Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon - Race Reviews

Para los corredores de asfalto es algo muy diferente, un trayecto entre montañas, rios y pendiente negativa pero no drástica. Dado que se corre con desnivel, es un poco demandante a nivel muscular, no obstante, estadísticamente es una de las mejores carreras para BQ y PR (logré ambas cosas). Este año (2023) fue modificada la logística de trasnporte de los corredores a la salida, lo que afectó a algunos corredores como fue mi caso. En todo el trayecto tienen muy buena hidratación y seguridad. Es una carrera de aproximadamente 900 personas, lo que la hace muy fluida y relajante. Google Translation: For asphalt runners it is something very different, a journey between mountains, rivers and a negative but not drastic slope. Since it's run with a drop, it's a bit demanding on a muscular level, however, statistically it's one of the best races for BQ and PR (I did both). This year (2023) the logistics of transporting the runners at the start was modified, which affected some runners, as was the case with me. Throughout the journey they have very good hydration and safety. It is a race of approximately 900 people, which makes it very fluid and relaxing.

This marathon is actually a series of three run on the same course at different times. I did the Aug. one called 'tunnel vision.' I had done many previous marathons (64) but never one on an entire downhill course. This makes for fast times but if not trained well very sore muscles. For me it allowed for a Boston Qualifying by 15 minutes. It is run entirely off road - beautiful views of the cascade mountains. If you are looking for large crowds in a city area - don't run this one. If you want a very fast time on an enjoyable, different course - pick any of the 'tunnel Marathons.' Well organized, good food at the end, nice shirt and medal. And, unique for any of my marathons... an ice filled large pool for soaking sore legs at the end!

This is a well organized and very well supported marathon with water, gatorade and 3 kinds of Gu every 2.5 miles. It is a trail run but almost all downhill. Many people BQ on this because it is downhill but I did not. In fact the downhill did not help me at all and I ended up really hurting towards the end. It is a Rails to Trails route so it has no spectators and is shaded by trees for most of the route. Highly recommend this race but do prep by running downhill. It loses 2000 feet in elevation.

Was a great race. Well organized and well executed. Great setting. Packed gravel trail was ok for traction but did tear up the heels on my Nike vapour fly 4's. Went out too fast and ran first half much faster than planned and started to feel the burn from the downhill by 25km. Hung in there and finished two minutes faster than 3:30 goal for a ten min personal best. Had been running with the 3:30 pacers for much of the race and they passed me near the 35 km point. I heard later that they finished 6-7 min faster than planned pace. Stayed at the race sponsored hotel and was great to have race package pickup at checkin. Food at the finish was great and water stations were well manned. My garmin with foot pod was within 0.1 km of official distance at end of race and was not impacted by tunnel, mountains or tree cover. Would love to do this race again.

I really enjoyed this marathon. The fun started when we entered the 2.25 mile long tunnel about 1/2 mile into the race. There was indeed a light at the end of the tunnel that was visible near the start of the tunnel. I was surprised that my running watch kept track of distance really well through the tunnel. However, I think it struggled with pace tracking as I thought we were running faster than what the GPS watch was showing. Once out of the tunnel, be prepared for your watch to periodically give you false pace readings as many of us experienced this, which only added to the intrigue of the race. The scenery along the course was beautiful. Enjoyed running the bridges as the view below them was incredible. Some bridges may have been 300 to 400 feet above the bottom. This is run on a rail trail with a feet friendly gravel surface. I wore gaiters but most didn't and didn't hear of anyone having problems with pebbles in their shoes. This is a fast course! The weather was perfect! I snagged a 15 minute BQ and calculated that nearly 36% had a BQ. This course is essentially downhill all the way except for some flat areas. The downhill is fairly gentle so my quads were fine during and after the race. This was a well organized race from start to finish. The buses to the race start were well organized and they allowed us to stay on the buses at the start area to keep warm. They had two drop bags for us - one for our stuff at the start and the other for our headlamps (yes, you need a headlamp in the tunnel) and any clothes we wanted to ditch once we exited the tunnel. The race started on time. The mile markers were accurate except for one, which was no big deal at all. The aid stations were well organized with plenty of water and gator aide, and the volunteers were friendly and helpful. There was lots of food at the end and places to sit. We stayed at one of the sponsor hotels, the Hilton Garden Inn in Issaquah. It was a great place to stay and only 20 minutes from the bus to start area. For those who stayed at one of the sponsor hotels, we could ask to have our race packet available at the hotel when we checked in. What a nice convenience this was. I wish more races would do this. I would highly recommend this race. It was as good as they get with no negatives. Kudos to the race director and owner for a terrific race.

