PORT ANGELES — The Run the Peninsula series returns this weekend with the first race of the 2026 season, the Elwha Bridge 5K/10K, taking place Saturday morning.
The Elwha Bridge Run is one of the most challenging races in the series because of the unpredictable February weather. Previous races have been run in high winds, heavy rain and snow flurries.
The forecast for this weekend doesn’t look that cold, but there could be rain. The low temperature Saturday morning is projected to be 43 degrees Fahrenheit. Rain is forecast, but runners could end up lucky as the rainfall is not expected to begin until after 10 a.m. The race begins at 9:30 a.m. with the first 5K finishers arriving at the finish line in about 17-18 minutes and the first 10K finishers arriving in about 36-40 minutes.
The Run the Peninsula series has grown by leaps and bounds the past several years with five events throughout the year. The title sponsors are the Peninsula Daily News and the Sequim Gazette. The presenting sponsors are Olympic Medical Center and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
About 525 people are expected to participate. The Elwha Bridge Run begins and ends at the Elwha Bridge on the Lower Elwha Reservation and heads east toward Port Angeles with the 10K turnaround near West 18th Street and Milwaukee Drive in Port Angeles.
Registration is closed for both races, but people can register online to get on the waiting list at https://tinyurl.com/ElwhaBridge2026.
Race director Victoria Jones said people are getting off the waitlist, so there is still a chance to get in the race.
There will not be any parking at the starting line. People can be dropped off by friends or family on the Elwha Bridge Road at the west end of Elwha Bridge.
There will be parking at the nearby Extreme Sports Park at 2917 W. Edgewood Drive and shuttle buses to the starting line. Parking will open at 7:15 a.m. Saturday and buses will begin running every 15 minutes beginning at 7:45 a.m.
Participants can pick up their race bibs the morning of the race beginning at 8 a.m.
The Elwha Bridge Run has obtained a permit from Clallam County to control traffic at the intersections of the North Olympic Discovery Trail at Lower Elwha Road and Kacee Way. Motorists in the area are urged to watch for runners Saturday morning.
The next Run the Peninsula race will be the Sequim Railroad Bridge run on April 25, followed by the North Olympic Discovery Marathon from Blyn to Port Angeles June 6-7. The NODM also includes a 5K, a 10K and a kids’ marathon on June 6 with the marathon and half-marathon on June 7. All these races are organized by the Port Angeles Marathon Association.
The Spruce Railroad run along Lake Crescent is on Oct. 3 and the Run the Peninsula series finishes with the wildly popular Jamestown Glow Run in Blyn on Dec. 5. Registration for all these races is open at www.runthepeninsula.com.
