The Claremont Police Department teamed up with the Azusa and Covina police departments to participate in the Baker to Vegas Law Enforcement Challenge Relay Race last weekend, earning a second- place finish in their division.

Baker to Vegas is the world’s most prestigious and unique law enforcement foot race. It covers 120 grueling miles, broken down into 20 legs, through the desert and mountains between the cities of Baker, California and Las Vegas, Nevada.

The team started on Saturday morning, March 25, and finished on Sunday morning, March 26, with an overall finish time of 16:21:45.

There are 15 different team categories and the Claremont/Azusa/Covina team participated in the “500 Invitational” category, which includes agencies that have 500 or less full-time personnel. The team was comprised of much more than just the 20 runners. A great deal of logistics goes into the race, with strict rules to ensure safety including required support personnel for every runner, alternate runners on standby, team shuttle vans and logistics personnel.

Chief Shelly Vander Veen was honored with the last leg of the race running a distance of 4.6 miles. Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year’s Baker to Vegas event.