Paula Harkin and her team at Run with Paula are pretty darn awesome, if you ask me.
Her Bridge of the Goddess Half Marathon and 10k runs from the town of Cascade Locks each year, offering Goddesses views of the Columbia River Gorge. This year, however, the Eagle Creek fire is burning just a few hundred yards from this Gorge community, making the original race course inaccessible. So what did Paula do? She contacted the city of Vancouver, her vendors, and her team and made contingency plans so that if the fire hadn’t abated, she could still host her runners and walkers on a safe course. So, for 2017, which they are calling “The Year of the Fire,” the Bridge of the Goddess Half Marathon and 10k will be run on a course in Vancouver that offers views of the Columbia and travels through the historic Fort Vancouver area.
“After careful deliberation and with the assistance of many people and governmental entities, we have decided to move our race to Vancouver, WA. Over the course of this week we have secured a route, appropriated permits, and ascertained support infrastructure. The race date and time will stay the same,” Paula announced in an email to participants. “We have a great course that runs along the Columbia River and the half marathon includes a loop into historic Fort Vancouver.”
New details will be communicated to participants and updated on the race’s website as soon as they are confirmed, but what’s really cool is that this race is now “for the Gorge.”
“We may not be able to race in The Gorge, but we can race for The Gorge.
“Donations will be accepted for a variety of organizations, including first responders, American Red Cross and Gorge area services such as FISH, a local food bank.”