The course itself is BEAUTIFUL! I would run it again in a heartbeat in that regard. The downhill was subtle, but started to take its toll halfway down- so just be prepared for sore quads- do some strengthening beforehand. The gravel never bothered me and I didn't wear gaitors. My complaint started with the management of the course. They were blowing up the start line about 15 minutes before gun time. My friend and I wondered why they waited until the last minute to set up. It didn't really matter. What mattered is that the course mile markers were way off. Like in half mile off. I knew that I wouldn't be able to depend on my garmin because of the tunnel and trees, so I figured I would look at my running clock to make sure I was hitting benchmarks. I couldn't even do that. I had no idea where I was at. Feeling defeated, I walked through the last aid station and did some stretching on the side (all of which I didn't NEED to do). Turns out that when I crossed the line, I did BQ, but only with a little more than a minute to spare. I could have easily shaved another few minutes off if I would have known where I was at with a little accuracy. Horrible. It's not hard to measure mile markers on a bike...downhill. Who's mishap this was I have no idea- but I will never run this series again.

Having finished this marathon LAST I am pleased to submit my comments for 2018 first. With a knee issue, I ended up walking the race. By finishing last, one is able to get a perspective on the organization's interest in the runners. In my case, I was entirely impressed. I had numerous bicyclists, cars and vans drive by, stop and ask how I was doing. All the later water stops were enthusiastically staffed, and contained water, Gatorade and Gu, and the finish area still had plenty of food available. The race started ominously as it rained all the way to the start and right up until the race began. But, the organizers had anticipated this and arranged for the buses to stay at the start, so the runners could stay dry. Luckily, the rain decreased once the race began, with only a slight drizzle at various stages. As always, the course was scenic, with the trail well managed with little water despite the early rain. Having come in from Houston, I was pleased with the cool temperatures. I look forward to running the race again, hopefully when I can take better advantage of the downhill course.

Registration was chaos as the old RD quit that morning, and started her own race the day before, deceptively redirecting this race web site to her own. From what I gather, there is blame on all sides, but hijacking a website is unethical and I absolutely would NOT recommend the 'Super' series owned by Sabrina. She also advertised the same course, but did not yet have and never got the permit for the full course, and had to improvise a slower course. Anyway, back to this race. Others have already mentioned the drop bag issue and the late and poorly communicated change to the race start. I was really worried this would be indicative of the whole race, but the rest of the race went fairly smoothly. I carried a bottle as aid stations were a bit spread out at ~2.5 miles, and I worried they might not all be there given the other organization issues, but all were there. The t-shirt line at the end was long until they skipped checking people off and just handed them out. Good food spread at the end. Things weren't laid out in any organized way and no one directing you where to go, but it's a small enough race to find things yourself. The course itself is crazy fast, IF you can handle the non-stop downhill. Once out of the tunnel, that's all there is. Beautiful course. The trail wasn't quite as smooth as I had hoped. There's enough rocks that you may not want to wear thin soled racers, though you can wear road shoes. Hard to believe they couldn't come up with a better start than the horseshoe. Hopefully the issues with this race will be ironed out, and communication will be better. I'd probably recommend the Jack&Jill marathon on the same course as the first choice.

