PORT ANGELES — Preparations continue for the 2017 version of the North Olympic Discovery Marathon weekend, an event that has grown through the years to include a marathon run, walk and team relay, a half-marathon, 5 and 10-kilometer races and the 1.2 mile finish to the annual Kids Marathon.
Race director Victoria Jones is in her third year managing operations for the event.
“Things are going great,” Jones said regarding race weekend preparations.
“The numbers [of registrants] are looking great this year. The numbers are up 10 percent from this time last year.”
She said 302 runners are registered for the marathon itself, a number likely to rise before race day, Sunday, June 4.
Registration for all of the race weekend events is available at www.nodm.com.
Marathon participants will notice a small course correction going forward, Jones said.
“We have a minor change to the marathon course with construction of a new bridge in Sequim Bay State Park,” Jones said.
Construction crews installed a 210-foot-long modular steel bridge for the Olympic Discovery Trail at Sequim Bay State Park in January.
The bridge connects the trail to a historic railroad grade that serves as a foundation for much of the Olympic Discovery Trail.
“The nice thing is now runners don’t have to dip down and come back up, so it eliminates a small hill and the course will be flatter through that Sequim Bay section,” Jones said.
Volunteers are the cornerstone of an operation this size and Jones is still searching for more community members to join the 550-person strong volunteer team.
Jones said the race day water station positions have been filled, but there are plenty of positions available at registration, along the course and at the finish line.
The first step for would-be volunteers is to fill out a form online at tinyurl.com/PDN-NODMVolunteers and then attend the race’s volunteer orientation meeting at the Vern Burton Center, 308 E. Fourth St., from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 16.
