Submitted by: Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce
The Junior Ski to Sea Race is an annual highlight for many area children when the culmination of the school year and beginning of the summer is met with one big celebratory competition shared with friends, family and hundreds of other kids.
The race was originally designed to provide a race for area children until they are old enough to participate in the “big race.” “We didn’t want children to feel left out when their parents and big brothers and sisters were competing in the ‘big race,’” said Shelli Jones, Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce Marketing Coordinator.
The Junior Ski to Sea Weekend starts off with the Junior Ski to Sea Parade where the Junior Race teams join area dance and cheer teams, floats, middle school marching bands, clowns and walking groups in the parade. It’s a fun event that encourages kids to be creative with costumes, pets and decorated bicycles.
The Junior Ski to Sea Parade begins Friday, May 19 at 6 p.m. along Cornwall Avenue. Anyone planning to participate in the parade can start lining up at the corner of Cornwall and Kearney Streets around 4:30 p.m. as judges walk through the parade entries awarding best small float, best large float, best decorated bicycle and best pet, among other awards.
The Junior Ski to Sea Race is on Saturday, May 20 with three separate races and three divisions per race. The race consists of six-member teams participating in a five-event relay. Each racer chooses one leg of the race with two racers participating in the partner event. The race consists of running, biking, soccer, an obstacle course and the two-person hula hoop race consisting of two racers running while inside a hula hoop.
It is free to participate in the Junior Parade which has been a tradition for nearly 100 consecutive years. The Junior Race costs $150 per team until April 14 when the price goes up to $180.
More information can be found at bellingham.com.
