More Visitors

 


There are more Missourians who are Washington-bound. These will be our first Missouri visitors who aren’t linked to Ann by DNA. Full disclosure, these are also people who would be coming if we weren’t here, but we’re still excited about seeing them while they are in the area.

My friend Joe is coming for an Otillo on May 31. Otillo isn't just a trending buzzword that I dropped into my blog to optimize its search engine results. It’s an event in which swim, run, swim, run, swim, run… you get the idea. Unlike a triathlon, where you have a transition zone, on this event you are running in what you swim in, and taking your shoes with you while you swim. Three total distance options ranging from 10k to 40k. It’s on Orcas Island. When Joe first told me about it, I assumed he would be swimming around between islands, but I think the course is all actually inland on Ocras Island. We plan to meet up with Joe post-race for dinner.


My friends Brad and Kim are coming for the Olympic Mountains Trail Race Festival on August 15-16. No swimming on this one, but distance options range up to 100k, or 50k with a ruck. They also range down to 10k. A 10k trail run is something I can handle, so I’m considering signing up as well. Ann, Mary and I drove over on Sunday to check out the course.

The closest town is Quilcene, and it’s less than 1 ½ hours from where I live. When you’re at Quilcene, you’re only about 12 miles from where the race starts, but it’s still more than 30 minutes away.

This is due to the pothole-laden mountain road. It’s nothing you need a 4x4 for, but I wouldn’t drive your new Corvette up there either. A little bit of ground clearance is required.

As I was driving up, I was wondering where they were going to have room to park cars, let alone stage a finish line. The answer: An old quarry, complete with a burned-out car and a lot of shot-up stuff. As I ran my hand over


the car door perforated with bullet holes, I had wistful feelings of Missouri.

We drove a good part of the 10k course, as it is on an old logging road. I recommend this method – driving up these hills is a lot easier than running up them, even if gas is $5.50 a gallon. We hiked some of the trail part of the course, but just a couple of miles of it, before we turned around and came back.

It looks like a great place for a trail race. My hats off to the race directors for staging an event that far off the beaten path. 


I need to get back to running the trails here in Point Defiance Park.



 

https://otilloswimrun.com/races/orcas-island/

https://mountainpeaksracing.com/olympic-mountains-races-1

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