
Teams from nearly a dozen Riverside County law enforcement agencies will dig into the desert floor Saturday and huff their way across 120 miles in a legendary relay race that ends in Las Vegas.
The 2024 "Baker-to-Vegas Challenge Cup Relay," organized by the Los Angeles Police Revolver & Athletic Club, is expected to draw upward of 3,500 runners from public safety agencies throughout California, a few other states, the federal government and Canada. A total of 290 teams have signed up.
The Palm Springs, Banning, Beaumont, Corona, Menifee, Murrieta and Riverside police departments have personnel who are slated to participate, along with employees from Riverside County sheriff's divisions, the District Attorney's Office and the Department of Probation.
The 20-leg race begins along state Route 127, roughly 25 miles north of Baker, California, traverses Highway 178, into Pahrump, Nevada, and from there straight onto the Vegas strip, ending at the Rio Hotel & Casino on Flamingo Road.
Teams will head out in waves -- or "flights" -- with the fastest competitors leaving later in the day.
Since it began in 1985, the relay has become the seminal law enforcement race of the year, according to organizers. It was suspended in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but has otherwise stayed on track during the other years since its inception.
Last year's first-place team, from the Los Angeles Police Department, completed its run in 12 hours, 51 minutes. The last-place team, from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau, made it in 22 hours, 20 minutes.
The Riverside County team with the best time-in was composed of Riverside Police Department personnel, whose runners reached the finish line in 16 hours, 16 minutes, earning the unit a No. 49 ranking, according to results.
Teams traveling long distances to participate this year include the New York City Police Department, the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Calgary, Canada, Police Service, according to www.bakervegas.net.
