Father’s Day weekend is one of the busiest weekends of the year for participation sports in and around Clark County.
The second Vancouver USA Marathon and Half Marathon take place Sunday morning and will bring several thousand runners and walkers to downtown Vancouver.
On Saturday, The Spartan Race, an obstacle course footrace, is being staged for the first time in the Pacific Northwest at the Washougal MX Park.
And at Portland International Raceway just across the Interstate Bridge, the Rose Cup Races take place Saturday and Sunday.
Marathon madness
The Vancouver USA Marathon begins at 7 a.m. Sunday, with runners and walkers allowed to be on the course until 2 p.m.
The race starts and finishes on Columbia Street in downtown Vancouver adjacent to Esther Short Park. The half marathon will start at 9 a.m. An after-race party with music will take place at Esther Short Park.
In conjunction with the marathon, a sports and fitness expo takes place Friday and Saturday at the Hilton Vancouver. The expo is open 2-7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
It includes a variety of fitness-related vendors and presentations. The expo also is the only remaining chance to sign up for the Vancouver USA Marathon or related races.
On Saturday at Esther Short Park, the Freedom 5K race begins at 10 a.m. and is followed at 11 a.m. by a 1.2-mile race for kids.
Event details can be found at www.vancouverusamarathon.com.
Spartan Race
Part of a national series of endurance racing, the Pacific Northwest Spartan Sprint puts racers through a 4-mile obstacle course at the Washougal MX Park. Racing starts at 8 a.m., with the elite race scheduled to start at 9 a.m.
Heats continue all day, with the final heat scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Tickets cost $15 for spectators (free for those younger than 14), and cash is recommended.
For event details, visit http://www.spartanrace.com.
Rose Cup Races
The Rose Cup Races run Friday through Sunday at PIR. Featured races are:
• The 52nd Rose Cup Race is Sunday afternoon and features a field of more than 30 race-prepared sports cars running at speeds up to 170 mph.
• The Wemme Trophy Race commemorates the 1909 Wemme Trophy race from Portland to Gresham and features the Vintage run group in honor of the first cars that raced in Portland.
• The Festival Trophy Race features the Spec Racer Ford group.
• The Pirelli Drivers Cup USA race consists of Porsche 996 and 997 GT3 and Ferrari F430 cars. The weekend includes two races in the Porsche Club of America’s Porsche Cup.
Ticket prices at the gate are $25 for a three-day pass, or $7 on Friday, $10 on Saturday, $12 on Sunday.
Details at http://www.rosecup.com.
