Coronavirus costs Whatcom County its signature event in 2020
The novel coronavirus pandemic has cost Whatcom County its signature event in 2020.
Ski to Sea announced Monday, March 23, that it has canceled the 2020 race on Memorial Day Weekend due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19.
“Ski to Sea has been an uninterrupted annual celebration of our community’s diverse outdoor recreational opportunities since 1973,” a Ski to Sea release stated. “Suffice it to say that making the decision to interrupt this tradition of 46 years was difficult and painful.
“However, cancellation is the only responsible choice given the logistics in preparing for the race, the uncertainty of our ability to safely stage the event on May 24th, and our sensitivity to the financial and potential health impacts to racers.”
Ski to Sea is a seven-leg, 93-mile relay race from Mt. Baker Ski Area to Bellingham Bay. Teams of between three and eight people race in cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, running, road biking, canoeing, cyclocross and sea kayaking.
The race said it was willing to refund the registration fees for teams that have already paid, but it asked them to consider opting to decline those refunds and instead apply them toward 2021, when the race hopes to resume.
“Or even better, forfeit the refund and consider it a 2020 donation to Whatcom Events,” the release stated.
Whatcom Events is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit that organizes Ski to Sea, Tour de Whatcom, the Mount Baker Hill Climb and Trails to Taps.
The race asked teams to email Whatcom Events Executive Director Anna Rankin at info@skitosea.com with:
▪ Team name.
▪ Team captain.
▪ Whether the team would like a refund, a credit toward the 2021 race or to donate its registration fees.
▪ For teams seeking a refund, the name of the payee for the check and an address to send it to.
Teams are asked to contact Rankin with their wishes by May 22, or their 2020 race fees will transfer to 2021.
“We humbly appreciate the 46 years of support for Whatcom County’s premier event, and hope that racers and volunteers will be celebrating our great outdoors in another manner on May 24th,” Rankin said in a release.
