The Pacific Crest Endurance Sports Festival is the latest athletic event to make its comeback to Central Oregon in 2022.

The 14-race event is returning Friday through Sunday after the COVID-19 pandemic limited it to virtual races the past two summers. Its return includes significant changes compared with past years.

Perhaps the biggest change for the 26th edition of Pacific Crest is the incorporation of the Deschutes Dash triathlon and the Pilot Butte Challenge run into one large event.

“This is essentially a new event,” said Karissa Schoene, owner of Why Racing Events, which runs the festival. “I’m excited to produce it at this (size) and continue to grow it.”

Another major change is the location of the festival. For a quarter of a century, the race was held in Sunriver, but this year the hub for the event will be Bend’s Riverbend Park, where races will start and finish and vendors will be located. There will also be fewer events this year, Schoene said, down to 14 races from the typical 20.

This year there will not be the marathon, cycle tour, 25-kilometer nor 50K trail runs. The races that are not taking place this year will return in 2023, according to Schoene.

Friday evening the festivities will kick off with the Pilot Butte Challenge — a one-mile run up the butte — before the main events pick up on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday morning, the half-marathon will take runners through the west side of Bend and out to the Cascade Lakes Welcome Station. Five-kilometer and 10K runs are also slated for Saturday morning. Late Saturday afternoon, the Kids Splash, Pedal and Dash is the first of the triathlon events, an appetizer to what is to come on Sunday.

The final day of the festival features the Beastman triathlon and duathlon. The triathlon includes an 800-meter swim in the Deschutes River, a 56.7-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run.

The duathlon does not have the swimming portion to its race, while the aquabike event does not have a running element to its race.

The slightly shorter Olympic-distance events (formerly the Deschutes Dash races) also are scheduled for Sunday. The triathlon includes an 800-meter swim, a 25-mile bike ride and a 10K run.

Concluding the festival are the sprint events, which are shorter variations of the Olympic races.

Along with fewer events, there is expected to be fewer participants. Typically, Schoene said, the Pacific Crest Endurance Festival draws 3,000 to 3,500 competitors. Those figures are anticipated to be about 1,500 to 2,000 this weekend.

Weather could play a major role in the event. Forecasts for Friday through Sunday include a chance of rain with high temperatures in the low 60s. That could make things quite chilly for swimming in the Deschutes River.

“It is a little scary for it to be cold,” Schoene said. “But everyone is prepared with wetsuits.”

It is not too late to register to compete in the events. Registration and more information is available at whyracingevents.com.