Baker to Vegas Race 2026

The 41st annual Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay took place March 28-29 from the desert to Las Vegas’ Rio Hotel, and the Club was there for all the action!

This amazing relay team footrace is an annual event for public safety organizations throughout the world. The relay race is a 120-mile, 20-stage footrace between Baker, California, and Las Vegas and is considered the “Super Bowl” of law enforcement; the champions are the best, in terms of physical fitness and logistics the police world has to offer. The race was created in 1985 by LAPD Officers Chuck Foote and Larry Moore, and is managed by the Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club. The Employees Club is grateful for their leadership.

The 2026 edition of the Baker to Vegas footrace proved to be another outstanding year, with 277 teams participating from throughout the world, including international teams from Berlin, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and teams from Edmonton and Calgary, Canada. The Club sponsored 12 teams this year, marking the 22nd year the Club has sponsored teams.

The LAPD Elite team returned to its glory as the overall race winner, overtaking the CHP Elite team, which took the crown from the LAPD Elite team last year. LAPD Elite completed the race in 12:25:08, true to their word last year to come back strong in 2026 and win back the crown. LASD Elite again finished in third place with a time of 13:29:23.

The Club once again was on the racecourse to capture as much of what unfolded. Around the 1 p.m. start time, temperatures were approximately 85 degrees.

Tragically, this year’s installment was the first to witness a fatality — the on-course death of 30-year-old Deputy Levi Vargas, an 11-year veteran of LASD, due to a medical emergency. (See in Memoriam, later in this story.)

Finish Times of Club-Sponsored Teams

• Team 135 Los Angeles City Attorney (finishing at 17:30:00) earned a mug for a top half finish in their category, taking sixth in their Invitational Mixed 800 category
• Team 137 Los Angeles Port Police (finishing at 18:14:49) narrowly missed earning a mug in their 150 category)
• Team 24 Los Angeles Airport Police (finishing 16:44:14) earned a mug and placed second overall in their Invitational Mixed 800 Division category
• Team 129 Communications Division/SECSD (finishing at 17:53:13 with a 10-minute penalty), landed exactly at the fifth-place cutoff in their Invitational Mixed 800 category, securing their mug
• Team 777 LA County Probation (finishing at 19:17:21), anchored by 37-year veteran runner David Tsushima, still going strong since 1997
• Team 276 DSH Metro (finishing at 24:37:03)
• Team 79 LAPD Mission (finishing at 15:53:09), took first overall in their Mixed Division category and secured their mug
• Team 31 LAPD Newton (finishing at 15:49:44), took seventh place in their overall Station category and brought home a mug
• Team 207 LA County Welfare Fraud (finishing at 20:47:47)
• Team 27606 LAPD Women (finishing at 16:16:19) successfully earned a mug and dominated their Women Category. The LAPD Women’s Running Team ran under team number 27606 to honor fallen LAPD Officer Tina Frances Avanzato-Kerbrat. Officer Kerbrat was assigned to the North Hollywood Division and was killed on the line of duty on Feb. 11, 1991. Her official department LAPD Serial Number was 27606. To honor her legacy, the team dedicated their 2026 campaign to her memory and wore her serial number as both their official team registration entry and their bib number.
• Team 122 LAPD Van Nuys (finishing at 17:03:43) finished in sixth place, comfortably securing their mug in their Invitational Mixed category
• Team 124 LAPD Pacific (finishing at 17:07:51) placed seventh, securing their mug in their Mixed Division category.

Club-Sponsored Team Leadership

LA City Attorney Co-captains were David Michaelson and Valerie Flores, with Robbie Britton as their support captain.

LA Airport Police team co-captains were Sgt. Roxanna Carlos, Officer Daniel Gardea and Det. Maria Iniguez.

LAPD Communications Division/SECSD team captains were (Communications) Diana Najera; and (Security Services Division) Officers Garrett Stults and Frank Sarabia.

Team LA County Welfare Fraud team captains were Investigator Zachary Mendoza and Investigator Michael Rodarte.

LAPD Newton Division has been participating in Baker to Vegas for the past 25 years. Team captains were Officers Tony Hurtado, Gerardo Reygosa, Carl Thompson and Michael Leibe.

LA Port Police team captains were Officers Jose Verbera and Alexandra Garbe. Support captain was Christine Pina.

California Dept. of State Hospitals Metropolitan team captain was Christopher Gonzaga.

Team LA County Probation team captains were Deputy Probation Officers Sandra Quintero and Marcela Mascorro.

LAPD Mission Division (new team) team captains were Sgt. David Gomez team captain, Sgt. Paul Gebhardt and Officer Cesar Gutierrez.

LAPD Women team captains were Commanding Officer Mariana Romo and Sgt. Kasey Patton, with Sgt. Veronica Padilla serving as Treasurer. This year also marked the final Baker to Vegas race for the team’s former captain, Sgt. Tracye Fields. As she concludes her remarkable tenure with the LAPD as well as the team, the team was honored to carry forward the legacy of leadership, dedication, and commitment she has built for the LAPD Women’s Running Team. The team is grateful for her years of service and the lasting impact she has made.

LAPD Van Nuys team captain was Sgt. Frank Argueta, with co-captains Officers Marco Antonio Guajardo, Ernesto Ortega and Albert Vaquera.

LAPD Pacific team captains were Officer III Juan Blas and Sgt. Moses Trejo.