AdventuresNW
The beloved Bellingham Traverse is back, coming to our local woods, mountains, lakes, waterfront, and Bellingham Bay on August 29, thanks to Whatcom Events, which took over the management of the Traverse late last year.
The Bellingham Traverse, a multi-sport relay race, was the creation of local recreation visionary Todd Elsworth in 2002. Elsworth, inspired by the writings of David James Duncan to highlight our region’s deep connections to salmon, envisioned a community event that celebrated the integral role that salmon play in the ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest.
The event highlights Bellingham’s beautiful natural spaces with six legs – paddle, road bike, trail run, mountain bike, greenways run, and team trek, and always emphasizes fun and teamwork over competition. The Traverse quickly became a highlight of the summer season, and Elsworth remained at the helm until 2018, when ownership of the event passed to Pacific Multisports. But a variety of issues (including COVID and wildfires) conspired to cause multiple cancellations in the years that followed.
Whatcom Events is the local non-profit behind such iconic outdoor recreation events as Ski to Sea, Junior Ski to Sea, Tour de Whatcom, Mt Baker Hill Climb, and Trails to Taps Relay.
More info: bellinghamtraverse.com
