This was my first trail run/race EVER and it greatly surpassed my expectations. This run is one of a series that they have at different trails around the Seattle area. Depending on the location, they have 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon distances. This race only had 10K and half marathon available.

This run was at a state park and we were running on the trails of the park. Because it was at the state park, there was ample parking. In WA state you do have to have a parking pass to park at the state parks. If you do not have this pass, you can pay to park for the day.

The course was very clearly marked and the trails were well groomed. It was a beautiful setting and had plenty of shade for the hot day. There were parts of the trail that were very steep uphill and even a few sections with stairs. Once you got to the top of the trails, about 2.5 miles in, the rest of the course was flat or downhill.

The race was small enough that the trails were crowded and you weren't getting run over by the faster runners. Before the race they explained race etiquette and how to know you were on the right trail, etc. The race was timed and there was a cool finish line with plenty of snacks after the race. They also had a photographer take you picture and you can view/download them free of charge after the race. I was given a race shirt but it was a bonus for signing up, they are available as an add on to your are registration if you would like to purchase one.

There was one aid station on the course which was great! They had to pack the stuff in, so it was such a nice benefit to have somewhere to fill up on water or just pull over for a break. On the 10K course you passed the aid station once, the half marathon runners passed it twice.

I had so much fun running this race, I am going to look into running the other races in this series. There seems to be one per month and they are all over the the Puget Sound. I would love to run a few of these this winter. It is great to add to training schedule or just for fun!