Inslee order allows live running, cycling competitions again

By Pierre LaBossiere • October 21, 2020 1:30 am
A member of Atlas Athletes from Olympia leads the pack at the second annual Frosty Moss relay race held along the Olympic Peninsula in early March. The COVID-19 ended pretty much all outdoor running and cycling races in the state. Photo by Matt Sagen
A member of Atlas Athletes from Olympia leads the pack at the second annual Frosty Moss relay race held along the Olympic Peninsula in early March. The COVID-19 ended pretty much all outdoor running and cycling races in the state. Photo by Matt Sagen

In response to Gov. Jay Inslee announcing an update to the state’s COVID-19 restrictions on outdoor sports, Run the Peninsula and Peninsula Adventure Sports announced their live races will return, beginning with the Jamestown S’Klallam 5K/10K on Dec. 5.

The Jamestown night race is part of a Run the Peninsula series. Peninsula Adventure Sports announced that its Frosty Moss Relays race on Feb. 27, 2021, will be live.

Inslee loosened a number of restrictions on sporting activities, including races, bike races and youth sports. This decision will allow live races again.

“(Inslee’s announcement) definitely gave us hope for a fun 2021,” Peninsula Adventure Sports race director Lorrie Mittman said.

“We’re very excited, especially for our participants who have been doing a great job standing by during these hard times,” Run the Peninsula race director Victoria Jones said.

Peninsula Adventure Sports’ race series was done for this year as the Big Hurt scheduled in September is the final race of the year, but Mittman said a fall race may be organized in response to Inslee’s order.

Meanwhile, Run the Peninsula has a virtual Larry Scott Trail run in Port Townsend. Jones said Inslee’s order was too late to change this October race to a live event.

Jones was busy Oct. 8 marking the race course around Port Townsend for a virtual event, which will go ahead as planned.

Jones said the Jamestown race will be both a live and a virtual event. She said some of the rules set down by the state include staggered starts with waves of 10 people each every two minutes and a maximum of 600 racers.

Jones said Run the Peninsula is still working with agencies to get all the permits approved for the December race.

Peninsula Adventure Sports puts on a series of outdoor running, swimming, kayaking, cycling and mountain biking races all over the Olympic Peninsula, from the Frosty Moss Relay to the OAT Run (April 17), the Quilcene Gravel Unravel (June 26), the GOAT Run (Sept. 11) and the Big Hurt (Sept. 25).

Mittman said that in addition to these events, Peninsula Adventure Sports is proposing a multi-race mountain biking series similar to the Quilcene Gravel Unravel.

The Frosty Moss Relay is a winter 80-mile relay running event that goes on paved roads and trails from the Sol Duc River to Blyn with teams of two to five people. In 2021, there will be a 30-mile-long “Mini Moss.”

If people want to register for the Frosty Moss Relay, they can go to www.tinyurl.com/FrostyMoss2021.

Run the Peninsula’s 2021 season will begin with Run the Elwha, a 5K/10K run at the Elwha Bridge on Feb. 1. The Railroad Bridge Race will be a 5K/10K event April 25 in Sequim, the big North Olympic Discovery Marathon in June and the Larry Scott 5K/10K in October.

People can register for the Jamestown run at www.tinyurl.com/Jamestown2020.