RUN THE PENINSULA: Sequim Bridge Run boasts ideal conditions for 300 competitors

SEQUIM — Nearly 300 runners, walkers and baby carriage pushers enjoyed a near-perfect start to the fifth annual Sequim Railroad Bridge run Saturday morning.

The Sequim Railroad Bridge run is the second of five Run the Peninsula races put on by the Port Angeles Marathon Association, the organization that manages the North Olympic Discovery Marathon coming up in June. Run the Peninsula’s season began in February with the Elwha Bridge run.

This race is made possible by title sponsors Peninsula Daily News and the Sequim Gazette, and presenting sponsors Olympic Medical Center and Sound Community Bank. Proceeds from the event go to several local organizations, including the Peninsula Trails Coalition, which builds and maintains the trail.

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The Railroad Bridge run consisted of 5K and 10K races along the Olympic Discovery Trail from the Sequim Railroad Bridge park west to Robin Hill County Farm and back.

The men’s 5K winner was Justin Strait of New Mexico with a time of 19 minutes, 15 seconds. The 5K women’s winner was Alexis Neal with a time of 23:04.

The men’s 10K winner was Travis Boltjes of South Dakota with a time of 34:50, winning by a huge margin of more than 4½ minutes. The women’s 10K winner was Allison Adamich with a time of 50:48.

As always, kids did well in the 5K. Five out of the top 10 runners in the men’s 5K were in the 13-19 age range.

Bladen McGhee, running in the 0-12 age range, came in 17th with a time of 27:47. Ellie Zehr, running in the 0-12 age range, finished 15th among women with a time of 30:18.

Bjorn Brostrom had the best teen time in the 10K, coming in 17th in the 13-19 range with a time of 57:05.

Race organizer Victoria Jones said roughly 350 people registered to run. There were 151 5K finishers posted online and 139 10K finishers.

Often times, Port Angeles, East Jefferson and Sequim high school track runners compete and do well in Run the Peninsula races, but local schools were at the Li’l Norway Invitational in Poulsbo on Saturday.

The next Run the Peninsula race is the North Olympic Discovery Marathon, which is expected to bring thousands of people onto the Olympic Peninsula on June 3-4.

Run the Peninsula also includes the Larry Scott Trail run in Port Townsend on Oct. 14 and the Jamestown S’Klallam Glow Run on Dec. 3.

To find full results and look up finishers, people can go online to www.tinyurl.com/SequimRRresults2023.

Sequim Railroad Bridge run

Top 10 finishers

Unofficial

5K men — Justin Strait, first, 19:15; CJ Daniels, second, 19:39; Connor Goff, third, 19:51; Dylan Zehr, fourth, 20:01; Jackson Laboy, fifth, 20:51; Josh Sutcliffe, sixth, 20:54; Evan Laratta, seventh 21:01; Kylen Clark, eighth, 21:20; Trevor Goff, ninth, 22:40; Tristan Haydu, 10th, 24:03.

5K women — Alexis Neal, first, 23:04; Kailee Wood, second, 24:38; Aimee Olbu, third, 26:19; Lucy Shaw, fourth, 26:37; Erica Hendricks, fifth, 27:52; Sarah Floerchinger, sixth, 27:58; Lydia Bower, seventh, 28:05; Angel D’Len, eighth, 28:16; Ashley Hulse, ninth, 28:54; Blair Valley, 10th, 28:54.

10K men — Travis Boltjes, first, 34:50; Matthew Wolpert, second, 39:28; Michael Higuera, third, 41:05; Allan Anderson, fourth, 43:26; Robert Neiberger, fifth, 44:03; Brent Unruh, sixth, 45:40; Andrew Gorbett, seventh, 46:39; Steven Lachnicht, eighth, 46:54; Luke Stednick, ninth, 49:17; Rich Moffett, 10th, 52:29.

10K women — Allison Adamich, first, 50:48; Julia Taylor, second, 52:30; Carly Castillo, third, 52:47; Angela Sorensen, fourth, 52:47; Deborah Horstman, fifth, 53:06; Carrie Simons, sixth, 53:25; Lindsay Fox, seventh, 54:45; Audrey Haydu, eighth, 54:49; Adrienne Christian, ninth, 55:14; Eden Whitmire, 10th, 55:39.

Women’s 10K winner Allison Adamich nears the finish line in first place among female runners. (Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group)

One of the Sequim Railroad Bridge runners gets a high-five from young spectators as he nears the finish line. (Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group)