It’s a Whatcom County tradition as regular as the rain, but it comes to an end in 2017

It’s a streak nearly as long as Boundary Bay Brewery is proud of it. Since 2000, the brewery has simply owned the Women’s Division in the annual Ski to Sea Race, winning 17 straight division titles. Nobody – not even Open Division powerhouse Baron Heating – can come close to claiming that kind of dominance in their respective division.

“We actually started a team before that streak with all women’s employees,” Boundary Bay Brewery general manager Janet Lightner said, noting that all 17 division title plaques are proudly displayed in the restaurant. “It’s definitely a source of pride. I think it’s a record that will take a while to be broken.”

But now it is a record that could be broken, as Boundary Bay will no longer add to the streak. The brewery announced that it will not be entering a team in the 2017 seven-leg relay race from Mt. Baker Ski Area to Bellingham Bay, which is scheduled for May 28.

For the past 17 years, Lightner’s family has opened their home to athletes coming in early to compete on the Boundary Bay team. As many as five women stayed at their house leading up the race, and Lightner said the whole team got together for at least two meals and “became part of our family.”

“We share all that history,” Lightner said. “It’s a whole different aspect of the team people don't see. We never wanted to have a team come in and race for Boundary Bay unless we knew them and had relationships with them. ... You hear the term hired guns for some teams, but we were never about that. We get to know these ladies and have long-lasting relationships.”

Lightner said the bonds they built are strong enough that she’s gone to weddings and “welcomed babies” of athletes that have competed for Boundary Bay.

But this year, Lightner and her family won’t be able to host athletes, as they instead will be attending a wedding. Lightner said she didn’t feel right fielding a team that she and her family didn’t know personally.

“I think that the string that’s important to me is that every person who’s ever been on a Boundary Bay team felt loved and cared about,” Lightner said. “We've been able to high-five each one of them and felt good about them. It’s a huge sense of pride. Is that worth it to stop it now? I've struggled with that question to keep the string going. This decision wasn’t made without some angst.”

Don’t worry, Boundary Bay still will be very involved in the 2017 race, even if there isn’t a team representing the brewery racing to another win. Lightner promised the brewery will produce plenty of Ski to Sea ESB, which will be available in cans this year, and the restaurant will continue to host the Ski to Sea Community Block Party May 26.

And what about fielding a team in 2018?

“You bet,” Lightner said. “We’ll hope to start a new string. Maybe we’ll do a different category. Maybe we’ll do two teams. Some of the women have been on the team a long time, so we’re thinking maybe a Veterans or Mixed team. I love Ski to Sea, and I’m bummed we can’t be here this year. We all are, but this isn’t our goodbye to Ski to Sea.”

This story was originally published April 27, 2017 at 2:00 PM with the headline "It’s a Whatcom County tradition as regular as the rain, but it comes to an end in 2017."