I love the Craft Classic with the fun medals and the opportunity to earn a golden spike medal.
This race used to start and end at a brewery but when the brewery closed it was moved to a local park. Not as scenic but still a nice course. It’s very flat and runs along a river. This year the morning was warm and the humidity from the farm land and river made the air very heavy. While some people PR’d on the relatively flat route, many, including myself, found it slowed you down. This was an out and back and at the turn around you start back and are facing into the sun. It really took the energy out of you.
There were a few aid stations and it would have been nice to have a few more. The shirts were soft and really nice although more for casual wear than a tech tee. The medal was a fun keg that is also a bottle opener. The finish line food was a little odd, pickles, chips, Oreos and it would have been nice to have stuff you could take with you to walk around after. The race has done to bottle less water and while a good idea, they couldn’t get the cups filled adequately and it seemed more wasteful to have paper cups 1/3 full.
Parking was on local streets and we got there early enough to find parking. If you were to arrive later it might be more difficult.

I'm a huge fan of the Rock n Roll series and Seattle never disappoints. This course was overall easier than past years but with one killer long and steep hill at mile 11, overall it made the course difficult. I feel it would be hard to PR although I know a few who did that day!
They have changed the route each year the past three years and I like this variety. I enjoy getting to see different views of Seattle and this year's views were amazing! At the top of the aforementioned hill, runners were rewarded with the gorgeous view of downtown from Kerry Park. They also features highlights like the Brooks trailhead, the house from Grey's Anatomy, Gasworks Park, and the Ballard bridge.
The start line was chaotic and I never did find my actual corral. With no easily accessible porta porties at the start, I opted to wait and used the stop at mile 1.5. There were aid stations every few miles with water. Gatorade, and SIS gels.
I was impressed with more music stages along the route. While not headliners they were enthusiastic with lots of cover bands. Coming into the finish, the chute was long and lined with spectators. They funnel you through and there is no waiting for people there. Lots of food and variety of it was available, chocolate milk, Cheez it's, apple slices, pretzels, and water. In the concert area it was set up with more food and a beer garden. There were plenty of photographers and the quality of photos were great.
I was disappointed in the small size is the expo this year although I found what I was looking for and there were some great deals to be had.
The medals were super nice and every one was happy to see they changed the style after seeing the same ones for a few years.
This is such a signature Seattle race and I'll be back next year!

Rainier to Ruston is such a fun experience for PacNW runners with options to run the 50 mile race as a team of up to six, four, or two or even taking it on solo. This race starts at the base of Mt Rainier and winds through the foothills, down into the cities of Pierce County and finishing along the Tacoma waterfront and scenic Ruston way. Each leg has varying difficulty and length and is great for a team that might have a variety of experience levels. At each exchange point there is a bell to ring and teams stand there cheering on runners. The energy and enthusiasm is so contagious! The route is mostly downhill with a few legs having slight hills. Each exchange has porta potties but teams must carry their own water and food. This isn’t a big deal since teams drive a van to each exchange so you can carry everything you need. The swag for the race was very nice with tech tees and buffs and a medal and also the option to purchase a nice Boco trucker hat. This is a must do race if you love a team experience and fun day of road tripling!

Evergreen Half Marathon was a great race to kick off the summer with beautiful weather on a fantastic course that offered beautiful views and an easy, runner friendly route.
Parking took place near a city park and you needed to get there early to find street parking in the small town. Once parked, you were able to do same day packet pick up which was great since Snohomish Running doesn't do the but expo. There was a great inflatable for pictures and lots of porta potties for pre-run prep. Once that was taken care is there were buses to take runners to the start. The half and five mile races has different start locations and times. The bus ride was about ten minutes through the town to the start where there were more porta potties as well as a truck for gear check.
They started runners in two waves and let you choose your wave. Because this race has a cap, it doesn't get too crowded and the self placement worked well.
The route uses the Centennial Trail in Snohomish, a paved trail through rolling farmland with lush greenery and trees. It's beautiful and flat and we even saw a bear in the drive in! The trail is very well maintained and safe for runners being that it is smooth, and away from road traffic. This point to point course is so nice with no turnaround!
There were aid station every two miles with plenty of water and Nuun and while I carried my own fuel I noticed gels available every few stations. There were porta potties every few miles and I did stop and didn't have to wait in line. While the aid stations were small, the volunteers were super friendly and enthusiastic!
The miles were flat and easy until mile 11 when there was an unexpected and long mile climb into town. It was a nice challenge and I didn't find it slowed me down that much. The finish was back at the park with a big inflatable and announcer callinf our finishers. Runners earned a beautiful, big medal and there was plenty of Nuun, water and fruit at the finish. Even better was yummy strawberry shortcake! I love that they always have a coffee cart at the finish too! This PacNW girl loves a cappuccino to cap off a great race!
I was super happy with my time and came so close to a PR is I hadn't stopped for that potty break! I was excited to see so many friends there and even got to see a friend complete his first half marathon! Even though it took him over three hours, they had everything still available.
I will definitely be back down this race next year!