DON McDERMOTT / PVT Melanie Espinosa of the Santa Clara, Calif., Criminal Operations Bureau (team 174) was the first runner to enter Nye County and make the exchange at Highway 372 and Blagg Road in Pahrump Saturday, during the 24th Baker-to-Vegas Challenge Cup Relay. Advertisement

Despite horrendous weather conditions, including winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour in the Las Vegas Valley and in mountain passes, a near-record time was set in the 24th Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay last weekend.

The 20-state, 120-mile running race for law enforcement agencies was won by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Men's Central Jail team in 12 hours, 48 minutes, 12 seconds. And just two minutes behind was the California Highway Patrol - Sacramento team, the 2007 Challenge winner. Chips-Sacramento won in 2006 in 13:05:15 and in 2007 in 13:03:40.

The race record is 12:41:29, set in 1996 by the Los Angels Training/Air Support team. All but one sub-13-hour times were established by the LA Sheriff's Central Jail team: 12:53:37 in 1992, 12:42:17 in 1993, 12:58:48 in 1994 and 12:56:37 in 1995. The FBI-Los Angeles ran the race in 12:57:41 in 1991.

The finish line this year was unique; it was inside the Conrad Convention room in the Hilton Hotel, just off the Las Vegas Strip.

More than 5,000 runners and alternates competed for the reported 227 teams entered the race that began at 9 a.m. Saturday, 18 miles from the high school in Baker, Calif. They weaved through Ibex Pass and Shoshone, Calif., crossed through the mountains into Pahrump, made a right-hand turn off Highway 372 onto 160, tracked through the Spring Mountains into the Las Vegas valley.

Saturday night, the winds in the valley had gusts in excess of 40 miles per hour. One mountain-top relay point reported winds of 50 mph, with gusts to 70.

But throughout the course of the race, the wind churned up dust and debris, sometimes in blinding clouds -- and often right into the race of the runners. Fortunately, temperatures never dipped to below reasonable comfort levels.

Once runners and their support teams -- which boosted the total number of participants to more than 10,000 -- arrived at the Hilton, however, there were hardly any parking spaces available within two blocks of the hotel. The multi-level north tower was filled before 8 p.m. At 10 p.m., most of the runners were still challenging the course, the wind and the clock in Nye County; from Sandy Valley to the outskirts of Pahrump, the traffic was practically bumper-to-bumper.

The first runner -- Melanie Espinoza of the Santa Clara Criminal Operations Bureau -- was the first runner to enter Pahrump, making the the exchange at the Green Valley store at Highway 372 and Blagg Road around 4 p.m.

Other category winners were:

* Invitational -- CDC Open, 14:41:28;

* 99 -- Murietta PD, 15:46:53;

* 150 -- Newport Beach PD, 15:15:33;

* 300 -- Los Angeles District Attorney Bureau of Investigation, 14:55:57.

*800 -- L.A. Sheriff's Department SEB, 13:58:48;

* 100 -- Santa Ana PD, 13:42:24;

* 500 Invitational -- Pomona PD, 16:39:55;

* FED Station -- U.S. Secret Service, 15:51:21;

* Guest -- South Wales, United Kingdom, 16:35:14;

* Station -- East Los Angeles SD, 15:29:28;

* Women -- Orange County SD, 16:25:41.

P.S. There won't be much time to get ready for the 25th anniversary Challenge Cup Relay. It will be contested March 14-15, 2009 ... less than 11 months from now.