PORT ANGELES — On Saturday, competitors will be mountain biking, kayaking, cycling and running in and around the city and waters of Port Angeles in the Peninsula Adventure Sports Big Hurt competition.
The race, the crown jewel of Peninsula Adventure Sports events, contains a 16-mile mountain biking leg that begins in the hills above Port Angeles, a 2.6-mile-long kayaking leg through Port Angeles Harbor, a 30-mile cycling leg on roads west of Port Angeles and a 10K run along the Olympic Discovery Trail east of Port Angeles and back.
The title sponsor is Sound Bikes and Kayaks and the presenting sponsors are Angeles Millworks/Hartnagels and Cornerstone Prosthetics and Orthotics.
Teams or individuals still wanting to sign up can go online at https://runsignup.com/Race/WA/PortAngeles/BigHurt.
All of the transfer zones are at Pebble Beach along the Port Angeles Harbor. The race begins with the mountain bike leg at 9 a.m. well above Port Angeles which means the first riders should be arriving at Pebble Beach around 9:30 a.m.
According to race director Lorrie Mittmann, there are 69 teams signed up so far — 19 tandem teams with the rest three- to four-person teams. Another 69 ironman athletes, who plan to compete in all four legs solo, have also signed up.
Sign ups continue this week with the Iron Division costing $100 per person and the teams $75 per person. The cost for high school teams is $40 per person. The cap is 75 teams and 75 individuals.
One change to the race this year is no more paddleboards for the kayaking leg. Competitors must use a kayak.
Another feature in this year’s race is that there will be two adaptive teams competing to raise awareness and advocate for disability rights in Washington. Both teams are sponsored by Cornerstone Prosthetics and Orthotics.
These athletes are raising awareness for “So Every BODY Can Move,” a disability rights initiative working to bring legislative change to Olympia in 2025 that will improve the lives of Washingtonians who depend on prosthetics and orthotics.
Currently, life-changing prosthetic and orthotic care that helps the disability community be physically active — including “running blades” — is not covered by insurance and considered to be “not medically necessary.” Their goal is to make sure that everybody has equal opportunities to participate in all facets of society including outdoor recreation, sports and exercise.
Captained by disability rights advocate, cancer survivor and nonprofit founder Nicole Ver Kuilen of Vancouver, the teams include seven athletes from across Washington including Katy Gaastra of Vancouver, Jacob Hansen of Spokane, James Hessen of Arlington, Sierra Landholm of Port Orchard, Katya Madden of Everett and Dillen Maurer of Bellingham.
In a release, The Big Hurt stated that it believes movement is medicine and physical activity should be a right, not a privilege, and the race is in full support of these athletes to access what they need to live their best lives.
To learn more, people can go online at www.soeverybody canmove.org or get involved by emailing Ver Kuilen at sebcmwa@gmail.com.
The spectator area at Pebble Beach is open to the public. There will be a band, the Grave Dashers, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the Field Hall Waterfront Cafe will be open for food and coffee. There will be free cowbells available for cheering at the Cornerstone booth.
Peninsula Adventure Sports also puts on other endurance events such as the Frosty Moss Relays, the Olympic Adventure Trail run, the Great Olympic Adventure Trail run and the upcoming Salt Creek 24 on Oct. 26-27.
Little Hurt
The Little Hurt for pre-Kindergarten to eighth-grade kids is also being held Sunday at Peninsula College.
There are 49 kids signed up so far for the Little Hurt and a lot of last-minute sign-ups are expected. There are bicycling and running legs for pre-K and Kindergarten-age children and rowing machines for the first- through eighth-grade divisions.
People can sign up for the Little Hurt at https://runsignup.com/Race/WA/PortAngeles/LittleHurt.
