Time is flying! If you haven't thought about where you are going to sleep the night before the race it is time to do so. Our lodging options, Chrysalis Inn & Spa and Oxford Suites Bellingham, have reservation deadlines to receive the special Chuckanut 50k pricing. You can find details on our Event Lodging Page.
Be in touch soon - February 16 is it for these deals.
The Chuckanut 50k Finish line in Fairhaven Park is going to be busy! We've got Food Trucks, changing rooms, heated hang out areas AND... Massage! Theron Eirish has been at the finish line of the Chuckanut 50k nearly as long as RD Krissy Moehl. He is a huge supporter of this race!
You can sign up Friday night at packet pickup, or as you cross the finish line. Post race massage can speed recovery time, prevent injury and treat physical issues before they worsen.
Dr. Adam Phaneuf
Teaming up with Theron to provide finish line care is Adam Phaneuf of Apex Chiropractic & Rehab. These two will work in tandem Friday night to sign runners up for finish line appointments and then of course on Saturday to treat runners. You will find them under the big white tents after you finish.
If you are wondering who will be toeing the line at the 26th running of the Chuckanut 50k you can find the most current list on UltraSignUp.com. We are excited by the FULL field, lots of returning familiar faces and some speedy legs to keep the front runner race interesting.
March 3rd join The Balanced Athlete and Aspire Adventure Running as they bring runners together to preview/run the middle 30k of the Chuckanut 50k course. This is a casual group run where each runner is responsible for their food, water and knowing the route. We usually gather 25-75 people so there will be people to team up with out there.
RSVP and group run event details on Facebook: Chuckanut 50k Training Run
The list of companies and brands that get behind this race extends beyond the list of Sponsors that we announced earlier this week. If you have any history with the Chuckanut 50k this will also read very familiar. I love that we are able to rally this support year after year. Most of these brands have aligned with the event in some capacity for nearly every year that I've been the RD. That is 16 years now! As a supporter, each brand brings and sends generous quantities of product to share with our runners and volunteers. This year's list includes
Check out our Supporter page to learn more about what each brand brings to the 2018 event.
If you have any history with the Chuckanut 50k this announcement will read very familiar. We are incredibly lucky to work with some of the best brands in the industry year after year. Most of these brands have supported the event in some capacity for nearly every year that I've been the RD. That is 16 years now! As a sponsor each brand contributes $500 to the prize purse for our top 3 female and male athletes and top female and male master athletes.
In addition to this financial contribution they each bring and send generous quantities of product to share with our runners and volunteers. With brands like
headlining the sponsor list, runners and volunteers know the gear is going to be good! Check out our Sponsor page to learn more about what each brand brings to the 2018 event.
At the 2017 Chuckanut 50k Conservation NW and Skagit Land Trust joined our pre race event at the Chrysalis and hosted a booth at the finish line on race day. Their initiative? To help raise awareness around the potential logging of the Blanchard core - a key recreation area for many trail users. In addition to raising awareness they asked our runners and volunteers to sign a postcard if they supported the protection of this area. We were able to generate over 300 postcards that contributed to the 1200 that were sent by Skagit Land Trust!
From Skagit Land Trust: Their advocacy helped make a difference. The push by constituents and visitors to fully fund the protection of Blanchard was huge. Key decision-makers heard us. The Washington State House budgeted the full amount needed to finalize protecting the core of Blanchard Mountain through the Trust Land Transfer program. The Senate has not passed a capital budget yet, so we are stuck in limbo right now until they do.
Fortunately leaders at the Department of Natural Resources have said they will avoid logging the core in the short term, and are still working with stakeholders to ensure that the funding is fully secured.
We will keep you posted!
For more information:
This Skagit Valley Herald article explains the current budget situation and how it affects Blanchard: state-budget-decisions-for-blanchard-forest-
You can read updates here from Skagit Land Trust Blanchard Update
And from Conservation Northwest. conservationnw./blanchard-mountain
Join us March 17, 2018 at Fairhaven Park for the 26th Running of this awesome Bellingham event!
Registration Opens December 1st at 8am PST on UltraSignUp.com.
Registration is $95. A race shirt is an additional $25.
What an incredible race! A longer post is coming soon; in the meantime, you can check out official 2017 race results by BuDu Racing now.
You can also view images from the Hello You There photo booth - click here.
Thanks to everyone who came out to run, volunteer and support!!
Cheers ~ Krissy, Kevin, Tyler, Alina (and DJ, our parking guru)
Per the Washington State Department of Transportation and Bellingham Maintenance Department of the WSDOT, the road closure on Chuckanut Drive/State Hwy 11 is in effect throughout the entirety of the race weekend. Fortunately, this closure does NOT affect race participants (including staff, volunteers and runner crews) driving between the start/finish line at Fairhaven Park and other sections of the course; however, it does mean that people driving to/from Bellingham from the south will need to take I-5 (rather than Chuckanut Drive/State Hwy 11) as shown on our driving directions.
Good news! The road closure is SOUTH of the Lost Lake parking lot, so it should NOT affect volunteers, spectators and crews driving between Fairhaven Park and the southern end of the course. For race participants driving to the race from the south, we recommend taking I-5 (as opposed to Chuckanut Drive/State Hwy 11) to reach the race location.
This morning (Friday, March 17) a section of Chuckanut Drive was closed due to a mudslide. Please keep checking this page and Facebook for notices on the closure. We're hoping the road will be cleared today but, if not, this may mean alternate driving routes for volunteers, spectators and crews. It also means that runners driving to Bellingham from the south will need to take I-5 (rather than Chuckanut Drive/State Hwy 11).
Furthermore, we're taking another close look at the conditions on the course today to ensure that everything is clear and safe.
Until then, please read our previous post on course conditions, weather forecast and crew instructions.
With one day to go to our 25th running, the trails look great (considering they were covered in snow no more than a week ago)! The trail condition varies from good to muddy, and the route is now totally clear of snow. Our fearless founder Doug McKeever spent Thursday surveying and clearing the trails (in glorious sunshine, no less). There are some fallen trees across the trail that Doug was not able to completely clear, so he has cut steps into the trunks for runners to better navigate over. He's also marked the upper loop with Doug-style race signs.
We are expecting wet weather conditions all day Saturday, so be sure to prepare and dress adequately. Each runner is able to leave one bag with dry clothes and other post-race necessities (a towel would be nice!) properly labeled with a bib number at the finish line. Note that we cannot be responsible for lost or stolen items (this has never happened, but we have to say it anyway!).
There will be a warm shelter, changing rooms and open-sided tents in Fairhaven Park for runners to rest, clean up/change, relax, eat, drink and socialize after finishing the race. Please stay for the many post-race festivities and Awards Ceremony beginning at 2:30pm - details on the activities and celebrations are outlined on our Race Weekend Details page.
Please see the link to our Crew Directions under the RACE INFORMATION menu tab for information about race day crewing. We welcome crews at Aid Stations #1 & #5, both hosted in the Lost Lake Parking Lot.
See you soon!
