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Can you imagine a place where glacial mountains loom out of the morning mist as you cross a wooden trestle bridge over a salmon filled river? Can you imagine a place where lush fields of arid lavender give way under your stride to mossy fern covered mountain paths? Can you imagine a place where native canoes ply, orcas frolic in the surf and Pacific sea breezes cool as you wend your way along the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the finish line? If you’re looking for an incredibly beautiful destination race, the North Olympic Discovery Marathon (NODM) is it.
I wish to thank you for the best organized and most visually stimulating marathon in my experience. This was my 12th marathon and my son's first. At the end we were exhausted, elated and grateful for all the effort you and the 600 other volunteers put in. Can you imagine an event where every single individual runner gets personal attention? Designed as the best by experts… Your race was the best race I have been at in over 80 marathons! The attention to detail was incredible and the friendliness of the volunteers and townsfolk could not be beat. The people giving the bus course preview (Julie and Bruce?) were so nice I almost wanted to move to Port Angeles. The organizing committee first took inventory of what they had. The area and its geography were a powerful asset. They were starting with a beautiful place, but how would they differentiate this race from other races in beautiful places?  For this question they relied on another great asset. The organizers were veteran marathoners and triathletes and could draw on their own experiences. They asked themselves the question; “What would a perfect race for us be like?” Then they incorporated the answers into the NODM. Since they were coming at it from a participant point of view, not a marketing or fund raising point of view, they came up with some interesting answers. Some of the answers you’ve heard before and deal with convenience and great support. But, some of the answers were more out-of-the-box thinking, like have each finisher assigned a personal volunteer to usher them through that most trying of times right after the finish line. Or, how about having special shirts; privately manufactured, high tech, half zipper race shirts?  As beautiful a course as you are likely to find… The North Olympic Discovery Marathon is a point to point race from Sequim to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula in Northwest Washington State. This is as far northwest as you can get in the lower 48. There is also a ½ marathon and a high school relay. The majority of the race is run on the Olympic Discovery Trail, a scenic, newly constructed bike/recreation trail. Most of the trail is “rails-to-trails” on old train routes. There is a nice smooth grade, asphalt bike path and a soft dirt shoulder alongside. The first few miles come out of the sea-side village of Sequim. Sequim is known for its beautiful rural farmland. Around this part of the peninsula the mountains create a semi-arid microclimate. Lavender thrives in the climate and you will be greeted by great swaths of pungent purple herb fields. I have to tell you I loved your race. It is my favorite so far. I have only run 3 other marathons (San Diego Rock and roll, Portland and Boston) but yours was the best. I loved everything from the packet pick up to the finish line and after. The photographers were great, nice awards, helpful and energetic volunteers, great aid stations with more gels than I've ever been offered, and most of all the course. I loved it. It is just beautiful.  The course continues through the countryside towards Port Angeles. In the first half of the marathon the Dungeness River is crossed by a beautiful old wooden trestle bridge. The course has a great finish too. With 5 miles left you descend to the seaside for the final stretch into the end. Overall the course is not totally flat, but fairly mild. There are a couple short up-downs as creek beds are traversed. The last 5 miles are right along the shore.
