PORT ANGELES — The North Olympic Discovery Marathon is going to be a blast from the past.
The race is returning to Port Angeles with two days of races Saturday and Sunday. What’s also coming back is live music, food trucks, beer garden and big crowds on the Port Angeles waterfront.
The marathon is part of the Run the Peninsula series. Title sponsors of the Run the Peninsula series are the Peninsula Daily News and the Sequim Gazette.
The marathon begins at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at 7 Cedars Resort in Blyn and finishes at the Port Angeles City Pier, with the first runners arriving around 9:45 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Race director Victoria Jones said the number of participants in the 2021 race was very good, but that with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the race had to have restrictions in place, such as no large crowds at the finish line, no beer garden, no live music.
This year, there are no restrictions because it is an outdoor event. Jones said the number of runners has bounced back.
“Our numbers are right on 2019,” she said.
A total of 350 5K and 10K runners are expected Saturday, while 900 half-marathon and about 350 marathon runners are expected Sunday. Another 20 marathon relay teams are expected. Local accommodations are expected to be full due to the races.
“It’s going to be a very busy weekend,” Jones said.
Another big change this year is the races split up over two days. Last year, this was done to minimize groups of people. It worked out so well, the 5K and 10K and children’s marathon will all be held Saturday. The half-marathon and marathon will be held Sunday, making for a full weekend of races.
Though no formal decision has been made, Jones said it’s possible this could end up being a permanent change.
Sunday’s half-marathon begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Agnew soccer fields between Sequim and Port Angeles.
Both the 5K and 10K will begin and end at the Port Angeles waterfront, with runners heading east, then turning around at different points for the two races. Race time is 11 a.m. The 1.2-mile kids’ marathon race begins at 3 p.m. at the same site.
Registration for the marathon and 5K ends at midnight Friday. Registration for the 10K, half-marathon, kids’ marathon and relay marathon ends today. People can go to www.tinyurl.com/ 2022NODMregister to sign up.
Cost is between $40 and $110 for individual events, $15 for the kids’ marathon and $350 for the team relay marathon. People can also register to run virtual races at the same site.
While May was one of the coldest and wettest in recorded history in Washington, the temperatures and forecast are looking positive for the weekend. The forecast for Saturday and Sunday is about the same: Temperatures right around 60 with light winds, and about 50 percent chance of showers both days.
Jones said the cool temperatures make for “perfect conditions” for a marathon.
The North Olympic Discovery Marathon is organized by the Port Angeles Marathon Association. The other events in the Run the Peninsula series include the Elwha Bridge Run, the Railroad Bridge Run, the Larry Scott Trail Run and the Jamestown S’Klallam Run. The NODM is a USATF-certified course and a Boston Marathon qualifier.
