The legendary law enforcement relay race involving competitors from Riverside County and numerous other jurisdictions will get underway Saturday, with runners set to cover 120 miles of desert en route to the finish line in Las Vegas.
The 2026 “Baker-to-Vegas Challenge Cup Relay,” organized by the Los Angeles Police Revolver & Athletic Club, is expected to draw upwards of 3,000 runners Saturday from public safety agencies throughout California, a few other states and the federal government. A total of 276 teams have signed up.
The Banning, Corona, Hemet, Menifee, Murrieta and Riverside police departments have personnel scheduled to run, along with employees from several Riverside County sheriff’s divisions, the District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Probation. According to bakervegas.net, there are a dozen teams from Riverside County on the roster.
The 20-leg race will begin about 7 a.m. Saturday along state Route 127, roughly 24 miles north of Baker, Calif., traversing Highway 178, into Pahrump, Nevada, and from there straight onto West Desert Inn Road, then onto South Valley View Boulevard, ending in the parking lot of the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
“One hundred and twenty miles of pavement, hot days and cold nights, blood, sweat, pride, honor — that’s what the world’s most prestigious and unique law enforcement foot race is all about,” according to an LAPRAC statement.
The weather at the starting line Saturday morning was forecast to be in the mid-50s and clear, warming into the upper 80s by early afternoon. In Las Vegas, the mercury was forecast to peak at 95 Saturday, falling into the mid 60s after sunset. Most teams will not reach the Las Vegas Strip until after dark.
Teams will head out in waves — or “flights” — with the fastest competitors leaving later.
Since it began in 1985, the relay has become the seminal law enforcement race of the year, organizers said. It was suspended in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID lockdowns, but has otherwise stayed on track during the other years since its inception.
Last year’s first-place team, from the California Highway Patrol “Elite” unit, completed its run in 12 hours, 31 minutes and 55 seconds. The last-place team, from the Lodi Police Department, made it in 22 hours, 36 minutes and 29 seconds.
The Riverside County sheriff’s “lead” team landed in the top 10 at 14 hours, 31 minutes and 38 seconds. That was the best time-in of any team from the county.
This year’s competitors traveling long distances to participate include teams from Oklahoma, Texas, New York and the Navajo Indian Reservation Department of Public Safety in Arizona.
There will be a livestream from the finish line at youtube.com/live/XwBOXC6ZaUk.