Yacolt’s Rendezvous Days’ action-packed Saturday started with the 5K and 10K Bigfoot Run, which saw 336 participants take to the starting and finishing lines on East Yacolt Road early July 1.
Out of the 336 total participants, 79 competed in the 10K option and 257 ran the 5K.
“We did move the actual starting line over here, which I think is going to be just so much more enjoyable under the shade of the trees and it’s just a beautiful place to finish the race too,” Yacolt Mayor Katie Listek said. “As well as obviously, they’re now in the vicinity where we’re going to be celebrating the rest of the day. So it’s been amazing and obviously it ties in the bigfoot and he’s elusive in this area.”
The run included a maximum elevation of 1,123 feet above sea level with a starting point of 716 feet above sea level. The course started and ended on East Yacolt Road right in the heart of town, but the 5K branched off onto North East Thompson Road while the 10K diverted onto North East Falls Road, giving a total of 678 feet in elevation changes.
As the temperature began to rise on Saturday, participants coming across the finish line were greeted by the shade of the large trees along East Yacolt Road and in Yacolt’s Central Park.
The run featured one elusive bigfoot among the 336 total participants. Before and after the run, the bigfoot was hounded for photo opportunities.
Participant Scott Gullickson, 59, finished first in the 5K run with a time of 20 minutes and 11 seconds. Sterling Sutton, 16, finished first in the 10K run with a time one second shy of 37 minutes. Leiah Holmgren, 30, was the first female to finish the 10K with a time of 47 minutes and 55 seconds and Natalie Moser, 19, was the first female to finish the 5K with a time of 20 minutes and 43 seconds.
The run was put on by Why Racing Events. On Sunday, July 2, the group sent participants on the 50-mile Hellz Bellz Ultra Marathon that started at 6 a.m. at the Hantwick Trailhead. The ultra marathon started at the Hantwick Trailhead but took a jaunt up the Bells Mountain trail where at the Yacolt Burn Aid Station participants then embarked on a counterclockwise loop of the Tarbell trail.
“It will be 22-plus miles of technical climbs, amazing waterfalls and breathtaking views, looping you back to the same Yacolt Burn AS,” Bivouac Racing stated about the Hellz Bellz Ultra on its website.
On the way to the finish line in the heart of Yacolt, participants crossed the Moulton Falls Bridge where they were able to ring a bell to signify the home stretch after the grueling and technical mountain portion of the ultra marathon.
