Four score and 7 years ago... Well, scratch the four score... 7 years ago, Tim Rossi and a group of friends started running, racing, and moving through the sport together as an unbreakable force called The Lostboys. Since then, the collective has gone on claim iconic course records, podium finish at international marathons, have multiple marathon OTQ'ers, and most importantly—exist as a haven for the truest and purest fans of our sport.
We caught up with Lostboys co-founder (and Head of Many Things at Bandit), Tim Rossi, about breaking the 30 year Hood to Coast course record...
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From Bandit to Lostboys, Tempo Journal, and beyond, we know you always have some irons in the fire. For the next 20 minutes, we’ll ask that you wear your most OG Lostboys hat and let us into that world a bit. The burning question that persists around this group is a simple one: What is Lostboys?
Have you seen Fight Club?...
It’s a collection of friends that want to get good at running, whatever “good” may mean. A bridge between the professional world and community world. A secret society. A BAND! In all seriousness, the most tangible way to describe the Lostboys is as a decentralized run club that anyone can be a part of if they’re chasing the dream and having fun doing it. But it’s intentionally vague so that everyone can interpret it how they want to.
And shout to Jeremy Mulvey, Luke McCambley, and Leigh Anne Sharek who are the other founding fathers.
For those who aren’t familiar: What is Hood to Coast? To level set, can you explain the format?
Hood to Coast is a roughly 197 mile relay that involves 12 runners spit into two vans (6 runners per van). Each runner runs 3 times in order (example: runner 1 runs, then 2, then 3, etc and when you reach 12 you go back to the first runner). There are all men’s teams, women’s teams, masters teams, mixed teams (minimum of 6 female runners).
There’s usually 1000+ teams total each year and its an awesome mix of teams competing for the win, raising money for charity, running for vibes, all of the above. And Lostboys always enters the mixed division.
Over the years, how has Lostboys fared at Hood to Coast? What have the vibes been like?
Vibes are always immaculate - certified turbo diesel (that's a good thing).
I should actually know this answer but I think we’ve ran this race like 8 or 9 times now. We’ve won the mixed division a handful of times. And in 2021 we won the race outright and set the course record*. And this is where I can explain that * because it's been a source of confusion: the race varies in length year-over-year slightly and we’d been chasing a course record from 1992. In 2021 we ran 18:34 for an average of 5:40 per mile. The 1992 course record is 18:21, but was confirmed to have been 192 miles by a runner who actually ran on the Bowerman team this year. That means the 1992 team averaged 5:44 pace, so we’d run faster but hadn’t beated the total time. It’s an old record, so it’s confusing for the race book keepers but for our purposes we still wanted to break 18:21 to put it to bed.
Post race, I overheard a Bowerman athlete recounting the race and he quotes: “The Lostboys put it [a record attempt] out into the airwaves this year so everyone was on notice.” Can you explain?
Man, this was the coolest thing. I had someone tell me “we put the bat signal out there” and that is sick. I think the mixed division is the best format for relays like thid - it just feels more right to have a mixed team out there in my opinion, same for any of these big relays (cc TSP OG format). And we’ve been trying to do a better job with our storytelling around this race the last few years because we honestly just think it’s such an amazing event. So it was cool to see that energy result in a pretty awesome year for the missed division, and it was particularly cool to see Bowerman, who usually field a men’s team and a women’s team, pull together a mixed squad to chase that record.
What was your process for assembling a team this year?
It’s always a balance of vibes and running ability. We want to keep it true to it’s core - pulling in Lostboys vs seeking out ringers. And then we obviously want to run fast, but HTC is so chaotic that you need a certain personality that’s going to embrace that madness a bit. When it’s 2am and you need to hammer one final 5 mile leg uphill, you need a certain personality who’s gonna be fired up when X Gonna Give It To Ya comes on the playlist (this actually happened this year).
There’s always people we don’t have space for that we would love to get onto the squad, so we do try to balance returners with newcomers as well. Maybe we’ll do 2 teams one year, but yeah balance.
Friday, August 23rd, 10:35am Christina Henderson starts the race flying off Mt. Hood (quite literally a 2000 foot descent over 5 miles). Take us through the collective first leg of this relay for Lostboys’.
The first few legs are controlled sending - you’re literally running off a mountain and going insanely fast. Starting at 10:35am was weird because they usually have faster teams starting later (it’s a waved start from like 5am - 2pm), but there were some fast teams with us which was cool! But it’s trying to run fast without destorying your quads. It was also COLD - like about to snow cold at the start. We bought blankets it was so bad haha.
But you anticipate the start for so long that it’s nice to get going. First leg done, get some fluids and food in you, massage the legs, get ready for the long day ahead.
10:46pm. Over 12 hours into racing and a pivotal moment arrives. Lostboys lose service & the night legs. It got dark in the group chat.
How is this race unfolding?
This is when the shit gets real - you’re sleep deprived, you’ve gotta run 1 or 2 more times, and you’ve just gotta trust that the other van is out there hammering. We always say that you’ve gotta assume the other van is 15 minutes ahead of schedule because it sucks to roll into an exchange and not have a runner waiting for you (this has happened multiple times).
But yeah we were probably 5 minutes ahead of schedule rolling into that no-service section, and that is where the race is make or break. You’re in an awesome spot, but you never know how your body is going to respond as you try to start crushing for the 3rd time in like 12ish hours.
We knew we had a shot at the record, but no one was really talking about it just yet.
After a few years since the last record attempt, how did it feel to bring this team together and reach this goal?
It was really cool - this was an awesome group of true OGs and to break the record for real real with this group was amazing. It was also hilarious to do it at 5am - we rolled up to the beach and the organizers were scrambling to set everything up because teams don’t usually finish that early in the morning. Being the first to the beach was pretty sick.
And then we waited - we knew there were a bunch of fast teams that had started at 1:30pm. I walked over to the finish line around 8:00 and saw Bowerman rolling in and it was cool to connect with them (they ran 17:50 and smashed the record - we ultimately finished as the 3rd mixed team behind Bowerman and 5280 Distance Project).
We had the record for 3ish hours which was special, but then to have 3 teams under a 32 year-old record was also just cool to be a part of.
What is the goal for HTC 2025? What's next for Lostboys?
Jobs not finished. We’ll come back and chase that mixed win. Hopefully pull some more fast mixed teams into the mix and just keep being a part of the elevation of Hood to Coast. Mixboys.
Any sign-offs?
You can’t terminate greatness (cc Fred Kerley).
BONUS ROUND
Favorite race you’ve run?
Hood to Coast, but because I just waxed poetic about that I’ll say NYC Marathon.
Favorite post-race meal?
Chipotle bowl, chips on the side, and then Ben & Jerry’s.
Best race fit of all time?
Damn this is tough. Jakob going speed suit in XC races needs to be up there, some of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recent fits have gone crazy, and Bernard Lagat in the cheetah-print spikes at Millrose was nuts. But Flo-Jo probably takes the cake.
Favorite athlete?
Fred Kerley to the moon, though Jakob is up there.
Ideal pre race song?
Levels literally cannot be beat.
