Ballard Locks 5k fun run to commemorate replacing the large lock’s 106-year-old miter gates

The Ballard Locks large locking gate is being replaced this fall, and there will be a 5k fun run to honor the replacement.

The organizers, Discover Your Northwest, are calling it the Great Miter Retire Fun Run, happening at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct 7.

The large lock miter gates are original to the Ballard Locks; they’ve been in use since 1916 when the Locks first became operational. In mid-October, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will close the large lock for about a month to begin work on replacing the gates.

The miter gate replacement will take about a year, and the Army Corps has scheduled temporary closures throughout the year to complete the work.

The 5k participants will get a chance to take photos of the large lock miter gates before and after the run. All registration funds will go to support new exhibits in the Fish Ladder Viewing Gallery.

The fun run will start and end at the miter gates. The 5k will take runners from the Ballard Locks at 3015 NW 54th St along the Burke-Gilman Trail towards Golden Gardens to the turnaround point (see below).

Register for the Great Miter Retire Fun Run online.

Images courtesy Discover Your Northwest