With a relatively small but significant portion of the Olympic Discovery Trail closed to use, organizers of the longest Sequim-Port Angeles road race have prepared some significant changes to the race course.
Those changes will have an impact on local neighborhoods and roads as well.
The 13th North Olympic Discovery Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k races are set for Sunday, June 7.
The running event is held primarily on the Olympic Discovery Trail, but with the closure of the trail at Railroad Bridge Park in Sequim, the marathon course was redesigned and will use six miles along Finn Hall Road.
With the marathon starting at 8 a.m. and half-marathon at 8:30 a.m. at the athletic fields in Agnew and shorter races set to start near Deer Park Road, several area roads will be temporarily closed. Race organizers urge residents and others hoping to use those roadways to be aware of those closures.
• Agnew, North Barr Road
6:30-7:30 a.m.: Heavy congestion on North Barr Road and Old Olympic Highway.
7:50-8:10 a.m.: Runners on road for marathon start
North Barr Road from Old Olympic Highway to Barr Road 0.2 miles south of the Olympic Discovery Trail will be closed to traffic.
8:20-8:45 a.m.: Runners on road for half-marathon start: North Barr Road from Old Olympic Highway to Barr Road 0.2 miles south of the Olympic Discovery Trail will be closed to traffic.
• Finn Hall Road, Gehrke Road and Wild Currant Way
8:30-10:30 a.m.: Runners on road
Finn Hall will be limited to one lane of travel; Monterra residents are asked to use Gunn Road.
• Buchanan Road and Deer Park Loop
8:30-9:15 a.m.: Heavy congestion
8:50-9:15 a.m.: Runners on road for 10K start
Buchanan Road, north of Deer Park Loop, will be closed to traffic.
Michelle Little, one of the race organizers, asks neighbors to consider rerouting routes to church or work and for drivers to use caution when driving near the race course.
Organizers anticipate 2,000 total participants plus family members at the event.
“We invite you to come out and cheer on the runners as they run through this beautiful area,” Little said. “On the day of the race, those of you who live along the course, have a business along the course or attend a church located along the course will have front row seats of this fun event. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience as well as our gratitude for your positive support. Let’s show our visitors a warm welcome and hope they spread the word.”
Race participants and onlookers may notice members of Clallam County Fire District 3’s Incident Management Team (IMT) as well. District 3 officials and race organizers are partnering this year to use North Olympic Discovery Marathon events as a training opportunity for IMT team members. The fire district’s goal is to provide team members with training and practical experience before a disaster strikes.
“Marathons or other events where a large amount of people gather presents a unique training opportunity and offers similar levels of complexity that the team faces when managing actual disasters,” a district spokesman said.
See www.nodm.com, e-mail michelle@nodm.com or text to 417-1301.
