Ski to Sea’s Assistant Race Director Aurielle Buermann will take over top duties as race director of the Mount Baker to Bellingham Bay multisport relay race.
“I am excited for all of it,” Buermann said of her promotion. “Ski to Sea perfectly captures what this place has to offer for outdoors and recreation. It is an honor to work in a leadership role for such an iconic event that defines this region.”
Anna Rankin is stepping down but will keep her position as executive director of Whatcom Events. She said she will support Buermann and other staff for the popular annual event, scheduled for May 25, 2025.
“Aurielle has shown exemplary work ethic and passion for the organization since day one, and now is the perfect time to reward her hard work and dedication by handing the proverbial baton over to her,” Rankin said. “I feel grateful we found the perfect candidate within our organization, and I am excited to work beside her for years to come.”
In the past few years, Buermann’s race duties included handling the equipment management for each event in the race and being the social media manager.
“People don’t realize how much equipment is used for a seven-leg race that spans 93 miles,” Buermann said. “I worked very closely with our race committee and made sure each leg had all the equipment they needed, sourced the safety equipment and coordinated with local vendors.”
She said trying to describe all her responsibilities would mean sitting an entire day filling up an entire notebook of her to-do list. However, a few things include working with law enforcement, the race committee and Northwest Safety Signs to make sure traffic is situated.
Buermann said she has been awaiting this moment since being hired a few years ago. Rankin wanted to step down several years ago, but when the pandemic hit, she had time for a break and felt OK to continue on for a few more years.
Buermann was hired by Whatcom Events in 2022 as the assistant race director for Ski to Sea and other local events. Buermann previously held several leadership roles, including production manager with Edward Jones, VBS supervisor for Maranatha Volunteers International and on-site operations manager for the Northwest Tune-Up Festival.
Now that Buermann has taken the helm, she hopes to keep it running at a high level while possibly making a few small tweaks.
“My goal is to build on the strong foundation already in place while exploring opportunities to enhance the participant, volunteer and spectator experience,” Buermann said. “This might include integrating more community engagement activities, streamlining race logistics for smoother transitions and leveraging technology to improve communication and accessibility for teams.”
Buermann will be making these changes periodically as she plans to hold the position for a while.
Buermann’s goal is to, “celebrate the diversity of teams and promote sustainability to ensure the race continues to thrive for years to come.” Buermann will also have volunteer coordinator and Junior Ski to Sea Director Sarah Beck helping alongside her.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
