Mass chaos at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, May 26, marks the beginning of the 51st annual Ski to Sea race on Mount Baker.
The seven-leg relay race begins with a cross-country ski leg, followed by the “downhill” ski and snowboard, running, road bike, canoe, cyclocross and kayak legs, ending at Marine Park in Fairhaven.
This story will be updated all day with photos, videos, quotes, winning statistics and relevant race information. If you have your own moments to share from race day, send them to newstips@cascadiadaily.com or tag us on social media using #CDNs2s.
Jump to
- Inn at Lynden takes first place in cross-country ski
- Birch Equipment takes first place in downhill ski
- Birch Equipment takes first place in road bike
- Birch Equipment takes first place in canoe
- Birch Equipment takes first place in cyclocross
- Birch Equipment wins first place in Ski to Sea
Helpful links
- Ski to Sea basics, for newcomers: What you need to know about Sunday’s multisport relay race
- A preview of Bellingham’s biggest event (Pick up a print copy at our booth down at the Fairhaven Festival)
LIVE UPDATES
4:03 p.m.
Early release for kayakers is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.
3:36 p.m.
The first corporate team to finish is team Everett Firefighter Association with a time of 8:06:06.7. They are 58th overall.
3:20 p.m.
Twinkle Bros is the first high school team to cross the finish line, with a time of 7:50:35.9 and an overall place of 46th. More than 50 teams have finished.
3:05 p.m.
Car Free Green Mountain PT is the first-place all-female team, finishing with a time of 7:30:56.3 in 28th overall. Sheroes finished in 32nd place.
3:02 p.m.
Chloe Olson, 31, of team My Dog, Unleashed — also a car-free team — was the first woman to cross the finish line. It’s her first time competing in Ski to Sea.
Olson, who said she wasn’t paying attention to the other kayakers around her was surprised to hear she was the first female finisher.
“I’m stoked,” Olson said. “It was tough; it was choppy out there. I almost capsized right around this buoy [the last buoy] … it felt so good to be able to stay upright.”
3 p.m.
Bridget Meyboom of Vancouver, British Columbia, did the cyclocross leg for team Sheroes.
She said it was “super muddy, but fun.” It was her first time here and she will be back. “Great atmosphere. I think it’s quite well organized.”
2:50 p.m.
Sierra Scott, a Fairhaven Festival volunteer who manages the beer garden, said traffic has picked up in the last half hour. “In true Bellingham fashion, people are rallying,” she said.
2:31 p.m.
Fifty teams have finished cyclocross, and 11 teams have finished the race overall.
Tess Cunningham of team North Coast Credit Union said it was “absolute carnage” on the cyclocross trail, but the muddy and wet conditions are to be expected as a cyclocross racer.
2:27 p.m.
Rain is picking up at the cyclocross/kayak handoff zone. Paddlers are advised to avoid hyperthermia by waiting under a pavilion instead of the rain.
2:25 p.m.
The top 10 teams are:
- Birch Equipment (6:07:05.3)
- Boomer’s Drive-In (6:12:25.3)
- Inn at Lynden (6:20:11.6)
- Beavers Tree Service (6:21:32.0)
- Bellingham Firefighters Team 1 (6:37:21.0)
- Evil Bike Company (6:40:00.0)
- Surfrider Mavericks (6:40:22.6)
- Boomer’s Drive-In Legends (6:42:11.1)
- Mt. Baker Ravens (6:48:01.2)
- American Canoe Association Men (6:50:20.1)
2:22 p.m.
Justine Kaseman finished the cyclocross leg for her team in 55:46.1.
“It was rough and very muddy and slippery and fun,” Caseman said.
Kaseman gives a big shoutout to the rest of the team for getting her in a good position for the cyclocross leg of the event.
2:18 p.m.
When it comes to event planning on rainy days, Fairhaven Association Executive Director Heather Carter said her motto is “it is what it is.”
“Where we live in Bellingham, we’re used to this weather,” said Carter at the Fairhaven Festival. “We’ve had a great attendance today. Super lively, with the live music, lots of great arts and crafts vendors … it’s so fun to see everyone out. Lots of dogs, too! That always makes me happy.”