I like this course: relatively low key, out of the concrete jungle and into beautiful mountain surroundings on a trail, and not too many runners. It is a fast course, too. I sympathise with runners being confronted with some of the organizational problem which shouldn't have happened, such as the lack of drop bags (easy way to solve this is to ask runners to bring their own (I was fortunate to have a bag with me)).I suspect that the copycat race the day before (and issues with the person running that race who used to be involved in the Tunnel Marathon) may have played a role. Even the busses seemed to have been duplicated on the previous day.I expect/hope that the marathon issues that occurred will be resolved by the next edition of the race in August. This is still a trail marathon and not a mega-race with all the bells and whistles associated with it. This is what I like about it. Sounds like some runners are attracted primarily on the basis of potential fast times and get frustrated when the experience gets a bit bumpy. I expected to have gravel, uneven ground, uncertainties in footing/illumination going through a tunnel (they had tape that you could wrap around your light and write you bib# on (and they took your light to the finish line)), and perhaps less than an optimal distribution of water stations. That being said, I found that the number of aid stations more or less adequate and I was happy to get gels from 2/3 of the stated gel stations. I find that even in the mega marathons not all alleged gel stations may be stocked (hence I always carry at least one gel in reserve). They also had mile markers and the trail was overall in good condition (I ran in road shoes). There was decent food/drink at the end. Other than making sure that the snafus that happened in June 2017 don't occur again, I think the course is great as it is without much need for changes, other than perhaps a timing mat at the half way mark. I'll be running it in the future.

The 2017 edition of this race was much different than prior years. There was a change in race directors about 6 months ago and the race director responsible for the past few years of putting on a quality race departed from this race and started her own on a similar course. All drama aside, the change was noticeable for the worse for this marathon. While the course was the same beautiful fast and flat race, and things on the course were generally in order, there was a noticeable lack of organization and what appear to be some broken promises. Let's start with organization... First off, the race staff decided to change the start time of the race from 8AM to 7AM with less than a week's notice to runners. This was done hastily via email and on the Facebook page on the week of the race. While I caught this change, others did not. Also, the website said the start time was 8AM up until the night before the race. Poor communication! The start line organization was very hectic. Runners were promised two drop bags and there were none to be found at the start line until 2 minutes before the race started. One drop bag was supposed to be for your headlamp and gear coming out of the tunnel and a second to drop at the finish line. Many runners did not get the drop bags in time and ended up having to ditch gear at the start line and lost their headlamps at the tunnel exit. Also, free race photos were promised as part of the race entry, yet there was not a photographer to be seen on the course. It's almost a week later, and race organizers have yet to mention anything about the photos or respond to questions on Facebook. In fact, communication in general is pretty lacking from the race organizers. It appears they respond to what they want to and ignore any negative comments...i.e. they don't try to fix issues or remove complaints. We have receive no real communication post race. No thank you email. No results email. Nothing about the photos. All they have put up are two lone posts on the Facebook page. One with a results link and one congratulating the winners. Way to make a runner feel special... This race has great potential, it is a fast course and many run PRs and BQs. But dang, they race organizers need to get their act together to make sure the runner can enjoy race day. So should you run this race? Honestly, no. There are two other race series which utilize a similar course or the same course. Each series offers two marathons, so you have four other chances to run a fast time. Both series are also far better organized, and you should look there to have the best possible experience. You should definitely run from the Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon...not toward it.

Everything went as planned or prepared for - the volunteers, the course, the logistics, and thankfully the weather. I have read the negative comments and have experienced similar problems in one form or another at various races. After reading the negative comments, I almost feel bad for those people because their experiences should have been better but getting preachy here after a disappointing run is not the place. Experience will overcome most of the problems. I have run almost 50, all were great, some with serious suck, but only 4 or 5 were perfect. Run it again, or another.

