Nearly 300 runners take off in the Run the Peninsula’s Sequim Railroad Bridge run Saturday morning. (Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group)

Nearly 300 runners take off in the Run the Peninsula’s Sequim Railroad Bridge run Saturday morning. (Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group)

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

Second in racing series includes 5K, 10K distances

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.

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)

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)

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)

A beautiful morning greeted nearly 300 runners at the Sequim Railroad Bridge on Saturday. (Pierre LaBossiere/Peninsula Daily News)

A beautiful morning greeted nearly 300 runners at the Sequim Railroad Bridge on Saturday. (Pierre LaBossiere/Peninsula Daily News)

More in Sports

OUTDOORS: ONP’s Ridge Road winter operations beginning Friday

Olympic National Park’s Hurricane Ridge Road winter operations will… Continue reading

Sequim middle hitter Arianna Stovall made the first team of the All-Olympic squad in volleyball with Libero Tiffany Lam, a second-team member in the background. Stovall consistently led the team in kills this season. Right, Sequim's Kenzi Berglund was named to the first-team All-Olympic squad in volleyball. (Jennie Webber-Heilman)  (Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
ALL-OLYMPICS VOLLEYBALL: Sequim puts Stovall, Berglund on first team

The Sequim Wolves, coming off a successful Olympic League season… Continue reading

Leilah Franich, of the Port Angeles girls bowling team rolls against rival Sequim on Monday at Laurel Lanes in Port Angeles. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
GIRLS PREP BOWLING: Sequim bounces back to edge PA 4-3.

The Sequim bowling team nipped Port Angeles 4-3 Monday… Continue reading

Port Angeles swimmers Lynzee Reid, left, and Brooke St. Luise.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Lynzee Reid and Brooke St. Luise, Port Angeles girls swim team

For the 12th straight year, the Port Angeles girls swim team finished… Continue reading

The Port Angeles Swim Club celebrated its 60th anniversary on Saturday. For decades, the club has trained swimmers who have gone on to become swimming stars in high school and college. (Port Angeles Swim Club)
CLUB SPORTS: Port Angeles Swim Club celebrates 60th anniversary

The Port Angeles Swim Club celebrated its 60 anniversary… Continue reading

Corban College’s Jack Gladfelter, a Port Angeles High School graduate, runs in the NAIA nationals cross-country meet in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday. Gladfelter finished eighth in the nation. (Joe Gladfelter)
AREA SPORTS BRIEFS: PA’s Gladfelter eighth at national cross-country championship

Port Angeles High School graduate Jack Gladfelter finished eighth… Continue reading

Neah Bay's Adan Ellis reaches for a pass against Almire-Coulee-Hartline in the state 1B quarterfinals Saturday played in Moses Lake. Ellis had four catches for 85 yards in the 14-12 loss. (Roger Harnack/Cheney Free Press)
1B STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: Neah Bay falls to ACH in defensive slugfest

Red Devils lose 14-12 as both teams’ defenses dominate

Seattle's Jarran Reed (90) and Leonard Williams (99) celebrate a big defensive play against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday. Seattle won 16-6 to take over first place in the NFC West.
(Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Defense, led by Leonard Williams, smothers Cardinals

Seattle takes over first place in the NFC West