2:12 p.m.
2:10 p.m.
CDN reporter Julia Tellman is the first woman to finish the cyclocross leg for her car-free team, I Don’t Car(e).
2:07 p.m.
The top five teams are:
- Birch Equipment (6:07:05.3)
- Boomer’s Drive-In (6:12:25.3)
- Inn at Lynden (6:20:11.6)
- Beavers Tree Service (6:21:32.0)
- Bellingham Firefighters Team 1 (6:37:21.0)
2:03 p.m.
While top teams have finished the race, plenty of other sea kayakers and cyclocross bikers await hand-offs from their teammates.
2:02 p.m.
Greg Redman of Boomer’s Drive-in, which finished second, said he didn’t even feel the rain. It was an improvement from last year’s headwind.
“You’re always pushing for first,” Redman said. “We were a little outmanned and outgunned … for us it’s just race and chase and hopefully take the win.”
Redman said he is on his way to a celebratory beverage after finishing.
1:51 p.m.
Olympian Jonas Ecker nabs fourth for his team, Beavers Tree Service. Ecker finished the kayak leg in 37:17.6, the quickest time of that leg.
Ecker took the timing chip from his dad Brian, who competed in the cyclocross leg. Ecker said his dad is his coach and will be in Paris with him when he competes in the Olympics this summer.
1:50 p.m.
Inn at Lynden comes in third place, at 6:20:11.6. The team was about eight minutes behind Boomer’s.
Jeff Hilburn rang the bell for the third straight year for Birch Equipment.
“Last year’s race was rougher. A little less of a headwind,” Hilburn said. “I’m good friends with a couple guys on Boomer’s [Drive-In] … they won three and I was like, ‘Ah, I’ve got to get back into it.’”
1:42 p.m.
Boomer’s Drive-In finishes in second place with a time of 6:12:25.3.
1:37 p.m.
Birch Equipment wins Ski to Sea 2024 in 6:07.05.3 for the second year in a row. The team’s kayaker Jeff Hilburn took the team to a comfortable first-place finish, completing the leg in 42:53.8.
Last year, Birch Equipment completed the race in 5:54:43.3.
1:33 p.m.
Last year, the first quickest kayakers finished the leg in 41–45 minutes. Birch Equipment is expected to maintain its lead, given the seven-minute head start the team had from the cyclocross handoff.
1:27 p.m.
The crowd is getting excited at the finish line as a kayak passes the first buoy. “They’re coming, they’re coming,” the crowd says.
1:14 p.m.
Olympian Jonas Ecker of Bellingham takes to the sea for team Beavers Tree Service, currently in fourth place.
1:08 p.m.
Inn at Lynden’s Dylan Bonsell comes in third in the cyclocross leg, seven minutes behind Boomer’s with a time of 43:27.6.
1:04 p.m.
Cal Skilsky of Boomer’s Drive-In finishes the cyclocross course in second place at 1:02 p.m., taking the lead over Inn at Lynden. Skilsky finished the course in 37:22.7. Birch Equipment has about a seven-minute lead over Boomer’s.
12:55 p.m.
Birch Equipment’s cyclocross racer Bryce Olsen hands off to sea kayaker Jeff Hilburn at 12:54 p.m. Olsen got a double flat tire after hitting some rocks in the last 3/4 mile of the cyclocross course, yet still finished the leg in 40:16.5. He rolled in on rims, with his tires spraying sealant.
12:52 p.m.
Top 10 teams currently are:
- Birch Equipment
- Inn at Lynden
- Boomer’s Drive-In
- Beavers Tree Service
- Bellingham Firefighters Team 1
- Boomer’s Drive-In Legends
- Mt. Baker Ravens
- Surfrider Mavericks
- Vendovi
- American Canoe Association Men
12:45 p.m.
Sea kayaker Jeff Hillburn of the first-place Birch Equipment team runs around the handoff area to warm up.
“I thought it was going to be warmer,” he says. “I’m cold.”
12:42 p.m.
The first cyclocross racer is 2 miles out from the kayak handoff.
12:36 p.m.
