SKI TO SEA: Safety a priority at race

PETE COY

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The original Bellingham Marathon started in 1911 included a run up to the summit of Mount Baker. This was obviously not a safe racing environment since one racer fell into a crevasse in 1913.

Ever since the modern Ski to Sea Race was started in 1993 safety has been the highest priority. The race committee is always looking for ways to help keep the participants and volunteers safe on race day.

For example, kayakers and canoeists are required to wear life jackets during their legs of the race, and road and mountain bikers are required to wear approved helmets.

This year, for the first time, we are not going to allow iPods, MP- 3 players or other similar music systems that have ear buds or ear phones. Many racers uses these personal, portable sound systems while they compete, but our concern is that racers may not be able to hear cars or other racers coming behind them.

During the race we have safety volunteers stationed all along the 85-mile course.

This includes water stations along the running leg, search and rescue folks on the Nooksack River and law enforcement officers from the Bellingham, Everson and Ferndale police departments, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s office, the Washington State Patrol and the Coast Guard.

We also have volunteers at each of the exchange points to give water to the racers and alert EMTs if anyone appears to be having trouble.

We do everything we can to insure the safety of racers and spectators on race day, but we have a concern about those racers who train for the race prior to race day.

At the Mount Baker Ski Area there are ski patrols to watch skiers. Running is not allowed on the Mount Baker Highway except on race day, so racers need to run elsewhere. Road and mountain bikers should also be very aware of traffic and train with buddies who can watch out for each other.

Training on the Nooksack River in a canoe or on Bellingham Bay in a kayak is where there may be the most danger.

On the river we ask racers to train in groups, wear life jackets and be very aware of hidden snags, low trees and whirlpools as they may swamp a canoe. We will also post some of the known danger spots on our Web site prior to the race, so check before you paddle. During the race we have safety boats at most of these locations.

On the bay kayakers should also wear life jackets, practice a self rescue, be aware of hypothermia and train in groups.

Crowd control is always an issue on race day as we ask spectators to leave a wide path for the racers to start or finish their leg of the race.

The Ski to Sea Race is a fun community event. We also want it to be a safe event for everyone involved. If you see something that you think is unsafe or have a concern about safety please email us at www.SkitoSea@Bellingham.com, call 734-1330 or post your thoughts online at our community forum on the www.SkitoSea.com web site.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the sixth in a series of weekly stories leading up to the May 25 Ski to Sea race that will give a behindthe scenes look into the largest annual community sporting event in Whatcom County. Each story will be written by a member of the Ski to Sea Race Committee. Second-year race director Pete Coy, who has been involved with the race for more than 30 years as an athlete and a volunteer, wrote this week’s entry. For previous stories, please visit TheBellinghamHerald.com/skitosea.

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Tuesday, Feb. 05, 2008

SKI TO SEA: Safety a priority at race

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