A popular Pierce County footrace has had to adjust in the wake of the State Route 165 Carbon River Fairfax Bridge closure.
The Washington State Department of Transportation permanently closed the 103-year-old bridge on April 24 due to safety concerns. The bridge led to key areas of Mount Rainier National Park – including the starting point for the annual, 50-mile Rainier to Ruston Relay.
With only 44 days before the June 7 event, organizers had to scramble to re-route the entire event.
“Runners thought we knew something before they did, but we didn’t, so we started getting some emails and it’s like, ‘What do you do? You have to pivot,’” said Sabrina Seher, the race director. “It’s not ideal to have to basically reroute an entire course for 1,600 runners.”…