Mike Stork Otter Fun Run-Walk

The annual Twisted Cider 5K & 12k run and walk is coming to the City of University Place! How ‘bout them apples!

We hope you’ll join us for the Twisted Cider 5K & 12K event! Runners and walkers will start and finish from the Curran Apple Orchard Park meandering around the quiet neighborhoods of University Place with glimpses of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and the Puget Sound. With gentle rolling hills along with flat and fast sections, you’re going to enjoy these courses.

Bring the whole family! The Kids 1K is a fun way to get the kids (12 and under) to participate! Parents can run with their kids and do not have to register for this distance. The course will be an out-and-back along Sound View Drive.

After the race, enjoy some snacks and wander the beautiful grounds of the park. (But please do not pick the apples. We need to save these juicy treats for the Annual Cider Squeeze!)

GALLOPING GERTIE!

Join us for a half marathon, 10K and 5K that shows off Tacoma’s and Gig Harbor’s finest views. Each race will run on the iconic Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Galloping Gertie), which features stunning views of the Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, the Olympic Mountains, and the surrounding cities of Tacoma and Gig Harbor. This is one of the few races that traverse the bridge span to span. All participants in the race will receive a custom finisher medal, free downloadable race photos and a cool tech tee! The best part? It all supports great local charities!

WHAT IS GALLOPING GERTIE?

Galloping Gertie is the nickname of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, a local icon that spans the Puget Sound between Tacoma and Gig Harbor, Washington. Crossing it provides breathtaking views of the Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, and the Olympic Mountains.

The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge suffered a catastrophic collapse in November 1940, just four months after it opened. It earned its nickname while it was under construction, when workers observed the bridge deck jump during periods of high wind. A fatal error in the engineering of the bridge resulted in its collapse when the winds caused something called aeroelastic flutter. At the time, Gertie was the third longest suspension bridge in the world.

The replacement bridge opened in 1950 (this is the existing westbound bridge) and the newer eastbound bridge (the one you will run across) opened in 2007. The engineering disaster that resulted in the collapse of the bridge makes the Tacoma Narrows Bridge one of the more famous in the world.

Visit the official race website for full race details, course maps, and race weekend information: Galloping Gertie Half Marathon

Take me out to the ballgame, but first run over the bridge! Feed me a bagel and electrolytes, I just hope that my hamstrings aren’t tight!

The Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon is back, featuring a Half Marathon 10K and 5K course that begins and ends at Cheney Stadium! We’re partnering with the Tacoma Rainiers, it’s going to be a weekend full of running and baseball fun!

The Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon is an out-and-back course that will start outside Cheney Stadium, you’ll then run along the Scott Pierson Trail, cross the pedestrian bridge over highway 16 and run through the quiet Skyline neighborhood* then take you across the majestic Tacoma Narrows Bridge and bring you back inside Cheney Stadium, where you’ll run on the warning track (and where you will see yourself on the jumbotron and be able to say “Look Ma, I made it!”).

*You’ll cross the Skyline Bridge again on the way back and run the neighborhood loop again on the way back to Cheney Stadium.

The Tacoma Narrows 10K & 5K course will also start and finish at Cheney Stadium and include a lap around the warning track.

The 9/11 Heroes Run 5K welcomes runners, ruckers, and walkers of all ages and fitness levels to honor the heroes of 9/11 and those who've served our nations since. We activate & unite communities and empower local veterans, active duty, first responders, and families of the fallen. TMF is proud to partner with GORUCK again with rucking divisions at every run. Rucking is a sport based on special forces training in which participants walk or run while carrying weighted rucksacks. All participants registered for the GORUCK division will earn this year's exclusive TMF GORUCK patch. Learn more about GORUCK here.

Date of the Event- Thursday, Thanksgiving Morning!! 8am!

Thursday, Day of event registration price doubles to $60.

The event is timed by Tortoise & Hare Race Timing using RFID chips that are attached to your bib. The event is using chip start technology, so don't worry about when you cross the start line as your time will begin when you cross.

Day Before Packet Pickup and T-Shirt/Socks purchase from 2-6 pm at the Gig Harbor United Methodist Church, 7400 Pioneer Way.

Shirts will be $20

Day of Event Packet Pickup and T-Shirt/Socks purchase starting at 7am Judson St (Starting Line).

Shirts will be $20

Two cans (no glass jars) of food to be donated the day of the event only.

Proceeds of the event will benefit BackPack for kids, FISH Food bank, and Scholarships for High School Students entering college.

Parking: To avoid parking problems

. Get there early

. Check out "Gig Harbor Public Parking" map on webpage

. Consider being dropped off

. Share a ride

. Schedule an Uber

NO DOGS ON COURSE PER CITY OF GIG HARBOR!