NORTH OLYMPIC DISCOVERY MARATHON: Perseverance pays off for RTP veterans

Published 2:15 pm Saturday, June 6, 2026

PORT ANGELES — Two of the winners in the North Olympic Discovery Marathon’s Saturday races had run in numerous Run the Peninsula races, placing in the top 10.

Saturday was their day to shine in the NODM sun, literally and figuratively.

Michael Higuera, who has run in nearly all of the Run the Peninsula races for years and consistently finishes in the top five runners, had never actually won a RTP race. That is until Saturday.

Higuera came in first in the men’s 5K in a time of 19 minutes, 45.72 seconds.

“There was always another guy [at least a couple of times a woman]. Today there wasn’t,” Higuera said.

Higuera, 54, of Port Angeles, was usually beat by much younger runners in their teens, also often times losing to runners from Kitsap County or Seattle. He beat them all on a gorgeous morning along the Port Angeles waterfront.

“That’s OK [losing to teens]. It’s the natural order of things. Today I disrupted that order for a day,” Higuera said. Higuera will be running in the marathon Sunday.

Higuera had to work had to win as second place, and first for the women, was Jennifer Cerelli, 32, of Bellevue, who finished the 5K in a time of 20:33.83. Unlike Higuera, it was Cerelli’s first time at the NODM.

The morning started out cool with light sprinkles and little wind, but any time the clouds parted it warmed up, creating a variety of conditions along the trail. Conditions were considerable better than last year, which was one of the hottest NODM’s ever run with temperatures in the low 80s. Runners like it cool with no wind.

“This was pretty great. The conditions were perfect,” Cerelli said. LaNette Herrell, 61, of Spokane took third overall in a time of 21:03.15.

Also winning was another “veteran,” Alli Applewhite of Port Townsend. Applewhite, 14, took first in the women’s 10K in a time of 45:34.98. Applewhite is part of a long tradition of Port Townsend distance runners who have taken part in Run the Peninsula races. Another one, Nico Errichetti, is running Sunday in the half-marathon in his attempt to take a first-place medal in all five Run the Peninsula races.

“I’m tired but I’m really proud,” Applewhite said. “There were some warm spots along the trail, but this was great weather for running.”

Taking first overall in the 10K was last year’s champion Jack Weaver of Bremerton. He is a veteran 10K runner, but the NODM is the only one he has won. He finished in a time of 38:42.51.

“It felt great. It was a lot cooler than last year. My goal was to break 39 minutes, so I hit my goal,” Weaver said.

Second overall in the 10K was Justin Serrill, 39, of Issaquah in 39:16.74 and third was Bryan Strang, 30, of Sequim in 40:16.08.

The NODM’s title sponsors are the Peninsula Daily News and the Sequim Gazette with the Olympic Medical Center as a presenting sponsor.

On Sunday, the NODM continues with the full marathon beginning at 7 Cedars Casino in Blyn at 7:30 a.m. with the half-marathon beginning at the Agnew Playfields at 8:30 a.m. Half-marathon winners should arrive at the Port Angeles City Pier at around 10 a.m. with the marathon winners arriving at 10:15 a.m.

Times and placements are still unofficial. Full names are not available for children under 13. To find full results, people can go online to https://tinyurl.com/2026NODMResults.

Top 10 finishers (Unofficial)

Men’s 10K — Jack Weaver, first, 38:43.51; Justin Serrill, second, 39:16.74; Bryan Strang, third, 40:16.08; Jack Mantkowski, fourth, 41:07.03; Axel Swanson, fifth, 41:19.50; Justin McLarty, sixth, 41:42.29; Scott Clayton, seventh, 42:06.49; Paul Christensen, eighth, 42:08.67; Jaden Robertson, ninth, 42:11.94; Brandon Sherlinksi, 10th, 43:43.31.

Women 10K — Alli Applewhite, first, 45:34.98; Kristie Cotroneo, second, 47:45.62; Madeline Walton, third, 48:38.01; Amanda Rodgers, fourth, 48:39.02; D. Cadol, fifth, 49:46.72; Kate Grayum, sixth, 50:33.99; Elenore Bhatraju, seventh, 50:43.52; Emma Tschaikowsky, eighth, 50:47.31; Arwen Osborne, ninth, 51:49.17; Sarah Certano, 10th, 51:54.15.

Men’s 5K — Michael Higuera, first, 19:45.72; Patrick Ross, second, 21:39.5; Luis Smith, third, 22:32.7; Reid Randall, fourth, 22:36.33; Jason Ford, fifth, 22:44.71; Martin Galvin, sixth, 22:46.53; Christopher Roark, seventh, 22:51.58; Brandon Wieschhaus, eighth, 23:05.68; Josh Krzysiak, ninth, 23:32.4; Levi Donahue, 10th, 23:56.54.

Women’s 5K — Jennifer Cerelli, first (second overall), 20:33.83; LaNette Harrell, second (third overall), 21:03.15; Maren Rodgers, third (fifth overall), 22:04.71; Celbie Karjalainen, fourth, 23:25.87; Cecily Erickson, fifth, 23:30.98; Cassandra Karjalainen, sixth, 23:59.04; Sade Khorami, seventh, 24:07.96; Sofia Doryland, eighth, 24:21.72; Natalie Randall, ninth, 24:48.75; Nancy Patel, 10th, 25:18.16.