The cold Pacific Ocean surrounds the peninsula and modulates the temperature keeping it cool. Start temperatures have been in the 40-50 range with finish temperatures in the 50-60 range. For mid-June this is outstanding running weather. Thanks for the nicest, most beautiful marathon course and coordinated race I have been a part of. The people were great and the weather was perfect. It was well worth the trip from Massachusetts. We had a great time in Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria, as well after the marathon was completed. Keep up the good work! The Olympic Peninsula is home to Olympic National Park which encompasses the Olympic Mountains and Olympic Forest. The peninsula sticks out into the northern Pacific across the bay from Victoria British Columbia. It’s a beautiful place. You could spend some significant time hiking about in there. There are over 600 miles of trails in the park.  The same microclimate that creates the lavender fields in Sequim creates a temperate rain forest on the other side of the peaks. The Olympic contains the largest stand of old growth forest in the northwest. The area is still pristine and wild with Salmon migrating seasonally to spawn in the clean, clear water of many Olympic rivers and streams. The mountains are impressive, jagged, glacier- capped peaks rising nearly 8,000 feet above sea level. 3.6 million people visit Olympic National Park each year. Scenic location race AND support… You veteran runners are probably familiar with the typical rural race scenario. You drive or fly a good distance off into the wilds to run in a place of natural beauty or significance. You don’t expect too much. Many times these races are put on by the local club on a shoestring budget. Someone yells “Go!” and you and a couple hundred other hardy souls take off. Maybe there are a couple jugs of water by the side of the trail to help you along and somebody with stopwatch at the turn-around. You expect to rough-it in exchange for the experience of natural beauty. This is NOT the case at the NODM. Here you get the best of both worlds. You get the scenic natural beauty and the world class support. As much support as a big city race and many participants think the NODM does a better job. The process begins with communication. As soon as you sign up you’re adopted by the race directors and they keep you constantly up to date as the event approaches. They inform of all the little things that you need to know. Your support crew will know where to stay, where to watch and where to eat. They seamlessly choreograph the start and finish. You can park at either end and they’ll make sure you have a bus to get back and they’ll make sure your bag is waiting for you when you’re done. Each finisher has a personal volunteer meet them in the chute. This volunteer escorts the tired runner and gets their gear for them immediately. If the runner needs help, their personal escort will take them to the medical tent. They hold your hand right through the process. Thank you NODM:  The race organizers have created a self contained finish environment in Port Angeles for the runners. You get all the food and party in one place and it adds to the camaraderie of the finish. They work very hard to make every runner feel like they are the winner. The locals enthusiastically support the event. Part of the genesis was to bring economic benefit to the local area which has seen the loss of traditional industry over the years. The race directors saw this event as a positive way to leverage the strength of the area, promote the Olympic Peninsula, help the local economy and do so in way that traditional industry could not. It’s a win for everyone involved, the runners, the organizers and the community. Race is not for a charity or for profit. It introduces more people to the area. The race is a way to have a positive impact on the region’s economy and utilize its natural assets. The volunteers are plentiful and energetic. The local community turns out to staff aid stations all along the course. There is a contest as to who can put on ‘best’ aid stations. A previous race had 600 entrants and 500 volunteers to look after them! The runners vote for the best aid station and the winning organization is bestowed the coveted giant bronze running shoe trophy. They really get into it.  I’ll give you some useful ammunition when you are trying to talk your support crew into a road trip so you can enjoy the event! Highway 101 encircles the peninsula and reveals many small town gems. You can stop at one of the lighthouses or see the 61 mile long fjord of Hood Canal. There are islands, bays and waterfront resorts with some of the best golf links in the state. Along the peninsula are numerous stores and restaurants for the adventurous. Of course there is great seafood and even local wineries. There is always something going on and you can build this event into a wonderful northwest itinerary. British Columbia, Canada is a ferry ride away across the Strait of Juan de Fuca so you can have a ‘two nation vacation’. My husband and I are just back home after running your half marathon and then enjoying the Pacific NW for the rest of the week, and I wanted to compliment you and your team on an absolutely terrific race. We've run in many 10K to marathon events all over the continent, and the NODM certainly lived up to it's billing as the best in the country. The course was just gorgeous (we both want to return and bike the whole trail, and I've recommended it to my retiree parents who're active bikers), the run was very well organized and efficient, loved the shirt, we met friendly people at every turn, stayed at a wonderful B&B to which we plan to return...basically just generally had a great time. There is a big outdoors contingent with hiking, kayaking, biking and some of the best fishing in the USA.  How do you get there? I just wanted you to know that the NODM was by far and away the best organized, smoothest run small to medium sized marathon I've ever been a part of!! Just awesome!! You all just did a spectacular job at every level, from the weeks leading up to the event, the expo, transportation, volunteers on the course, the course itself, support, finish, etc., etc. I just can't compliment you enough. There is no need to imagine this place; you can experience it first hand on June 11th at the North Olympic Discovery Marathon. Latest articles in USA: Washington
Iron Girl—Graced with an Attitude Experience a rolling party of an overnight relay race with the MyoMed Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage. The North Olympic Discovery Marathon is a gem of a destination race. |
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