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WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The My Bellingham Now Newsroom is reporting live and sending live updates from the racecourse of the 2025 Ski to Sea race. With hundreds of racers from around the country in Whatcom County as well as the return of multiple top-performing teams, this year’s race is set to be one to remember.
Download the MyBellinghamNow app for free to get push notifications from today’s race and to listen to KGMI’s annual live broadcast at the start and finish line of the race. Head to skitosea.com for race times direct from Pacific Multisports.
2:01 p.m. – The first ten teams have reached the finish line in Fairhaven. Evil Bike Co, Vendovi and Surfrider Mavericks trailed for fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively.
1:40 p.m. – Nelson’s Market (Bib #68) comes in fourth place as Olympic kayaker Jonas Ecker rings the bell in Fairhaven.
1:26 p.m. – Following Birch Equipment at the finish line is Boomer’s Drive-In in second place and Inn at Lynden coming in at third place.
1:15 p.m. – With a time of 25:15.2, Jeff Hillburn has completed the Sea Kayak leg at the 52nd Ski to Sea race. For the fourth year in a row, Birch Equipment has come in first to the finish line. During an interview with KGMI at the finish line, Hillburn says this will mark his final Ski to Sea race. Noting his age, he thinks it is time to retire from the race.
12:49 p.m. – Birch Equipment (Bib #1) has completed the Cyclocross leg and has entered the water to begin the Sea Kayak leg. Returning kayaker Jeff Hilburn is slated to make good time on the water this year with the updated short course decision made earlier today by race officials.
12:35 p.m. – Coming in at third place is Inn at Lynden (Bib #70), followed by Nelson’s Market (Bib #68) in fourth place as the two teams finish the Canoe leg and handoff to their respective Cyclocross riders.
12:20 p.m. – Boomer’s Drive-In (Bib #2) completes the Canoe leg seven minutes behind Birch Equipment to maintain second place. Racers Alistair English and Ivan English completed the leg with a time of 1:55:49.
12:13 p.m. – Birch Equipment (Bib #1) maintains first place as the team finishes the Canoe leg of the race with a time of 1:59:05. The pair who completed the leg, Bob Woodman and Glenn Bond, beat their previous year’s time by 32 seconds.
12:04 p.m. – Ski to Sea officials have decided to shorten the Sea Kayak leg to the short course due to high winds and choppy water in Bellingham Bay. KPUG’s Allan Fee spoke with the Ski to Sea team at the finish line about the decision to go to the short course. This modified route will keep kayakers in a more efficient line to the finish line and saves 2.53 miles from the leg.
“For the safety of our kayakers, we had to shorten the course because the wind has really kicked up here,” said Pam Behee, a longtime volunteer of the race.
The current conditions on the water in Bellingham Bay as of noon are: 60 degrees, partly cloudy and a 10.3 mph wind coming from the SSW.
11:41 a.m. – Teams are continuing to blitz into Everson as the Canoe leg begins for many. 112 teams have completed the Road Bike leg.
11:18 a.m. – Just under 50 teams have completed the Road Bike leg of the race with South Whatcom Firefighters (Bib #9) coming in at 48th place.
10:50 a.m. – The first 12 teams have finished the Road Bike leg of the race. Coming in fourth place is Evil Bike Co (Bib #36) and in fifth place is Nelson’s Market (Bib #68).
10:32 a.m. – The first three teams have completed the Road Bike leg of the race. Birch Equipment (Bib #1) is still the first-place team and will now begin the Canoe leg, which takes racers down the Nooksack River from Everson to Hovander Park in Ferndale. The average time of completion is 2:55:00, although Birch Equipment finished the leg with a time of 1:59:37.9 in 2024. Boomer’s Drive-In (Bib #2) and Inn at Lynden (Bib #70) trail in second and third place as they begin the Canoe leg.
10:26 a.m. – Brett Baker and Jordan Bannan from the team “Lactic Acid Trip” await their teammate at the Road Bike/Canoe changeover in Everson. Baker and Bannan’s team is one of 11 teams that are car-free, meaning the teams are not using any cars while traveling to or from the race. The team is currently in 100th place overall as of 10:26 a.m.
9:29 a.m. – Over 60 teams have completed the first three legs of the Ski to Sea race as racers stage their canoes in Everson.
8:54 a.m. – Boomer’s Drive-In (Bib #2) stays in second place as Juan Castillo completes the run with a time of 37:30.
8:49 a.m. – Birch Equipment (Bib #1) has completed the Run leg of the race with a time of 37:12. Birch Equipment is currently in first place as the relay team begins the Road Bike leg.
8:31 a.m. – The first 33 teams have finished the Downhill Ski/Snowboard leg with Boomer’s Drive-In Legends (Bib #494) leading the Veteran divisions and Car-Free Green Mountain PT (Bib #90) leading the Whatcom County Women division.
8:19 a.m. – The first five teams have finished the Downhill Ski/Snowboard leg of the race. In order: Birch Equipment (Bib #1), Boomer’s Drive-In (Bib #2), Nelson’s Market (Bib #68), Evil Bike Co (Bib #36), Inn at Lynden (Bib #70).
8:12 a.m. – The first runner is off as Arthur Whitehead from the Birch Equipment team (Bib #1) finishes the Downhill Ski Leg with a time of 20:55.
7:56 a.m. – The first Competitive Women’s team has crossed the finish line. With a time of 26:25, Emily Stitt from the Greenlake Fitness Gals (Bib #61) team finishes the first leg of the race in 7th place.
7:53 a.m. – The second cross-country skier has crossed the finish line. Brian Gregg with the Boomer’s Drive-In team (Bib #2) crossed with a time of 23:11.
7:51 a.m. – The first cross-country skier has crossed the finish line. Erik Bjornsen with the Birch Equipment team (Bib #1) crossed with a time of 21:09.
7:31 a.m. – The 2025 Ski to Sea race has begun, as hundreds of racers push through the snow at the Mt. Baker Ski Area to complete the Cross Country Ski leg of the race. It’s a bluebird day at Mt. Baker, as the sun is shining and the weather is around 47 degrees.
Photos from the race:
