Sunday, September 16, 2007 at 11:06AM
Brian Golbourne

The 2007 Playersrun, from Calgary Canada to Cabo San Lucas, took a pit stop this weekend in Las Vegas. What is Playersrun you might ask? It’s a “poker run” – a rally where teams travel a predetermined course and at different locations and cities. They stop at each checkpoint and select a playing card, and at the end of the event, the individual with the best poker hand wins.
The Playersrun is an annual, private, charity affair. It’s a journey, where invited members take their exotic cars from one great destination to another. In 2003 it was Los Angeles to Miami. In 2004 the run went from New York to Los Angeles. 2005 was Seattle to Las Vegas and 2006 from Los Angeles to Denver Colorado. Playersrun participants will be the first to tell you that it’s not a race, “it’s the journey that counts.” – playersrun.com.
The run usually lasts for five days. It’s a “charity poker” where “we pick up a poker card each day for five days,” says Ashley Van Dyke, driver in this years and previous events (www.ashleyvandyke.com). At the end of the five days, “the driver with the best hand gets bragging rights – while part of the entry fee goes to children’s charities,” she continued.
The officials for this event have imposed strict criteria to keep the Playersrun exclusive. To be considered to participate, you need to be personally invited – yet there are only six wildcards available for referrals. Otherwise, an application and registration agreement much be submitted. The terms discuss the assumptions of risk and dangers of the event, code of conduct, liabilities and more. Of course there are fees associated with the run….an entrance fee of $13 thousand dollars! Included in that fee are 5-star luxury hotel accommodations at each destination, overnight parking, luggage transport, selected breakfasts, lunches and dinners, VIP parties, all shuttles and limousines, film and photo crews, police and safety crews (escorts and street closures) and most importantly, lifelong memories! Entry fees are per vehicle, with up to two passengers allowed.

The fifth annual Playersrun was from September 11-17, 2007 this year. From Calgary Canada to Cabo San Lucas, the driving distance was less than 2000 miles. There were 46 teams (60% returns / 40% new comers) with an average driving time of 5-6 hours per day! Riding along with the drivers were their sponsors (represented on the decals on their vehicles), towing services, 1 Playersrun staff member for every three teams, 1 VIP transport vehicle, 1 luggage van, 1 helicopter, 1 Boeing, 10 staff vehicles, 25 police officers, cars and motorcycles, and 24/7 access to staff. Now if this doesn’t sound like a blast, you tell me what does!
For this year’s event, the cars took off in Calgary Canada at 9:00am on September 12th. Next, they headed from Big Sky, Montana to Salt Lake City, Utah. From there, it was off to our hometown, Las Vegas, where they met at the Wynn at 7pm on the 14th. While there I was lucky enough to catch up with Ashley Van Dyke and Jon Goodrich of Team Polizei in their 2006 Aston Martin (V8 Vantage Model). On the website gumball144.com, Jon “Nine” Goodrich explains, “Ashley just got a 106 in a 75 (speeding ticket). The guy REALLY wanted to take her to jail but we talked him out of it!”. That was in the vicinity of Shelley, Idaho. When asked about their favorite checkpoint, they said it was none other than right here in the Vegas valley. “The best checkpoint was Las Vegas motor speedway where we drove Indy cars at the Mario Andretti School,” explained Ashley, one of Polizei’s drivers and automotive enthusiasts.