NORTH OLYMPIC DISCOVERY MARATHON: Weekend of races returns this weekend
Published 5:00 pm Tuesday, June 2, 2026
PORT ANGELES — The crown jewel of the Run the Peninsula series, the North Olympic Discovery Marathon, will take place this weekend between Blyn and Port Angeles.
The NODM is put on by the Port Angeles Marathon Association. The title sponsors are the Peninsula Daily News and the Sequim Gazette while the presenting sponsor is Olympic Medical Center. There are numerous other sponsors including the Barhop, 7 Cedars Casino and Jim’s Pharmacy.
More than 1,500 participated in a weekend of races last year, ranging from a 5K to a full marathon. Another few hundred children participated in the popular kids’ marathon, and crowds are expected to be just as big this year. The race brings in hundreds of people from all around the Pacific Northwest and even from the East Coast.
Last year’s races were held during a heat wave with temperatures pushing 80 degrees. It looks like runners will get a break this year with the recent hot weather cooling down significantly by Friday. Showers are forecast for the Saturday races with temperatures in the upper 50s, perfect for running. For the marathon and half-marathon Sunday, partly cloudy skies are forecast with temperatures in the low 60s.
The races were split up over two days during the COVID-19 pandemic and it worked out so well they continue to be held over Saturday and Sunday.
The 5K and 10K will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Port Angeles City Pier with runners heading east on the Olympic Discovery trail and then returning to the finish line.
The kids marathon will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, also at the Port Angeles City Pier.
The full marathon will begin at 7 Cedars Casino at 7:30 a.m. Sunday and will run west along the Olympic Discovery Trail to the Port Angeles City Pier, with the top finishers arriving just after 10 a.m. The half-marathon begins at 8:30 a.m. Sunday at the Agnew Playfields west of Sequim. There is a also a team marathon that begins in Blyn.
The marathon is a USA Track and Field-certified course and a Boston Marathon qualifier.
Registration is still open until the start of each race. The minimum age for the half-marathon is 10 and the minimum age for the marathon is 13. Kids of all ages can run in the 5K and 10K.
Cost for the 5K/10K is $45, $95 for the marathon, $110 for the marathon, $350 for the team marathon, $200 for the team marathon if the participants are 19 and younger and $15 for the kids’ marathon.
There is also an Eagle Challenge where people can run in either the 5K or the 10K on Saturday and then in one of the Sunday races as an individual or part of a team.
To register, people can go online to https://tinyurl.com/2026NODMRegister.
The NODM is part of the Run the Peninsula series, which also includes the Elwha Bridge run in February, the Sequim Railroad run in April, the Spruce Railroad run on Oct. 3 and the popular Jamestown S’Klallam Glow Run on Dec. 5.