The top five teams currently are:
- Birch Equipment
- Inn at Lynden
- Boomer’s Drive-In
- Beavers Tree Service
- Bellingham Firefighters Team 1
12:33 p.m.
12:30 p.m.
Fairhaven Festival is off to a damp start, but spirits are high.
12:25 p.m.
Inn at Lynden finishes canoe in second place, followed less than a second behind by Boomer’s Drive-In. Birch Equipment has a likely insurmountable lead over the two neck-and-neck teams.
12:24 p.m.
Birch Equipment has at least a 10 minute lead over every other team. Glenn Bond, 51, and his Birch Equipment teammate Bob Woodman, finished the canoe leg in first. Bond said the most difficult part of the leg is reading the river and finding the fast water.
“We hit some shallow spots, but the safety boats were amazing,” Bond said. “We lost about 10 seconds at the start because of waves from a safety boat.”
12:14 p.m.
Birch Equipment comes in first at 12:14 p.m. Bob Woodman and Glenn Bond finished the leg in 1:59:27.8.
12:08 p.m.
Birch Equipment’s canoeists Bob Woodman and Glenn Bond are leading and approaching the cyclocross handoff.
12:07 p.m.
Olympian Jonas Ecker of Bellingham races with Beavers Tree Service. Last year, Ecker boasted the quickest time in the kayak leg but his team came in third overall.
Ecker will travel to Paris, France, this summer to compete in the Olympics with Aaron Small of Seattle.
12:03 p.m.
12:01 p.m.
Cyclocross racers are gearing up to go, with the top-place canoeists expected shortly after noon.
Jovanna Talarico, 21, of Peaks and Professors, is doing the cyclocross leg for the first time. She did the canoe leg last year during her first time competing in Ski to Sea.
“It’s great,” Talarico said. “The more you do it, the more fun it becomes. And you get a glimpse of everyone’s experience. It’s a fun environment.”
12:00 p.m.
More than 200 teams have finished the road bike leg.
11:59 a.m.
11:58 a.m.
Ski to Sea’s website is back up.
11:53 a.m.
Ski to Sea’s website is down from the amount of people trying to access results online, Ski to Sea Race Director Anna Rankin said. Race results are posted to Pacific Multisports’ website (https://results.pacificmultisports.com/results/overall), not the Ski to Sea website.
11:52 a.m.
Kayakers will compete in the long course. Weather conditions at the start of the kayak leg currently are light winds and light rain.
“If you can’t confidently self rescue, just turn around,” race organizers told kayakers in the pre-race safety meeting. “Don’t jeopardize your own safety for a kayak race.”
Last year, poor conditions resulted in a number of kayakers capsizing in Bellingham Bay.
11:44 a.m.
Dayna McRoberts, 31, of team “We should think of a team name” and Auri Clark, 29, of team Ski to Sea All Stars, are preparing to take on the kayak leg. They aren’t regular sea kayakers but were the best people on their teams to do it, they said.
“There’s not many events like this,” McRoberts said.
Both of them are doing Ski to Sea for the first time.
“I’m just here to finish,” McRoberts said.
11:38 a.m.
11:33 a.m.
Kayaker Anish Bose of team “Cuervo no chafers” said he’s feeling very excited but nervous. Racers will hear soon what Bellingham Bay conditions will be.
“Last year, I heard there was a lot of peple who capsized, so my expectation, or I guess my hope, rather, is to stay afloat and make it through dry,” Bose said.
11:22 a.m.
In 2023, Birch Equipment finished the canoe leg first and with the fastest time, in 1:51:29.
11:18 a.m.
11:14 a.m.
Pacific Multisports’ results page has been updated to include road bike finishers. Running leg results have not been reported.
Birch Equipment finished the road bike leg at 10:14 a.m. with a total race time of in 2:44:17.2. Boomer’s Drive-in followed nine minutes later with a total time of 2:53:44.4. Inn at Lynden is at 2:54:26.9, 10 minutes behind Birch.
So far, 42 teams have finished the road bike leg.
11:11 a.m.
11:10 a.m.
11:03 a.m.
