2024 Spray Rodeo and EO Half Marathon

For people in Wheeler County, Spray is at the epicenter of activities over Memorial Day weekend.

Hundreds of people flocked to the county this year - some to run on Highway 19 from Service Creek to Spray and others to ride and rope in the 76th Annual Spray Rodeo.

With cool weather but no rain, it was a good weekend for outside activities.

The Eastern Oregon Half-Marathon made history in 2024 – as the first female runner took first place. Eighteen-year-old Haley Blaine of Albany, Oregon won first place, with a time of 1:28:20.

A senior at West Albany High School, Blaine is coming off an exceptional year in track. At the OSAA 5A State Championships, Blaine took second in the 3000 Meters with a time of 10:04.18 – a personal record. Blaine also took third in the 1500 Meters.

Blaine's run at the Eastern Oregon Half-Marathon was five minutes faster than the second place finisher – 62 year old Rafael Orozco of Los Angeles, California.

Orozco was diagnosed with an advanced cancer six years ago and was told he would never walk again. For the past three years, Orozco has flown up to Oregon with the sole purpose of running in the Eastern Oregon Half-Marathon.

Other notable runners included youngster Charlie Mullins of Heppner. The twelve-year-old held his own with older runners and will be one to watch in the years to come.

Kayla Walker of The Dalles had the next fastest time for women, finishing at 1:46.23. Jarrett Thomas of Cana, Virginia had the fastest time for men in the 20-29 year old division.

But beyond the times and fastest runners, the Eastern Oregon Half-Marathon is a reunion for longtime friends and running partners.

Gary Purpura, 74 ran the Half-Marathon in its entirety. Purpura, who lives in the Portland area, spent several summers in the Spray area as a young man. The EO Half-Marathon is akin to a pilgrimage for Purpura, who has come back more than 20 times to take part in the Memorial Day weekend festivities.

The Spray Rodeo also enjoyed a good turnout and fans in the grandstands were not disappointed.

It was a tough go for bull riders in Spray. Only one rider held on for the 8 seconds – Brock Cooper of Midleton. As the sole survivor, Cooper took home the biggest purse of the day at $5,400.

Jordan Minor of Hermiston took home the biggest cash prize in Barrel Racing – winning $2,208 in Barrel Racing with a time of 17.97 seconds. The Hermiston native was just five-one-hundredths of a second faster than Arlington's Sammi Lane, who finished second with a score of 18.03 – good for $1,920.

But like the Half-Marathon, the Spray Rodeo had fun moments outside of the winner's column.

Fossil's Clint Rutherford had a strong ride in Bareback and was cheered on by the hometown crowd.

Nathan Clark also returned to Spray to compete in the rodeo. Clark is attending New Mexico State University and has become one of the best rodeo athletes in the region. Clark won the Regional Championship in Steer Wrestling for the Grand Canyon Region and is preparing for the College Finals in Casper, Wyoming next week.

Clark had some bad luck in Spray – he competed in Team Roping but had a miscue at the gate. Still, Clark said it was "fun to be back in the Northwest, and much cooler weather." It was the second time that Clark had competed in the Spray Rodeo, and he says it is a hometown event that he looks forward to.