PORT ANGELES — Long-distance runners, joggers and walkers will flock to the North Olympic Peninsula this weekend to participate in the 12th annual North Olympic Discovery Marathon and several shorter events.
Events include the 26.2-mile marathon, the 13.1-mile half-marathon, the Olympic Medical Center 10-kilometer and 5-kilometer runs and walks, corporate and high school relays in the marathon, a kids marathon, pre-event yoga, Sons of Italy pasta dinner and live music to help athletes recuperate post-race.
Participants will notice some routing changes to this year’s slate of events, all of which occur Sunday, except the kids marathon on Saturday.
The starting line for the marathon has shifted from its traditional start at Carrie Blake Park in Sequim to the Jamestown S’klallam Tribal Center in Blyn.
“We are really excited about that change,” said Zoe Aspidorf who works in an administrative capacity for the Port Angeles Marathon Association, which organizes the weekend.
“It’s much the same course but offers more water views along Sequim Bay.”
The change was practical, too, as the marathon’s certification with the Boston Marathon was up this year.
“We had to recertify so we decided why not make a change at the same time,” Aspidorf said.
Runners will head off at 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
Marathon walkers will leave even earlier, at 6 a.m.
Shuttles to the starting lines in the Blyn area start leaving the Gateway Transit area in downtown Port Angeles at 5:15 a.m. for walkers and multiple trips from 5:45 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. for runners.
Once inside the Sequim city limits, participants will transition from the Olympic Discovery Trail to the city’s main drag, Washington Street, and continue to Brackett Road and then Priest Road before rejoining the trail for the remainder of the route.
The finish line at Port Angeles City Pier remains the same for all events.
Around 2,000 participants are expected.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were about 100 spots left.
A total of 1,100 will run the half-marathon, 400 will attempt the marathon, 180 have signed up for the 10K and the rest are made up of marathon walkers, marathon relay teams and 5K participants.
Another 130 children are signed up for the kids marathon.
Half-marathon changes
The starting point for the half-marathon remains the same, the Agnew Soccer Fields, but the dogleg at the first mile marker has been moved back to mile 7.
There’s no more looping through the water treatment area in Port Angeles, with the final 2 miles replaced with a straight shot down the long, flat stretch along the Port Angeles waterfront.
The half-marathon will begin at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
Shuttles will leave the Gateway Center from 6:45 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.
New start for 10K
The Olympic Medical Center 10K has a completely new start, near the under-construction Deer Park Road underpass at Buchanan Road.
Runners and walkers will descend the trail, cross Morse Creek and swing around to the waterfront before wrapping up at City Pier.
There is no parking in the construction zone.
Shuttle buses will leave the Gateway Center from 7:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
The 5K run/walk begins at City Pier, heads east along the waterfront tail and loops back to finish at the pier.
Events galore
Online registration is still available.
Everything gets rolling Saturday afternoon at marathon weekend headquarters, Red Lion Hotel by the City Pier in Port Angeles.
Packet pick-up for all registered athletes is noon to 6 p.m. at Red Lion, and at the same time and place is the Race Expo, which is open to the public.
Pre-event yoga for participants is 5 p.m. Saturday at the Clallam County Family YMCA, 302 S. Francis St. in Port Angeles.
The Sons of Italy pasta dinner — with a limited number of tickets available to the public at the door — is set for 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Port Angeles Senior Center at 328 E. Seventh St.
Also on Saturday is the kids marathon.
Youngsters will run the final 1.2 miles of their marathons Saturday, after recording the first 25 miles in the six to 10 weeks leading up to marathon weekend.
There’s also a reading challenge component to this year’s kids event, in partnership with the North Olympic Library System.
The youth run starts at 4 p.m. at City Pier. Late registration for the event opens at 2:45 p.m.
Sunday’s first wave of marathon finishers should arrive at City Pier around 10:15 a.m.
There will be live music from Joy in Mudville from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at City Pier Pavilion with awards expected to be handed out from noon onward.
