PORT ANGELES — The Frosty Moss Relay, with 80-mile and 30-mile race courses for teams of two to five participants, returns to the North Olympic Peninsula for its second edition Saturday.
More racers are registered this year with 63 teams signed up across both race options as of Wednesday, according to race director Lorrie Mittman of Peninsula Adventure Sports.
“We’ve more than doubled the amount of participants from the first year,” Mittman said.
“The full Frosty has 41 teams, while the Mini Moss has 22 registered so far.”
The Frosty Moss relay course primarily follows the Olympic Discovery Trail and Adventure Trail from west to east, beginning at the Camp Creek Trailhead along the Sol Duc River and finishing in Blyn at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal campus.
The full course covers about 80 miles and consists of 15 legs in a mix of distances on pavement and trail. Paved legs are mostly on former railroad grade, meaning relatively flat with some rolling hills. The Adventure Route is hilly dirt single track, not overly technical, plus a few miles of gravel road at the beginning. Full Frosty Moss teams have two to five runners.
Four waves of relay teams will begin the race hourly at 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
“The trails are cleared and in good condition,” Mittman said.
Repair work along the Olympic Discovery Trail east of downtown Port Angeles has been completed and the worst conditions a runner might experience is running around a puddle — a pretty common occurrence at this stage of a Pacific Northwest winter.
The Adventure Trail also has been cleared recently by the county’s trail crew, Mittman said.
Mini Moss
The 30-mile Mini Moss has eight legs and teams of two to four runners. Its course begins at the end of Ediz Hook in Port Angeles and follows the Olympic Discovery Trail to Blyn.
The course is all pavement with no trail running.
The Mini Moss starts at 2 p.m.
Teams are welcome to divide the legs among runners as they like, but runners may not run back-to-back legs. Teams must average an overall 12-minute mile pace or faster, including time spent at exchange points.
Participants receive a swag bag, event guide, on-course support and an after-party at Club 7 in the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s 7 Cedars Casino, with meal, beverages, music and awards.
Cost is $95 per person for the Frosty Moss (limit 60 teams) and $75 per person for the Mini Moss (limit 25 teams). Registration closes today at noon.
Packet pick-up is from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, at Barhop Brewing & Artisan Pizza, 124 W. Railroad Ave. Participants need to bring printed copies of one’s team roster and signed waivers for all teammates.
On race day, wave start times are based on teams’ projected average pace.
For more information or to register, see www.frostymossrelay.com.
Additional adventures
Peninsula Adventure Sports, which runs the Frosty Moss Relay, has added some new endurance options this year to test the heartiest of athletes.
The Salt Creek 24 will be held March 21-22. Participants, competing either solo or part of a relay team, can run or walk as many loops over a 1.3-mile-long loop as they please over a 24-hour period with each competitor developing their own personal challenges.
There will be round-the-clock activities such as mashed potato hour and bacon hour to provide sustenance for the 24-hour contest. Door prizes and a poker run also are planned.
A breakfast will wrap up the race.
Registration is now open for this event at www.tinyurl.com/SaltCreek24.
Quilcene race
An endurance bike race, the Quilcene Gravel Unravel, is planned June 27.
Mountain bikers can choose from 42- or 57-mile race courses on a combination of paved and unpaved surfaces.
Both routes go northwest from Quilcene nearly to Blyn.
There will be both competitive and non-competitive Gran Fondo-style divisions.
The event will begin and finish at Worthington Park in Quilcene. There will be an after-race party with food and a beer garden sponsored by 101 Brewery in Quilcene.
A portion of the proceeds will support the Quilcene Museum, Quilcene Dollars for Scholar and the North Olympic Mountain Bike Team.
For more information, visit www.tinyurl.com/PDN-GravelUnravel.
Other events
Peninsula Adventure Sports also sponsors the OAT Run on April 18, the GOAT Run on Sept. 12 and the Big Hurt on Sept. 26.