Brittani Shappell of The Gubernaculums was the first woman across the road bike finish line — the perfect birthday present for the now-24-year-old.
Shappell was a last-minute add to the team and is a former rider at the University of Washington. She is now a professional triathlete.
“It was really good,” Shappell said. “I knew a couple girls that raced last year … so I knew an approximate time.”
10:45 a.m.
Pacific Multisports, which handles the timing and results page for Ski to Sea, just got back into service and is troubleshooting the running results, Ski to Sea Race Director Anna Rankin said in a text.
Boomer’s Drive-In finished second in road bike, and Inn at Lynden finished third, according to a CDN reporter at the road bike/canoe handoff.
10:19 a.m.
Birch Equipment finishes in first place, and the team’s canoeists are off. Bailey, 43, has won the road bike leg three years in a row. Birch Equipment finished the road bike leg in 2:44:17.2 at 10:14 a.m.
This year he said there were more fans on the course than normal, which “made it a lot of fun.” Bailey said the course never gets easier. If it is, you’re not going hard enough.
“It was awesome. The rain made it kinda fun — had to be careful through the corners,” Bailey said.
10:10 a.m.
Birch Equipment’s road biker Matt Bailey is approaching the canoe handoff. Bailey finished first in the 2023 Ski to Sea race, too, with a time of 1:24:02.
10:04 a.m.
Canoeists in Ski to Sea’s most elite teams are lining up to receive their timing chips from their road bike teammates.
9:58 a.m.
The first road bikers are expected at the canoe hand-off in Everson soon. The results webpage has not updated with running leg finishers.
Ski to Sea Race Director Anna Rankin said there is no cell service at the Department of Transportation station, or the run/road bike handoff. The timing crew usually tethers to the internet provided by the Whatcom County SAT (satellite) van but since there is no service, Rankin could not reach anyone to find out what the issue is.
The “worst case scenario is that those results will appear after that timing person gets in cell service,” she said in an email.
9:35 a.m.
Ski to Sea officials are gearing up to early-release remaining runners as the wind picks up and the temperature drops at Mt. Baker Ski Area. Four runners received wristbands for early release.
9:27 a.m.
9:26 a.m.
Mt. Baker Ski Area is 37 degrees and rainy, but the sun is trying to come out of the clouds.
9:14 a.m.
It’s been one hour since the first runner, with Birch Equipment, took off. The running leg takes an average of 57 minutes. Last year, the fastest runner finished in 36:30.
9:12 a.m.
9:05 a.m.
It was cross-country skier Mary Fudge’s first time doing Ski to Sea, same for her entire team, Ski-sy Does It.
She said it was very slushy and she fell a lot, but everyone was supportive. When asked what surprised her most about the leg, she said that it was so hilly.
9:03 a.m.
9 a.m.
Members of Darwin’s Revenge, aka the “banana team,” said they decided to wear banana suits because their buddy did the Worst Day of the Year ride in Portland a couple of years ago in a banana suit.
Since then, he’s been encouraging people to don bananas to big events — Sam Luedloff and James Allen decided to take up the challenge.
“He keeps getting more people to wear bananas,” Luedloff said.
Allen said the cross-country leg was hard, but that he’s “here for the vibes.”
Luedloff was prepping to run. He said he’s a bit worried about overheating in the banana.
“There’s a lot of people warming up and it’s kind of stressing me out,” Luedloff said.
8:50 a.m.
In the 2023 Ski to Sea race, Birch Equipment finished the running leg of Ski to Sea first at 8:50 a.m. The team came in first place overall last year, with a time of 5:59:48. Boomer’s Drive-In was about two minutes behind.
8:45 a.m.
Canoeists prepare in Everson, where the rain persists.
8:43 a.m.
8:38 a.m.
The running leg takes, on average, 57 minutes.
Meanwhile, plenty of racers are still struggling through the downhill ski leg, and for some teams, the cross-country leg. So far, 468 teams have finished the cross-country leg and 78 teams have finished downhill.
8:36 a.m.
Alyson Carlyon Stewart of Sheroes said that this was the first year as a snowboarder that she had to unstrap on the flat portions. The challenging conditions of this year’s course is likely behind the slower finish times.
