Venue information, Bridle Trails State Park - Trail run is FULL!

Course information

For this evening of trail running, there are five course options:

• 5 miles   (5.2 miles)
• 10 miles    (10.4 miles)
• 50km solo
• 50km pair - two runners sharing the distance
• 50km relay - three to six runners sharing the distance

All runners will use the same 5.2-mile loop of trails, mostly going clockwise around the perimeter of the park. The route will be marked with orange and white streamers, as well as yellow glow sticks after dark.  50km runners and teams will run 6 loops.

Some sections of the trail are rough, rutted, or muddy, and it is Winter, so please watch your footing, and expect to get wet and dirty.

Sunset is at 5:05, and it will get dark under the forest canopy pretty quickly after that. If there is a good chance you'll be on the course after that time, please bring a headlamp with enough battery life to get you to the finish!  If you have two headlamps consider wearing the second at the waist with the lamp pointed to the trail. 

Aid station

There will be an aid station every 5.2 miles (every loop through the start/finish area)

The aid station will have at least water and some sort of carbohydrate-rich food, such as pieces of energy bars/gels, bagel, fig bars, cookies, and/or fruit candy. There will likely be a few choices of these foods, along with electrolyte-replacement drink.

Schedule

Safety and Trail Etiquette

Other runners:  There are many runners out there, and the trail will be somewhat congested after the start until runners spread out. Maintaining a sporting and cooperative attitude toward other runners will keep things fun for everyone. There are a few narrow stretches of trail, but the route is mostly wide enough for careful passing. If you are overtaking another runner and wish to pass, please announce your approach to alert the other runner, as needed; if you are being overtaken, please allow the overtaking runner to pass when possible.

Dogs:  This is not the best trail run on which to bring a dog, due to the large number of runners sharing the trail, the size of the trail, and the fact that there could be horses. However, if you would still really prefer to run with your dog, please note that dogs must be kept on a leash at all times at the park, and you must be able to keep your dog (and its leash) from interfering with other runners and from barking at or stalking horses or other animals.

Horseback riders:  Signs have been posted for weeks in order to notify other park users of this event, however the park is open to others during the run. Please be courteous and share the trail with any other users you encounter. In particular, please know what to do in the event that you encounter a horseback rider: stop, step to the side of the trail (the lower side if on a slope), and yield the trail to the horse. Also, talk to the rider to help put the horse at ease; say hello and ask whether it is okay to walk past or whether you need to stand still. Please follow this rule of the trail to keep yourself and others safe and so that we will be welcome to have this event in future years.

Participants are responsible for their own safety while participating, and the organizers are neither qualified nor equipped to render medical care in the event of a serious injury. In case of an emergency, call 9-1-1. You are encouraged to bring a cell phone with you as a safety precaution, if you wish.

Credits

This run is being produced by Northwest Trail Runs and Seattle Running Club, with support from The Balanced Athlete, and PowerBar Ironman Perform sports drink.  Our thanks to Ranger Mary at Bridle Trails State Park for hosting us.  Thanks also to the many volunteers who are a vital part of events like this one.  And a special thanks to Chris Ralph for starting this run and to Scott and Leslie McCoubrey for their years of organizing this and other runs and for their support and guidance as we carry the torch.