4th marathon overall. Was excited about this race because it's very highly reviewed and loved in the PNW. I was severely disappointed, as was my boyfriend, and seemingly many others. The race time was changed 3 days before the race, from 8am to 7am - the notification of this was poorly administered, and the change was way to significant to happen that last minute in my opinion. The race runs through around 2 miles of a pitch black tunnel, so runners have to carry a flashlight or wear a headlamp. It was emphasized prior to the race that we would receive two drop bags at check in - the standard, for our pre-race items to await us at the finish, and a second to throw our light source into and toss to the sidelines after exiting the tunnel. We were bused to the start line from the parking area by a woman who thought it made sense to drive at 40 on the highway, leaving most runners anxious about making it on time. We arrived and alas - no drop bags. At all. No apologies, either, or alternative options. We stashed our pre-race warm clothes under a tree, and began the race with only a few minutes to spare in the chaos. I personally was hit and fell in the tunnel, hurting my time and my body tremendously. I tossed my headlamp to the side after the tunnel. Needless to say, it's gone, permanently. I carried a hydration pack with my nutrition - this is essential for the course. It was my first time doing this, and I would highly recommend it as the water stations were way too spaced out, and I personally didn't see nutrition/gels at enough of them. The course is mostly tightly packed gravel, aside from the last few miles which feel brutal as the decline lessens and the gravel becomes much larger, which feels pretty unpleasant on your legs. The finish line: very little attention to runners who were stumbling over. Go find your medal. Wait in a 30 minute line if you want your finisher shirt. Overall, a relatively fast course, and if you choose to take in the scenery - stunning. you get to see the mountains and run in the forest in a light group, and at least for us, weather was perfect - 40s and light wind, mostly a covered from the sun course. Did I love the race? Definitely not.

This seems way over-hyped. I would be willing to blame some problems on the cluster with the former race director, but others have had similar complaints from previous years. The course has serious flaws. Who puts a hairpin turn less than 100m from the start line? The tunnel may have been the best part of the course, not because of the tunnel, but because it was the softest section. The rest of the trail was a very rough gravel. You need to have some very protective shoes. I wore Saucouny Virratas and they felt fine for the first half, but eventually the rocks will take their toll. The downhill is a nice boost, but my feet have never been so sore. Legs were buckling the last few rocks I hit. I also had issues with some of the non-racers on the course. Particularly this group of hikers taking up the whole width of the trail. The organization, outside of the food at the finish, is pretty lackluster too. The start area/gear check was ridiculous with no headlamp gear check bags until 2 minutes before the start. Also if you are a sub 3:00 runner, you will outrun the aid stations. I passed the van as they were setting up the 2nd to last station. I think this would have been a good race to do for fun as the course was beautiful. However, it didn't work out well my goals. If you are a plus 3 hour marathoner and wear some shoes with hard rubber soles (no exposed EVA), go for it. Otherwise, you would be better off elsewhere.

I've run this 9 times! Clearly the RD reads these comments and makes improvements EVERY year. Someone previously commented there is 'Costco food' at the finish. That is BS! The chili is 100% homemade by the RD. AND FANTASTIC, as is the other food. With 132 marathons done, this is one of the best finish line food feeds. By far! Everything about this run is great, including the number of people who BQ or PR. This was my 9th running. Embarrassingly I did BQ; without the training that a BQ should require, And by the way, it is incredibly scenic. Tip from a veteran; there are LOTS of hotels to chose from in Auburn WA, and it's an easy drive to the shuttle busses in the morning. (35-40 minutes).

I ran this marathon for the first time yesterday. The course was gorgeous and it was a nice gradual downhill as mentioned in the website. The weather was perfect. The tunnel was fun and interesting. Other than the first aid station not having water already in cups and no gatorade, all the other aid stations were great. This was my 3rd marathon and I finally achieved my BQ with 5 minutes to spare! I beat my last marathon by 20 MIN! This truly is a great course for a PR and a BQ attempt. There aren't very many spectators due to being on a trail. I was OK with that, but those who feel energy from crowds may feel alone in this race.

