Ben Affleck, Matt Damon send runners to Richland

Richland played a starring role in an episode of The Runner, a reality TV competition helmed by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, broadcast July 25 on go90, a streaming service owned by Verizon.

The program features teams of two people attempting to catch a runner trekking across the U.S. In the July 25 episode, the teams begin their day searching for clues in a Boise stadium. The clues direct them to the Triton Sail at the Port of Benton in north Richland.

At the sail, the “runner” finds a key that allows him to enter the former submarine’s periscope, where he discovers clues directing him to the nearby Columbia River. With the chasers in hot pursuit, he flees across the water on a hovercraft.

The chase picks up later in Richland’s Alphabet Houses.

The Port of Benton said it was alerted that the crew would be filming in town but was sworn to secrecy because the competition involves prize money for the chasers and the runners. The episode provided Richland with welcome exposure and the chance to play host to a 10-person film crew.

View the entire series at bit.ly/2a1NqL1. Richland is featured in Episode 1, July 25. The 30-day series premiered July 1 and broadcasts about three episodes per day.

This story was originally published July 25, 2016 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Ben Affleck, Matt Damon send runners to Richland."