Race Info
Course
San Juan Island Half Course Preview from Orca Running on Vimeo.
proudly serving Nuun on course
The course for the San Juan Island Half is unique and is easily the most scenic Orca Running race.
It starts at South Beach inside San Juan Island National Historic Park and finishes at Jackson Beach, just south of Friday Harbor. Along the way you’ll get some amazing view of the other islands, the Olympic Mountains, and of course, the Salish Sea.
Click here for the location of the start line and here for the location of the finish line area.
It has a bit of climbing spread throughout the run, with three main climbs, from miles o to 1.6, 3 to 5.3, and 9 to 10.8. The total elevation gain is about 900′.
Participants will pass aid stations every 2-3 miles well stocked with water, Nuun electrolyte and Clif gels.
View the course in a new window here.
For a printable PDF map, click here.
To download a GPX file of the course, click here.
Accommodations
There are many, many styles of accommodations to choose from on San Juan Island, from camping to some very luxurious vacation homes.
We’d recommend checkout the ‘Lodging‘ page of visitsanjuans.com as a good overall look at options on the island. Be sure to also check out VRBO.com and AirBnb.com if you’ve got a larger group looking to stay at one place.
Lastly, if you’d prefer to stay in Anacortes the night before and catch an early morning ferry, that’s also an option. The race starts at 8:30am. The direct ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor is 65 minutes, so as long as you catch a ferry leaving around 6:30am, you’ll have plenty of time to still make it to the race on time.
Packet Pickup
Once you arrive on the island come to packet pick-up!
Date: Friday, May 15th
Time: 3:00pm-7:00pm
Location: The Whale Musuem, 62 First Street North, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
You may pick up your friend’s packets as well. Race day packet pick-up will run from 7:30am-8:30am at the start line at South Beach.
Parking & Shuttles
IMPORTANT: Participants are not allowed to park at the start line. Participants may not be dropped off at the start line area. Participants will need to ride the free shuttles to the start line.
On race morning, free shuttles will run continuously from two pre-set locations on the island to the start line area. Shuttles will start running at 6:45am, with the last shuttles leaving at 8:00am. The shuttle ride time varies from 17 to 20 minutes.
The same shuttles will be available to take you back to your cars/downtown Friday Harbor starting at 10:15am, until 1:15pm.
Parking locations:
San Juan County Fairgrounds
San Juan County District Courthouse
Note: if you are staying in Friday Harbor or taking the Anacortes ferry over in the morning, we recommend that you walk to the high school/courthouse pickup location. The last shuttle will wait until the boat has fully unloaded and has allowed 10 minutes for people to walk to the courthouse.
If you are coming over to the island the morning of the race you will need to take the 4:15am or 6:20am ferry in order to make it to the race on time. We highly recommend getting reservations as soon as they come available!
Registration
Online registration opens the first Monday in October and will run until Tuesday of race week, or when the race sells out, whichever happens first.
Register by April 16th to guarantee your shirt size.
Registration prices:
October: $95
November – December: $100
January – March: $1o5
April – May: $110
Interested in signing up for more than one 2020 Orca Running race? Check out the 2020 Orca Running Bundle options.
Results & Photos
All participants will receive free unlimited professional photo downloads.
Schedule
Please note that the start time is now 8:45am. This is to allow adequate time for those arriving on the 6:20am ferry from Anacortes to get to the start time.
Race Day Schedule:
6:45am: Shuttles begin running from parking locations to start line
7:00am: Packet pickup at race start line opens
8:40am: Packet pickup closes
8:45am: Race starts
10:15am (approximate): First finisher
10:40am: Kid’s Race at Jackson Beach Park
10:40am (approximate): Awards ceremony
12:30pm: Course cutoff
1:15pm: Last shuttle leaves
Race Policies
For a complete overview of our race policies, please click here.
Awards
Awards will be given to the top 3 overall male and female finishers.
The top three males and females in each age group will receive a prize. Prizes can be picked up at the large Orca Running booth after the race. Age groups categories are in 5 year increments:
12- 15, 15- 19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34….up to 80-84 or the oldest participant.
There will be an awards ceremony to honor the top three men and women overall at approximately 10:30am.
Please note we do not mail out awards, they must be picked up at the race.
Orca Series Award
Those who complete any of our races (half marathon or longer) will be entered into our series standings. Points are calculated on a % of the winning time and numbers of races ran. Runners receive points based on their finishing time. Award prizes will given to the top 5 male and female finishers at the end of the year!