Having lived in Washington State for six years, I had always heard rave reviews about this race course from my fellow running buddies- Cool, shaded, point to point downhill, and scenic. There was a reason this race always sold out within minutes from year to year; I never had the opportunity to get in until a year later after having moved to CO. My goal, like so many, is/was to get a BQ. I KNEW this course was ideal based on what everyone told me; having moved to altitude, I KNEW I stood an excellent chance in succeeding. Though the tunnel was a bit tricky to adjust to with everyone sporting headlamps or carrying flashlights, once out of the tunnel, the remainder of the first 17 miles felt effortless and I was well on pace for my BQ standard until, without too much information, nature started calling with 9.2 miles remaining. Knowing the race website listed a porta-potty around Mile 21, I wasn't too concerned and knew I could suck it up for at least 4 miles; my pace slowed down about a minute slower per mile to avoid any 'accidents' (or as my family calls them, 'Grete Waitz Moments'). To my dismay, Mile 21 arrived without a porta-potty in sight, nor would there be one on the remainder of the course...until the finish line. With that said, the last 4 miles were excruciatingly painful to walk while race volunteers jokingly advised to 'Pop a squat in the woods.' Not very amusing. Once crossing the finish line, there was a smorgasbord of food from Costco, but I could care less. All my hard training for the past 16 weeks was all for naught. I have no intentions of returning which is a shame as the course was by far one of the most spectacular in beauty from the starting line to the finish. Other than that, the medal was decent; the shirt was tacky. If your gastrointestinal system can hold up for 26.2 miles without any issues (or you are willing to 'pop a squat'), go for it, otherwise, there are far too many amazing races in the Pacific Northwest to conquer.

Race director is awesome, volunteers are awesome. Course is very fast. Didn't care for the very narrow and sharp turn at the start. For an unpaved course, it is in extremely good condition. Tunnel was a little hard to navigate with so many runners crowded together. If 1 runner were to fall, would probably take down a crowd of them. Overall best marathon I've ever ran.

At the age of 40, with my PB days coming to an end, I wanted to cheat and run an aided marathon. For this race, I wanted to take as many tough variables as possible out of the race to try to crack a 2:50 marathon ... like the hills. There were a few things I didn't realize about the course ... the tunnel itself really slowed me down ... it was dark, damp and not a great place to run fast. BUT the spectators (especially my friend Euan) were great at cheering you on at the end of the tunnel. Glad the tunnel was over. The tunnel IMHO was *not* a novelty but a real pain in the arse. I was 1min15s slower than my anticipated race split at mile 3 mainly because of the tunnel. Whether it be the cheering crowd or the fear or the fact I was behind pace or that the mile marker was slightly off or that the downhill started kicking in, my next miles were considerably faster (6:05min/mile, 5:59min/mile (my faster marathon mile ever)) which in hindsight was a mistake. Advice: take note that your time will be slower going thru the tunnel and don't try to make up for the lost time right away. I managed up make up for the slower start and meet my 1:25 goal at the halfway and still managed to pick up the pace. The point is ... the course starts to get pretty fast after the tunnel. I was trying to run the shortest tangent on the course, weaving around the walkers, and cyclist volunteers. At times, I wasn't sure was I happy to see a cyclist volunteer on the course or not. To take the shortest tangent or not? The downhill was a plus, but at the same time, a point to point race could mean a head or tail wind. On that day of the race, it was a slight headwind. Noticed it right away from mile5 to 20. Somehow in my head, I thought the downhill sped me up a about 20s/mile, and the gravel slowed me down 10s/mile and the headwind slowed me by 10s/mile for no net gain or loss when compared to a pancake flat no-wind course. Everything seemed to go on plan until after mile 21. The support on the aid stations were FABULOUS for the first 21miles. In my russian roulette game, I gambled to not carry gels or liquid. I passed/waved around a U-haul truck at mile 20'ish wondering what it was doing on the course (it was a wee bit annoying / difficult to weave around it). The driver kept stopping and starting and seemed a bit confused. I was sooo glad to not share the road with that truck on this trail when a closed trail gate prevented the driver from going on any further. It was not until Mile 23 when I really need to fuel up before I realized the purpose of that truck. That truck contained the mile markers and food/gels to help support us til the end of the race. When this sank to my head, I was ... (profanity removed). With no mile markers and food, water, I literally cracked mentally and physically. Walked the last 3 miles. From a 6:30min average pace for 21 miles (to 6:45 mile22 (guessing as there was no marker, to 6:55 (another guess), to 15min/mile+ pace for the last 3. Can this be a PB course ... yeah ... as this was organized by a new race director, I'm sure they can iron out the problems (hint, hint, missing aid stations and markers for the last 5 miles). Now if there's someway I predict the head/tail wind direction of a point to point race ... Advice to others who want to race this in the future 1) the tunnel itself might slow you down 2) don't play the shortest tangent game, there could be a cyclist just around the curve 3) take a few extra gels at mile21 just in there are no more aid stations after

