Spring Run For Fun @ Bridle Trails

03/23/2024

5 km, 10 km, Half Marathon, Marathon

March 23, 2024

8:30am-9:40am starts

Bridle Trails State Park, Kirkland, WA

Bridle Trails State Park is a nearly square-mile oasis of magnificent upland forest, dotted by a few wetlands and surrounded by quiet suburban neighborhoods. With its dozens of miles of trails—most beautifully maintained—and four horse arenas, it is one of the premier equestrian parks in the western United States, as well as a favorite location for trail runners, with its convenient location in the heart of the Eastside.

Despite being close to Seattle and Eastside communities, Bridle Trails State Park is large enough to offer the feeling of being out in the forest that one might otherwise need to travel farther from the metro area to enjoy. While many other large, forested areas are at higher elevations and under snow during the winter months, Bridle Trails—at just 500 feet above sea level—is usually snow-free and accessible year-round.

With many wide trails and a mostly gently-rolling elevation profile with few steep slopes, Bridle Trails is also a good place to stretch the legs out with a faster paced run than might be possible on a hillier or more rugged course.

Results
Registration
Youth Runner Discount
Course Description
Schedule
Directions & Parking
Safety & Etiquette

Results

2024 Results & Photos by Somer Kreisman

Registration

	Open (through 11/27)	Early (through 2/15)	Regular (through 3/21)	Day-of-Event
5 km	32.00	37.00	41.00	45.00
10 km	37.00	42.00	46.00	50.00
Half Marathon	47.00	53.00	59.00	65.00
Marathon	56.00	64.00	72.00	80.00

Online pre-registration closes Thursday, March 21 at 11:59pm. Event-day registration will be available onsite, unless the event sells out.

View the registration confirmation list to verify your registration or to see who else is registered.

Youth Runner Discount

Runners in elementary, middle, or high school are eligible to receive a $10 discount on online pre-registration or event-day prices for all Northwest Trail Runs events. When you register online, the discount will be auto generated based on your date of birth.

Photo by Somer Kreisman

Course Description

The 5 km course is a counterclockwise loop that cuts short the longer, 6.55-mile loop, encompassing the west side of the park and dipping into the eastern trails. The loop climbs steadily for the first mile, is flat to gently rolling in the middle, then descends for about the last 3/4 mile.

The 10 km course is actually 10.55 km (6.55 miles, one quarter of a Marathon) long. It goes uphill for about the first mile, then is flat to gently rolling, with many small ups and downs, as it tours many of the trails in the east part of the park, then is downhill for the final 3/4 of a mile to the finish.

The Half-Marathon course is two identical laps of the 6.55-mile loop described above for the 10 km, with a pass by the start/finish aid station midway through, for a total of three well-spaced aid stations for Half-Marathon runners.

The Marathon course is four identical laps, on the same loop as the 10 km and Half-Marathon runners. Marathoners will pass by the aid station at the start/finish three times and by the remote, mid-loop aid station four times, for a total of seven evenly-spaced aid stations.

All courses have low to moderate climb and mostly medium-width or wide, smooth trails, with a few steeper slopes and a few narrower trails with more rocks and roots to keep you on your toes.

Click map to view a larger PDF version.

Aid Stations
An aid station is located approximately midway through the 6.55 mile loop. There is also an aid station adjacent to the start/finish.

This means that Marathon runners will have 7 aid station stops, Half Marathon runners will have 3 aid station stops, 10k runners will have one aid station stop (half way), and 5k runners will not pass an aid station on-course. Food, water, and electrolyte drink will be available at the finish for everyone.

The aid stations offer water, electrolyte drink, and some carbohydrate-rich or salty foods, such as cookies, pieces of energy bar, gels, chews, chips, bagel, fruity candy, fig bars, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and/or bananas.

Schedule

SATURDAY, MARCH 23
7:30am – Check-in and day-of-event registration opens
8:20am – Marathon pre-run briefing
8:30am – Marathon Start
8:50am – Half Marathon pre-run briefing
9:00am – Half Marathon Start
9:15am – 5 km pre-run briefing
9:25am – 5 km Start
9:30am – 10 km pre-run briefing
9:40am – 10 km Start
2:30pm – Cutoff for Marathon runners to start fourth lap
4:30pm – Course closes

Photo by Takao Suzuki

Directions & Parking

A Discover Pass is required to park inside Bridle Trails State Park. A single-day pass is $10, and a 12-month pass is $30.

For directions to Bridle Trails State Park, click here to find directions on Google Maps, or use the map or directions below.

From I-405 Northbound: Take exit #17. At end of off-ramp, turn right and head south on 116th Ave. NE. At four-way stop, continue straight ahead. The park entrance is located at the first opening in the trees on the left.

From I-405 Southbound: Take exit #17. At end of off-ramp, turn right and cross over freeway. At the first light, turn right again. Head south on 116th Ave. NE. At the four-way stop, continue straight ahead. The park entrance is located at the first opening in the trees on your left.

Parking inside the park is limited. If it fills, please park across 116th Ave NE and just south of the park entrance at Lake East Christian Church. We always appreciate carpooling, when that is possible.

Remember that you must have a Discover Pass to park inside Bridle Trails State Park.

Safety & Etiquette

The trail may be somewhat congested after the start until everyone has a chance to spread out. Maintaining a sporting and cooperative attitude toward other participants will keep things fun for everyone.

HORSEBACK RIDERS
Signs are posted weeks ahead of time 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.

GENERAL SAFETY
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.

PASSING ETIQUETTE
Where the trails are narrower, please let other participants pass you if they want to get by. It is a passing runner’s job to tell the person in front that they wish to pass.

HEADPHONES
If you’d like to listen to music while you’re on the course, please use headphones or earbuds, so that runners around you can’t hear it. Others may prefer a quieter event experience or may have different musical tastes. Runners playing music in the open air may be asked to leave the event.

Also, use bone conduction headphones that allow in ambient sound, or otherwise keep the volume low enough that you can hear someone talking to you in a normal voice, for example, another runner saying they would like to pass on your left.