BELLINGHAM - Jake Hartsoch doesn't see himself as "hardcore" as other cross-country skiers.

If determination in the face of long odds counts for anything, Ken Cox and his Western Football Valhalla teammates could be a factor in the Mixed Recreation Division of this year's Ski to Sea race.

When Bellingham resident Diana Robinson finishes the downhill run that is the third leg of Ski to Sea, she will have competed for the fifth time in the relay that stretches 90 miles from Mt. Baker Ski Area to the finish at Marine Park in Fairhaven.

As a youngster in kindergarten, Chad Clarke took the training wheels off his bicycles because the neighbor boy, a year older than him, took his off, and Clarke didn't want to be outdone.

There's a certain peace and calm that can only be had while skimming down a river.

One of the biggest changes to this year's Ski to Sea Race is the new course for the mountain bike leg, and Jim Clevenger of the Runningshoes.com team has been getting a sneak preview.

Kayaker Heather Nelson is the woman to beat.

For first-time competitors in the Ski to Sea relay race, we asked some veterans to provde advice for each leg.

They're what make Ski to Sea different from almost any other race. They also give the race a distinctive Whatcom County flavor.