This was my third time with this race. I love the course, the tunnel is fun and mountain scenery is amazing! The race was well organized with wonderful volunteers at the start and aid tables. My only problem this time was that I didn't see any further mile markers after mile 22. This messed with my mind when we were tired, ready to be done, and really needed to know how much farther we had to go.

Wonderful race! I loved the (cool!) tunnel, enjoyed the breathtaking scenery and had a marvelous experience at the 2014 Light At The End of the Tunnel Marathon. I would encourage everyone to run this race if you are able to get in to the short registration window. Kudos to the race director who moved the start time up a half hour due to the heat. (Though nothing could have offset the heat in the last 4-5 miles of the race on this day!) Despite the heat, I was surprised (and blessed) by an 8-minute PR and my first-ever BQ. In addition to this being my fastest marathon so far, I think this may have been the most scenic marathon as well! Run this race!

The scenery is unbeatable, going through the tunnel and seeing the light was an experience, finishing in 85 degree weather was difficult. This is a beautiful, well organized marathon. Thank you for the volunteers, the special attention at the finish line, the homemade chili, the watermelon cut just right. My only negative point is although there was the American flag flowing beautifully at the start, the National Anthem was missing. Brian, add this to your start, get the runners to sing if you can't find a local singer, it will move everyone. It always does.

This was marathon #30 for me and by far, my favorite to date. I flew in from San Diego and stayed at Salish Lodge which was a little pricey, but worth every penny. I highly recommend that you splurge and spend a little more to stay there. My purpose for running this race was 2 goals: to knock Washington off my list of 50 states and to seed myself better for Boston next year. I'm a 51 year-old female and would have been happy with a 3:49 which is 10 minutes faster than my qualifying time. I shattered it! I ran a 3:35 which is a PR by 7 minutes and placed me 1st in my age category and 10th overall female. Needless to say, I've been on cloud 9 since Sunday. I honestly didn't think I could beat my PR, especially that day. Looking at the course profile, you wouldn't think it could be a PR course because of the dirt road despite the 2000 ft drop, but mostly because weather that day had a projected high of 91 degrees. Boy, was it hot at the finish. I figured I was doomed. Take the advise of previous blogs and DO NOT wear minimalist shoes! I wore HOKAS (Bondi III) and truly believe this was what saved me and kept my pace consistent the whole race. If you're a road-runner like me, put your road shoes away and get some trail shoes. The tunnel was cool and wet which felt great after you came out then the rest of the course headed down a dirt road which stayed shaded the whole way until about mile 23. So despite the heat, the course stayed relatively cool and comfortable. The downhill is so gradual it felt flat most of the time and my quads did not feel thrashed, even a few days later. One of the coolest things ever, was my husband was able to ride his bike on the course. When he finally caught up to me at about mile 8, he was able to get the whole race on our GoPro. We've been watching the video and reliving the whole race. Put his race on your MUST DO list. Even if you don't run a PR it has got to be the prettiest course in the country.