“I love snowboarding and the challenge of it. I seriously love the uphill grind. It’s hard, it hurts but the downhill is the reward,” she said.
8:30 a.m.
Nearly 30 teams have finished the downhill ski leg.
Women’s team Sheroes is still in the top 20 teams, and remains the first place all-female team. Right behind the Sheroes, in 20th place, is family team Heck We Need Moore Laines.
8:27 a.m.
Runners prepare to meet their downhill ski teammates. Maddie Merritt of North Coast Credit Union is doing the running leg for the third time this year.
She’s feeling excited but said she had to do a pretty substantial warmup to feel prepared.
“My toes are cold already,” she said.
8:26 a.m.
Pavlov’s Dawgs’ runner Joseph Winters wasn’t lined up for the handoff. As people shouted his bib number, seven, Winters came running and caught the timing chip in the air from his teammate, downhill skier Aidan Crawford.
8:20 a.m.
Ski to Sea’s most elite racers finish their legs just seconds apart. Beavers Tree Service and Boomer’s Drive-In finished second and third, respectively, in the downhill leg.
8:14 a.m.
Adam Loomis finishes the downhill ski leg first at 8:14:23.1 for team Birch Equipment. Loomis is a current multisport athlete and former member of the USA Nordic Combined Ski and Skimo (ski mountaineering) teams.
Loomis, 32, posted the fastest downhill ski/snowboard leg time in 2023 by more than three minutes. This year, he finished the course in 44:18.1.
Loomis started the downhill ski leg in fifth place but was able to take the lead on the uphill hike.
“It was a bit of a backcountry experience” with the softer snow, he said.
Loomis wasn’t able to get as much of a warm-up as he wanted because of traffic in the morning.
8:13 a.m.
Course marshals are directing cross-country ski finishers to clear the chute for downhill ski finishers. The first downhill skier could be down any minute, officials say.
8:05 a.m.
More than 60 teams have finished the cross-country leg. Conditions on Pan Dome are windy, wet and cold. Skiers navigated downed racers on the sometimes treacherous cross-country route.
7:58 a.m.
Sheroes is the first-place women’s team and 18th overall. Cross-country skier Anna Goodwin finished in 07:58:11.7.
7:51 a.m.
Inn an Lynden cross-country racer Mike Hinckley finishes the leg first. On the official results webpage, a veterans division team is listed as first, but reporters on the scene confirmed Hinckley was the first racer to finish the leg.
Hinckley said the course was great and that the little bit of fresh snow helped.
“I’m glad that they put in so much work to make it happen,” Hinckley said.
Boomer’s Drive-In and Beavers Tree Service finished in second and third place, respectively.
7:45 a.m.
Runners are taking part in their safety meeting. “You’ve picked a good year. Eight miles of pure joy.”
7:41 a.m.
The leading two cross-country skiers are neck and neck. The first racer is expected to hand-off to their downhill skier at 7:50 a.m.
Dan Stone, a third-time Ski to Sea racer, was moving around to keep warm as he waited for the downhill leg to start.
“It’s a lot colder than last time,” Stone said.
As for the course ahead, the walking section of the downhill leg is “deceptively hard,” he said — it’s actually uphill, despite the name.
7:30 a.m.
Ski to Sea 2024 begins. A man dressed in a banana suit began the race to cheers of “Go, banana, go!”
7:24 a.m.
Krista McGowan, a member of ”Do We Need to Call Home?” was put on the cross-country ski leg a few weeks ago.
“So I’m a little rusty” she said.
McGowan, a Nooksack Valley Middle School teacher, is on a team made up of all teachers. They’re all wearing purple T-shirts with their teaching name on the back.
7:08 a.m.
This morning’s safety meeting at the mountain reported the cross-country ski course has some sparse areas. The snow is soft on the downhill course, which was credited to Mike Hanson’s grooming efforts late last week.
6:58 a.m.
6:22 a.m.
CDN reporters at Mt. Baker Ski Area report it is sleeting.
5:30 a.m. Sunday, May 26
Saturday, May 25
