The Trike Races have been a fixture of the Rhododendron Festival ever since 17-year Port Townsend Rotarian Lois Sherwood can remember, but that doesn’t mean an old event can’t learn new tricks.

Although the Port Townsend Sunrise Rotary has been sponsoring the Trike Races for decades, the more recent races have seen an increase of interest from young riders of “striders.”

While tricycles, and even standard two-wheel bicycles with training wheels, are no strangers to the Trike Races, striders — also known as “balance bikes” — are two-wheel bicycles with no pedals, whose undercarriages sit low and close enough to the ground that riders can propel themselves forward with their feet.

“They’re pretty quick,” Sherwood said. “There’s been some discussion about how to include them, because we want to be as inclusive as possible, but we also want to be fair to all the kids who participate. Both of those things are in the spirit of the Rhody Festival.”

The solution has been that the event organizers are now asking strider riders to wait to take part until the latter portion of the Trike Races, after consulting with the race supervisors onsite for more specific directions. That is so everyone can get recognized and receive a ribbon, as befitting the tradition of the Trike Races.

“It’s the same reason we split the kids up into different age categories,” Sherwood said. “In years past, we've had riders on everything from quads to training wheels. The most important thing is to deliver a positive experience for all the kids involved.”

To that end, Sherwood felt compelled to extend her thanks to someone whom she regards as one of the “unsung heroes” of the Rhody Fest, local Coldwell Banker real estate agent Kristina Jennings. She has bought ice cream tokens and T-shirts for Trike Racers and their families in years past.

Sherwood also fondly recalled when the local Les Schwab was able to supply its own tricked-out trikes for the Rhody Fest Royalty to race against each other.

This year’s Trike Races start at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, but entrants are advised not to be late for registration at 5 p.m.

The Trike Races run on Water Street, from Madison to Monroe streets, and are intended for entrants aged 1-6 years, riding tricycles, two-wheel bicycles with training wheels, and “strider” no-pedal balance bikes, so long as they’re 12 inches tall or less.

The Trike Races’ check-in and assembly are planned in front of City Hall on Water Street.