Downtown to Defiance Returns With a Duathlon

A pair of events coming up on September 28 will give you a number of ways to enjoy Tacoma's waterfront between Point Defiance and downtown Tacoma free from cars.

Downtown to Defiance Sunday Parkways

This is the second year of this free event. On September 28 the seven miles of roads and paths between downtown Tacoma and Point Defiance will be filled with cyclists, runners, and walkers of all ages and ability levels. 

This year the event starts and ends at Point Defiance, with the turnaround at 21st Street Park along the Foss Waterway. That's seven miles of running or cycling one-way, but if that's a bit much for you, you're welcome to turn around at any point and head back to Point Defiance to enjoy live entertainment from Stephanie Anne Johnson and SixHouse Radius, food trucks from 7 a.m. to noon, helmet fitting, and mingling with other active folks.

The kick-off starts at 8 a.m., with participants taking off in waves every five minutes after that.

8:00 am Opening/Start
8:10 am Rainier Riders (fast cyclists)
8:15 am VeloFemmes (women riders)
8:20 am Community Riders and Families
8:25 am Other wheeled devices (people-powered only)
8:30 am Foot-Powered People (runners, walkers)

You're also invited to join the route from any place along it, at any point during the morning.

More about the Downtown to Defiance event here.

D2D Duathlon

This first time event will award medals to the top three finishers in each of four categories: men, women, juniors, and teams.

Participants will run two miles out and back along the Owen Beach promenade, hop on their bikes to ride 15.5 miles that includes Five Mile Drive and a jaunt through north Tacoma, as well as the flat stretch along Ruston Way to the edge of downtown and back, then hop off and run two more miles to the finish. The 19.5 mile duathlon is not free, so you'll need to register on the Metro Parks page before September 25.

Downtown to Defiance was a neat event last year, but we're hoping the weather will be a little better this year - it would almost have to be...

More (including a course map) about the Downtown to Defiance Duathlon here.