What a great marathon, especially since this was my First marathon! I can't say enough how well organized this event is - from the start to the finish line and all of the volunteers are wonderful! Here are my suggestions for this race -Do your research and check the weather forecast - dress appropriately. -There are bathrooms w/ running water and lots of porta potties at the beginning of the race. -Double bag system works flawlessly! -It's dark and wet in the tunnel. I wore a headlight and used a small flashlight. Watch out for puddles and you might want to be more in the middle of the path due to the terrain. -Train on gravel surfaces to prepare for this race. I didn't and my feet paid the price. -Enjoy the scenery - it's beautiful! -Use a water belt or something to carry fluids. It was hot outside and there was no way I could have gone without liquids between aid stations. -Be aware bugs will be a nuisance!! They will circle around you and bump into your face. Even if you're wearing bug spray. -There are not a lot of spectators so don't count on a cheering crowd during the race. The volunteers are AWESOME and so encouraging (thus the 5 stars for Spectators). -There's plenty of drinks and food at the end of the race (fruit, chips, cookies, chili)

Great time, friendly runners, emails and questions addressed quickly. Attentive race director. Weather hot and humid for back of the pack runners, but lots of cool drinks awaiting us at finishl line. Superb Veggie Chilli too!!

This was a fantastic, scenic, unique marathon. It's between mountains about 50 miles east of Seattle. The course is beautiful with mountains, streams and trees all around. The tunnel is very neat and fun. There are NO hills, pancake flat the whole way. There were more larger pebbles than just gravel for footing. Not many spectators, but who cares? Be aware, GPS does not work in tunnel. Nice hotels about 18 miles from the parking area. Only suggestion is to have beer at the finish to celebrate a fast time! My best time in over 2 years.

Here's what I wrote to Brian and Susan directly: Brian, Susan, It was a treat to run this race! Course was great, weather was great, the pre-race registration and communications were very clean and so organized and thankfully extraordinarily flexible (I received a bib transfer and was amazed that it was ready in my name at pick-up with no explaining and fixing needed last minute!!), and your team of volunteers was first class - smiles on their faces the whole time and speedy and so capable. The aid stations were set up well, spaced well, and full of cheerful folks, an the double bag-drop system worked flawlessly and was great to enable the cool/dark start gear dump that really helped the race. And the finish area was brilliant and well-stocked (thx for the choco milk and the oatmeal cookies in particular - my coach made a bee-line for the chili and the cake :) Y'all should be proud of an awesome show! My 10 or 11 Shipmates (from Austin) were all delighted. Personally I am ecstatic, as I massively PR'd Sunday by 19 minutes! Thanks again - your many hours of service are so appreciated. Matt

Everything you read about this race is true. Fast course, great race director, very few spectators - but the aid stations are great! My add: The course is rocky. I ran in light weight road racing shoes. My feet are still sore. I should have run in my light weight trail shoes. I would be faster since I would not worry about the rocks. Still, a PR by 66 seconds (vs a 2008 marathon). Run this race!