Swag
Every participant will receive a participant shirt and finisher medal.
2020 Shirt
Run any 3 Orca Running races and receive the Friend of the Pod Medal!
Charity
Every Orca Running event pairs with a non-profit. The non-profit receives a portion of every entry fee, and in turn provides the race with volunteers. You can also donate to any of the three non-profit’s during the registration process. This year’s non-profits are:
Read more about our work with non-profits here.
Gear Check
Free gear check is included with your entry. Participants can drop off your gear check bag at the start line area at South Beach. Gear check bags are not included, so be sure to bring a suitable bag or sack to use for gear check. You can pick up your gear check bags at the finish line at Jackson Beach.
Free Kid's Race
2018-05-14 North Creek at Newport High
Photo by Patrick Krohn
The San Juan Island Half features a free race for kids 12 & under! The race will be approximately 0.4 miles long and takes place at Jackson Beach (the finish line area). The race will start at approximately 10:30am. The race is free, but a parent or guardian must sign the child up and sign a waiver. All kids will receive a free bib number (if they’d like one) and will get to run through the race’s finish archway.
Pasta-Palooza!
2020 Pastapalooza info coming soon.
Post Race Food
Once you’re all done, you’ll be treated to two local treats! We will have pizza from Van Go’s Pizza of Friday Harbor (including vegetarian and vegan options) as well as ice cream from Lopez Island Creamery!
Cupless Race
We are dedicated to lowering our waste and carbon footprint, as well as preserving the beauty of the areas where we hold races, particularly when they are so close to people’s homes. Nothing will sour a community against a race more than trash strewn about!
That said, having an efficient and well-stocked aid stations is essential. Hydration is critical when you’re running for your health.
We will be providing every participant with a Hydrapouch, which will be distributed when you pick up your packet. In the future, when you register you will indicate if you already have one or not. You can also bring your own system. It can be anything you like, as long as it works for you and doesn’t generate trash!
Our aid stations will be ‘self-serve’, and the water coolers will be fitted with special high-speed valves which allow you to fill up your hydrapouch in about one second. We will have many water coolers at each aid station so that it will be quick and easy to fill up your hydrapouch. In addition, we will have a limited number of cups at each aid station in case of emergency, such as if you lose your hydrapouch.
The hydrapouch isn’t a water bottle. It clips on to the waist band of your shorts or pants and barely weighs anything, so you can’t hardly tell that it’s there while running. When you approach an aid station, you pull it off, fill it up, drink, and then put it back until the next aid station.
One other benefit of the hydrapouch is that you’re not in a rush to down your water so that you can toss it in the trash can. You can take your time drinking.
Dogs and Strollers
Dogs are not allowed to participate in the San Juan Island Half Marathon. The liability insurance for the race through USA Track and Field does not cover dogs, so please leave your four-legged running companions at home for this one.
Strollers are allowed. The parent/guardian who is going to push the stroller should, when registering for the race, indicate as such and agree to abide by our stroller policy, which you can see below:
- I assume responsibility for all risks to the minor participant named below resulting from participation in the Event.
- I certify that the minor participant named below is in proper physical condition to participate in the Event and does not have a condition which would impair the minor participant’s ability to safely participate in the Event.
- If any claim for personal injury, property damage, and/or wrongful death is commenced on behalf of the minor participant named below against the Releasees, I shall defend, indemnify, and save harmless the Releasees from any and all actions, causes of action, suits, damages, judgments, claims, and demands.
- Minor will wear a CPSC certified helmet at all times while participating in the Event.
Earn Unique Swag with Referrals
You can get a refund of $25 by referring 5 friends to sign up for the race. It’s simple! Invite your friends to join you by using the special referral link that you will find in your registration follow-up email. When 5 people register using your link, you will receive a refund of $25.00 automatically.
When 10 people sign up using your referral link, you will receive our custom Orca Running Tech hoodie, pictured above.
Running is great. Running with friends is even better. So invite your friends to join you at the San Juan Island Half!
RaceRaves
Need a little more convincing? Not sure if the hills are worth it? Check out the reviews on RaceRaves for the San Juan Island Half. They speak for themselves!
Ferry
If you plan on taking the ferry to San Juan Island, we highly recommend that you make a reservation in advance. Washington State Ferry releases spaces on ferries in 3 blocks, at 2 months, 2 weeks and 2 days in advance of each sailing.
Make a reservation here.
