PORT ANGELES — They will be coming down the hills and through the bay and along the roads in and around Port Angeles.
And after, they will party.
Up Saturday is the Big Hurt, one of the toughest endurance races on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Individuals and teams will ride over logging roads and trails for 15 miles on mountain bikes, transition to kayks for a 3-mile paddle along a triangular course in Port Angeles Harbor, return to land to cycle on a road bike for 28.5 miles along roads west of the city and back, then run for 10 kilometers along the Olympic Discovery Trail east of Port Angeles and back to the finish line at Pebble Beach Park.
That’s a 52-mile race over dirt, pavement and water.
Race organizer Tim Tucker said 43 teams have signed up as of midweek and about 40 individuals have registered for the “Ironman” competition, in which one person does all four legs.
People can still register until the end of today at bighurtpa.com, though people registering at the last minute won’t get a complementary T-shirt.
Tucker said that’s roughly the same number of people who signed up last year, but one thing has changed this year. The event seems to be attracting more competitors from out of the area.
“We’ve got more people coming in from Canada. We put a lot of energy into advertising,” he said.
Five years since re-launching the annual event, the response from the Port Angeles community has been amazing, Tucker said.
“It’s one event matching four different races. The city has been great. We over 30 or 40 volunteers. It’s a true Port Angeles original event. There’s no event like the Big Hurt,” Tucker said.
It will be noisy along the Port Angeles waterfront Saturday. Another change this year is cowbells will be handed out to people who come to the transition zone (where team members and individuals make the transition from one event to the next) at Waterfront Park to make lots of noise for the competitors.
“We want people to come down, grab a cowbell and cheer people on,” he said.
There is also a new 30-foot tower that’s been built by Peninsula College students. There will be a big bell at the tower that each competitor will ring when arriving at the transition zone.
The weather is expected to be good this weekend, with mostly sunny skies forecast Saturday. Last year, there were gale force winds and heavy rain during the race. Tucker said weather only really causes problems for the kayaking leg and there are plenty of rescue boats in the harbor in case kayakers capsize.
The race begins at 10 a.m. with the mountain biking in the foothills above Port Angeles. After coming downhill along logging roads and trails, the bikers are expected to hit the transition zone at around 11 a.m. for the kayaking leg. So, anytime after 11 a.m., Waterfront Park will be hopping.
Another addition to the Big Hurt this year is a salmon bake dinner provided by the Elwha River Casino and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe for all the athletes and volunteers. Food, including the salmon bake, will be available for purchase from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. for the general public.
There will also be a beer garden and live music from Leo’s Crossing.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
