PORT ANGELES — The fourth race of the 2024 Run the Peninsula Series set for Oct. 19 will be a brand new event, the Spruce Railroad Trail 5K/10K Run along the north shore of Lake Crescent.
The race will take place within the boundaries of Olympic National Park.
About 500 participants are expected to gather at the Spruce Railroad Trailhead to run and walk along the Olympic Discovery Trail. Runners will head west, go through the 450-foot-long McFee tunnel, then turn around to return to the trailhead. The 10K race will also go through the Daley Rankin Tunnel three miles from the trailhead.
The event is organized by the Port Angeles Marathon Association, which puts on the North Olympic Discovery Marathon held each June between Blyn and Port Angeles.
The title sponsors are the Peninsula Daily News and Sequim Gazette and the presenting sponsor is Olympic Medical Center. Proceeds from the event will benefit several local organizations, including the Peninsula Trails Coaltion.
There are still spots available if people want to register. People can register at www.runthepeninsula.com. Registration will close at 9 a.m. Oct. 19. The cost is $40 for both the 5K and 10K, and runners will receive a bib, running gloves and medal. Runners are encouraged to pick up their bibs on Oct. 18 at Angeles Brewing Supplies & Taproom at 116 N. Lincoln St. in Port Angeles, though they can also be picked up the morning of the race.
It is important for participants to know that there will be no parking available at the Spruce Railroad trailhead from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 19.
Participants can be dropped off at the west side of the Lyre River Bridge on East Beach Road near the trailhead. Shuttles also will be provided to all participants and spectators who park in Joyce, at a site to be determined.
Shuttles will start at 7:30 a.m. and run throughout the event. People should make sure that they leave plenty of time to get to the start of the race and pick up their packet if they are picking it up on Saturday. The buses will depart approximately every 15 minutes and travel over the Joyce-Piedmont Road.
Run the Peninsula runs five races during the year. The next event will be the colorful Jamestown S’Klallam Glow 5K/10K Run in Blyn on Dec. 7. Run the Peninsula also puts on the Elwha Bridge Run in February and the Railroad Bridge Run in Sequim in April.
