One perk of the Pacific Northwest’s winter drizzle is that places like Carkeek Park are lush and green, brightening up even the grayest of days. Plus, our bountiful water gives us stunning views, such as the sight of the Olympic Mountains across the water from Carkeek’s beach. Most importantly for …
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One perk of the Pacific Northwest’s winter drizzle is that places like Carkeek Park are lush and green, brightening up even the grayest of days. Plus, our bountiful water gives us stunning views, such as the sight of the Olympic Mountains across the water from Carkeek’s beach. Most importantly for trail runners, Carkeek is also home to six miles of fun, roller-coaster trails that traverse the forest! The trails range from wide and rolling, to narrow and steep. But if ever you’re feeling like the climb is tough, remember that you get to fly back down!
The course starts and finishes in the Lower Meadow next to Piper’s Creek. The route is mostly in the forest (85%) and has a mix of fast, wide trail (64%) and narrower rolling trail (36%), with some flatter sections and some moderate to steep sections.
The 5K course goes the length of the wide, Piper’s Creek Trail, climbing first gently, then more steeply to the head of the valley before turning around and going over half the distance back. The route then turns left up the South Ridge Trail, which climbs steeply then becomes a rolling traverse through some of the older forest in the park. Upon reaching the Clay Pit Trail, the course turns right down the hill, then descends to the meadow on the Hillside Trail and goes a few hundred meters to the finish.
The 10k course is two loops of the 5k course.
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Loved it, & now I know it isn't chipped!
PROS: - Great trail marking and volunteers to help at key points - Mid-point water at starting area was handy and well-placed for 10k! - Great vibezzz -- organizers were … MORE
PROS:
– Great trail marking and volunteers to help at key points
– Mid-point water at starting area was handy and well-placed for 10k!
– Great vibezzz — organizers were passionate and invited Seattle Parks & Rec to talk about volunteer opportunities if folks were interested (I was! Since I’m a major beneficiary of my local parks and how well their trails are cared for)
– Well, it’s in my favorite Seattle park for trail-running 🙂
– Helpful pre-race info on course, technical stuff
– Raffle and post-race snacks were fun and appropriate for our chilly day (soup, hot drinks, etc.). Everyone seemed in good spirits and ready to hang around for a bit to enjoy our surprise November sunshine.
CONS:
– Parking got a bit chaotic, I think — the park ran out of spots, and the walk from anywhere to the start line outside of the main lot is long/not clear
– It was not chip timed and we had a big bottleneck in the first few hundred yards that was frustrating for me since I got pushed to the back behind walkers and could not pass easily. The competitor in me got sad. :'( Lesson learned!