PORT ANGELES — The second annual Salt Creek 24 endurance race, the final race of the calendar year for Peninsula Adventure Sports, will take place at the Salt Creek Recreation Area on Oct. 26-27.
There are still openings to sign up for the race, and event organizers are also looking for volunteers to help put it on.
The Salt Creek 24 is a 24-hour running and walking event that includes three separate races.
The first race is a solo event in which each runner/walker sets their own goals. While the clock will run for 24 hours on a 1.3-mile-long course through the Salt Creek Recreation Area from Saturday morning overnight into Sunday, the event is designed to allow athletes to challenge themselves. Some runners are expected to have a mileage goal, others are expected to train for other races.
Last year, the individual winner, Ksenyia Klos of Redmond, went 79 laps and went 105.86 miles total over 23 hours and 47 minutes, the equivalent of four marathons. The top team, The girls on the Run Westsound Solem, went 89 laps and 119.26 miles.
“We chose to structure our race this way because we recognize that every individual has their own unique goal,” said race director Brittany Shrout. “Just last year, I watched a couple complete their very first marathon distance together, side by side, hand in hand. In the same 24 hours, I witnessed three ladies complete their first 100-mile race. Salt Creek 24 is such a unique event and environment within itself.”
There is also a relay event for friends, families or coworkers.
“This one is kind of like a party,” Shrout said. “There are themes and sometimes costumes, and a lot of camaraderie.” Teams can break up the running or walking into scheduled mileage or time intervals, or they can wing it and pass the torch when they are ready for a rest.”
Then there is the ultra-competitive Last Runner Standing race. This event will take place on a separate course to nearby Striped Peak on Department of Natural Resources land, with the start/finish line at the Salt Creek Recreation Area.
While there are a number of “last runner standing” events in the Pacific Northwest, the one at Salt Creek 24 is one with some serious elevation gain that attracts a certain caliber of athlete.
This 3.7-mile-long up-and-back route with more than 1,000-foot elevation gain will summit Striped Peak every hour on the hour, until all runners except the final one left drops out or cannot make the 60-minute cutoff. In 2023, the inaugural race lasted 13 hours. This year it is anticipated that the race could go through the night as registration doubled between 2023 and 2024, up to 14 racers for this year.
There is also an option to make any of these events a fundraiser.
Peninsula Adventure Sports owner Lorrie Mittmann said doing the relay as a fundraiser is similar to the Relay for Life that used to happen annually in Clallam County, but instead of raising money for one cause, racers or teams can choose to raise money for any charity.
“Our racers raised over $7,000 for local and regional charity partners last year,” Mittmann said.
This year, charity partners include 4PA, Peninsula Trails Coalition, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (WA Chapter), Girls on the Run Westsound, The Healing Circle, Peninsula College Foundation and The Trevor Project.
Race organizers thank sponsors Welly’s Real Fruit Ice Cream and Olympus Plumbing for helping the race launch in 2023 and continue for 2024.
If anyone has any questions about the race, would like to volunteer or become a race sponsor (including in-kind food donations) contact Shrout at saltcreek24rd@gmail.com.
To register for the any of the three races, people can go to https://tinyurl.com/SaltCreek24register. If people want to volunteer, they can go online at https://tinyurl.com/SaltCreek24volunteer.
