PORT ANGELES — With Gov. Jay Inslee loosening restrictions on outdoor activities, Peninsula Adventure Sports has added a new live event — the Olympic Oktoberfest walk/run on Oct. 24 along the Waterfront Trail in Port Angeles.
Keeping in theme with Oktoberfest, the race is being billed as “2020, the Wurst Year Ever,” complete with T-shirts of a virus eating a bratwurst.
Peninsula Adventure Sports, which puts on the GOAT Run, the OAT Run, the Big Hurt and the Frosty Moss Relays among other races, announced the 5K/10K event going live on an out-and-back route. The race had already been scheduled as a virtual event, but with Inslee’s COVID-19 order issued earlier this month allowing the return of outdoor races, the race is going live.
The Olympic Oktoberfest can also still be run as a virtual race if people wish. Also, people who had already signed up for the virtual race can switch to the live event if they wish.
The cost is $25 and $15 for youths. The race will begin between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. with different waves of runners taking off to avoid too much close contact.
Because the race is being put together with a short time of preparation, there is a 60-runner limit. All runners must register ahead of time. There will be no same-day, in-person registration.
The starting area is limited to a max 50 runners at any time and runners will maintain a 6-foot distance between themselves with an exception for passing. Face coverings will be required at start/finish lines, but they can be removed once competitors are out on the race course.
There won’t be any spectators allowed, and there will not be hydration stations. Runners will have to bring their own fluids.
The race is being held in partnership with Angeles Brewing & Taproom. Participants will receive an Angeles Brewing & Taproom glass and an Oktoberfest-style brew. They will also receive stickers and an Olympic Oktoberfest stainless steel coaster. People can also buy a “2020 Wurst Year Ever” T-shirt.
To register, people can go to tinyurl.com/OlympicOktoberfestRace. Registration ends on Oct. 23. If people want to transfer their virtual race registration to the live race event, they can contact Peninsula Adventure Sports race director Lorrie Mittman at lorrie@peninsulaadventuresports.com.
The other news from Peninsula Adventure Sports is that the Gravel Unravel bike race, originally a one-race event, is becoming a three-race event next year, to be held on May 1, June 5 and June 26 on various routes along the Olympic Peninsula.
