The human-powered Seventy48 race begins tonight in Tacoma, and the new and epic WA360 race begins in the wee hours this Monday in Port Townsend! Here’s how to find out more and follow along.

Image courtesy of Liv von Oelreich.

It’s June, and ’round these parts that has come to mean it’s time for some adventure races facilitated by our colleagues and friends at the Northwest Maritime Center. As always, our capable colleagues are providing fans ample opportunities to follow the action and vicariously experience the trials of the body, the tribulations of the mind, and the achievements of the resilient human spirit on the water. For the longer WA360, we also have a unique opportunity in that 48° North Editor, Andy Cross, is racing in the event and will be reporting in from the race course. The fun gets started tnoight in Tacoma and should carry right through for the next 10-16 days!

Image courtesy of Liv von Oelreich.

Seventy48

After debuting in 2018, the human-powered race from Tacoma to Port Townsend (70 miles) with a 48-hour time limit remains immensely popular, this year drawing just over 100 teams. The 2021 edition promises hot competition for the title, as well more cool human interest stories than one person can bear.

The race begins in the Foss Waterway in Tacoma tonight (FRIDAY June 4, 2021) at 7:00 p.m. It’s a crowded starting area, which means it is really fun to watch, so stop down to witness the spectacle. As always, if you can’t make the start (or even if you can), you can and should follow along on the Seventy48 tracker and use the just-released tracker cheat sheet. Some stories will only be found on social media too, so check out the Seventy48 facebook and instagram pages.

Image courtesy of Drew Malcolm.

WA360

Bringing racers 360 miles through the longest and toughest and most beautiful race course Puget Sound has to offer, the new WA360 is bringing together 56 diverse teams ready to make a run at the belt (yes, the grand prize for each of the three respective classes — Go Fast, Go Hard, and Human Powered — is a WWF-style championship belt!). Generally the course will take racers from Port Townsend south to Olympia and then north to Point Roberts and back; but for more on the course, you should read Andy Cross’s excellent preview article!

The starting gun goes off in front of the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend at 6:00 a.m. on Monday June 7, 2021. If you’re in the area, it’s always fun to come down to the waterfront to see the racers off. For everybody else, it’s time to start tuning into the always-addicting tracker and using the just-released tracker cheat sheet! It’s also a good idea to follow the WA360 Facebook and Instagram feeds to catch all the updates.

As for 48° North’s coverage, keep an eye out for a new daily “feed-style” post right here at 48north.com (we’ll add bits of news as they come in), at least while Andy is racing. We’ll be sharing stories from Andy’s team on the Santa Cruz 27, Sailor Jerry’s Kids, as well as any others goodies that cross the editorial desk here at 48N. Andy may also be sharing some photos and videos directly to the 48° North Facebook and Instagram pages as well.

This is going to be fun!

Adventure Racing Northwest Maritime Center Seventy48 WA360