The tunnel comes early (mile markers 1 & 2 are inside) and is really cool. Then it's lovely running over gravel, through forest, past giant rocks that people are climbing, over bridges, down hills ... During the cool of the morning the race will remind you why running is so great. As the day warms up, and the course flattens out a bit (the end felt more flat than down), it is still a lovely run. It just gets a little harder. I didn't wear gaiters and managed not to get any big pieces of dirt or stones in my shoes, and I didn't feel like the down hill was abrupt anywhere, so my quads weren't taking a total beating. I took fluids at each stop and didn't carry any, and even though it was warm by the end of the run, I didn't get dehydrated. The organization was great - the starting area has flush toilets and sinks with running water, and the finish area has a wide assortment of food. Lovely shirt with no ads, pretty medal. Although I didn't PR on this course, I BQed by 6+ minutes and ran my fastest spring/summer marathon time here (8 minutes faster than Boston this year with similar weather). The aid station volunteers were great, and though my family had some trouble following the directions to the viewpoints, they were able to see me at the start (twice, because you make a small loop before the tunnel), then at miles 16, 22, and the end. A great run, and the lite version in the fall would probably be even better with cooler temperatures!

That tunnel was a lot of fun! I tended to run away from the middle, which was sometimes uneven from dripping water. There was enough light from all the runners that my weak headlamp turned out fine. Two people with outstretched arms can almost touch the sides, but it never felt tight. I didn't think gaiters were needed, although a few people did wear them. The trail itself was gorgeous, much of it shaded, several beautiful bridge crossings. Well marked course, mile marks seemed pretty accurate. I should have planned for the fact that my Garmin was not going to give me good pace info for about 3 miles (due to the tunnel), and the Garmin would lose signal at some points even on the open trail. The weather this year was great, maybe 53 at start, full sun, felt a little hot toward the end. I stayed in the Sunset Hotel, basic but clean with a frig, and North Bend is a great little town to wander the night before and the day after. Like others have said, not many spectators on the course, just 1 or 2 people at several spots. A great small marathon, highly recommended!

If you are looking for a cheering crowd lining the course you will be disappointed. If you are looking for a well organized, no frills race on one of the most beautiful courses in the country, this is your race.

It's no wonder this sold out in 7 hours! Awesome run. After over 50 marathons, I finally Boston Qualified! Thank you Brian and Susan!

I did the 'Lite' version of this race on September 16 (less support, no start/finish arches, etc.), cut almost 16 minutes off my PR, qualified for Boston by more than 5 minutes, and was able to register for Boston the next day. You can't ask for better than that! Beautiful course, fun tunnel, really nice people, really low-key race. Loved it.

Signed up for this race early - and a good thing too, it sold out. They apparently limit it to 400 runners to keep from getting too crowded in the tunnel. And what a tunnel! Over 2 miles long and yes, you can see the tiny speck of light at the end. With all the runners, I did not think all that much about the fact that we were running in a rather close tunnel until emerging back into the Light. The grade was a gentle downslope and easy on the legs. Many thanks to the organizers for the outstanding buffet at the finish line. Lots of Maniacs running; and I was convinced to join their group. Planning to sign up early again next year.

Doing the 50 states, I chose this one for WA because it seemed like a unique, scenic course. It lived up to my expectations, especially the cool tunnel in the first few miles. I even got a PR thanks to the consistant slight downhill and the cool, drizzly weather.

Everything was awesome, from the organization, to the super volunteers, to the beautiful course! I did not set a PR but I have great pictures! I want to come back and run this one again! If you are from the flat lands you'll want to try and get some down hill running in as part of your training. The trail is not technical and I did not need gaitors but saw lots of folks with them. However, a light is a must in the tunnel! Thanks for a great race, I'll be back!!

A fast course that will allows you to set a personal record. I beat my PR by 13 minutes for a BQ time of 3:27. Thanks to Brian and all volunteers for a well organized race. Food at the finish included fruit, chili, chocolate milk,etc... The course highlighted the beautiful Pacific NW area. A great race.

Flawless organization, perfect size, incredible scenery (you can't see the mountains as well from highway 90), and good aid stations. I adored everything about this race, from the flush toilets at the start to the wildflowers to the tiny streams to the chili at the end. Thank you for a wonderful experience. I'm not used to gravel, and I found myself with very sore feet and just generally exhausted from trying to avoid larger rocks. If you are a wimpy city runner like me, you may wish for different shoes or something.