I can’t believe it’s been a year since I last updated you on the latest Ian’s Ride happenings. Let’s see if we can remedy that here and I can tell you all about our most recent event, the second annual Sea to Sound.

It’s been a hard year to run a nonprofit whose tagline is Get Outside. I’ve had to recognize that I’m quite privileged to live in an area where I can go hop on a trail that is sparsely populated, and go out and ride for hours. So many wheelchair users live in urban areas and don’t have these opportunities. COVID has put us all on high alert and I wouldn’t want to be out on a busy trail in the middle of a city. This realization made me realize I had to push forward with Sea to Sound more now than ever. We would have to do some things differently, like limit our numbers, but nature is the best medicine and I knew many people needed to do something fun outside and be able to do it in a safe way. So, we started to plan…

We definitely wanted a virtual option so people from out of state could participate in their own way. After speaking with local race directors and signing up for a few virtual races myself, we managed to put together a fun virtual event utilizing runsignup.com. We ordered swag, got finisher medals, and set it up to go live on the same day we began the in-person ride. We had virtual participants from eight different states, and some of them did things that I would love to highlight. I’ll have to save that for another blog.

We were a little nervous planning for the in-person ride. We knew it was doable, we just had to wrap our head around how to do it with social distancing and local regulations. There was one local event that had not been canceled, Ride the Hurricane, and I eagerly signed up and climbed that mountain. It’s a 17-mile course and everyone had no problem staying socially distanced. The aid stations had good signage, tape on the ground to mark 6 feet, hand sanitizer, and food and beverages that you were able to grab without cross-contamination. I was encouraged.

The S2S route would be the same as 2019. No new sections had been added since then. This did require a little shuttling, which brought more social distancing concerns. We realized we would just need more vehicles, encourage everyone to have their own ride if possible, and keep passengers in our shuttle well separated. We trained aid station volunteers in clean, safe preparation methods and tried to locate our aid stations in places where there was plenty of room for people to spread out. We sent the word out of our plans, opened up registration and hoped the old phrase “if you build it, they will come” rung true.

Fortunately for us, it did. Day one began out on the far west end of the Olympic Discovery Trail at the Camp Creek trailhead. We kept our numbers below 25 people for each day to keep things manageable. We headed off with three people in power wheelchairs, two on scooters, a number more on bikes and one bearded dragon.   This section is one of the most beautiful on this three-day ride and everyone was cheerful and dazzled by the beautiful tall trees and lush undergrowth that surrounded us. It was just over 5 miles to the first aid station and those miles went by very quickly. The biggest highlight of this day for me was having my grandfather along on his scooter for the full 17 miles. We had a lot of fun rolling along side by side checking out the big trees and catching glimpses of Lake Crescent as we approached the finish. We reached the finish line around 3 PM and were treated to some tasty sandwiches and good company. Everyone was shuttled to where they needed to be, and we finished the day with a small outdoor gathering at my house where we could enjoy a cold one and chat about the day.

We managed to get some sleep before Saturday, our longest day at nearly 40 miles, and we were all pumped and ready when we got to the starting point. This was a 9 AM start and we encourage many of the wheelchair users to join us a little further along so they don’t drain unnecessary battery. So, I was the lone wheelchair with a small pack of bikes staggered behind me. One fun thing about this day is the variety of scenery you see as you travel with 37 miles. And we certainly had variety. Not just in scenery but in participants. We were thrilled to have two equestrians and their horses join us in Agnew. We were joined along the way by several more wheelchair users and two of our board members, Deborah and Jeff. Railroad Bridge was beautiful as ever, and just after we crossed it, we joined up with Mickey Dickey. She is 100 years old. She and my papa led the group for several blocks through Sequim and it was just delightful. As usual, wheelchair and scooter batteries began to drain toward the end of the day which put the shuttles into heavier use. My crewmate Jimmy ran the whole 40 miles. 

Day three was shorter with a later start. we all experienced the sketchy bit of riding directly on the highway, and everyone had to be shuttled from Discovery Bay to the Four Corners area. These two specific spots are true highlights that made us appreciate the connectivity of the ODT all the more. We were lucky to have my friend Jesse Collens, a ventilator dependent quad, join us on the third day. The Larry Scott Trail portion of the ODT is dirt. The smoothest dirt ever, and It was heartwarming to see Jesse’s ventilator and wheelchair covered in dust by the end. We also had Invacare rep Brandon join us with his daughter on his lap. He is able bodied and attempted to drive a sip n puff wheelchair, I admired his ambition, but he was forced to use the hand control to keep pace with the group. We ended the day at Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park where we brought in some Thai food and just hung out a bit at the appropriate social distance. 

We all had a wonderful time over the three-day ride, and that is all thanks to our wonderful volunteers and sponsors. There’s a lot of moving parts in getting aid stations up and running every 5 miles for a 71-mile course. Not to mention providing support for people of all abilities, recognizing that some wheelchair users may need a push and a pickup at any point along the route. The people behind the scenes make sure everyone is comfortable and confident that they can get the support they need. There are a few people I want to specifically thank. First, my mom, Teena Woodward. From the planning stages to the finish line, my mom is helping every step of the way. She is coordinating aid stations and pickups while we are riding, she’s keeping our followers on social media up-to-date with our progress, and she makes sandwiches at the lunchtime aid station. She really does it all and we could not do it without her. Thanks mom!

Next, I’d like to highlight a few different folks who were in their vehicles moving aid stations and participants throughout the three days. First, the man the myth the legend: Terry Gallagher. I’m proud to call Terry a friend and Ian’s Ride is lucky to have him as a board member. His knowledge, good humor, and get it done attitude help make sure everything and everyone is where they need to be at the right time. Buddy Depew and his wife Meg are also on the short list of extremely valuable volunteers. Buddy has a calm, levelheaded demeanor that always brings peace to my frazzled brain. He was there for all three days and he and Terry tag-teamed moving all of our aid stations and equipment. Beyond that, he and Meg own the Sequim Bee Farm, a local business focused on sustainable beekeeping that provides delicious honey and bee products. They were one of our main sponsors and we are deeply grateful for their support. That brings me to another volunteer I’d like to thank, Russ Woodward. He is my stepdad and manages to keep my chair up and running 365 days a year, and that’s saying something. I put my chair through the ringer and no matter what I manage to break, he always finds a way to fix it. For Sea to Sound, he drove our big shuttle bus all three days getting people to the starting point, picking them up if needed along the course, and taking them back to their vehicles from the finish line. Big thanks to all mentioned.

There were many more people helping behind the scenes, and I can’t name them all here. But a quick shout out to Jesse Major, Beverly Dawson, Sandy Ulf, Celina Smith, and Jeanne and Skip Salvini. We love each of you and really appreciate all the help you offered. Finally, I better thank the two guys who isolated themselves down in California prior to the ride so they could drive up and be part of the ride. I’m speaking of Josh Blaustein and Jimmy Quenelle. They are always part of my big rides and it would not be the same without them. The laughs and smiles they provide always keep my heart full (the beer they brought up from California didn’t hurt either…). I’ll never be able to properly express how thankful I am to have these friends in my life, but they are a huge motivation for me to plan these things.

So, it’s been an unusual year but we still managed to get outside and have a fantastic time exploring the entire length of the Olympic Discovery Trail and being with friends. We managed to do it safely and have an amazing time in the process. Next year should be even more fun, I can’t wait!