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@mjanes86
CANADA Raving since 2023 Active 23 hours, 32 minutes agoAbout Me
My Races
Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.
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Future Races
Personal Bests (1)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mud Mountain Dam Spring Marathon & Half Marathon | Marathon | Orting, WA | May 30, 2026 | 2:58:11 |
Future Races (0)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Paid |
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Past Races (2)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result | My Raves | My Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mud Mountain Dam Spring Marathon & Half Marathon | Marathon | Orting, WA | May 30, 2026 | 2:58:11 |
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| Jack & Jill’s Downhill Marathon & Half | Marathon | Snoqualmie Pass, WA | Jul 30, 2023 | 3:12:00 |
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Mud Mountain Dam Spring Marathon & Half Marathon
Pleasantly Surprised!
Mud Mountain Dam Spring Marathon & Half Marathon
I did not have a lot of expectations, since the marathon distance has not been run for a few years, and it's clearly a smaller race. I must say that … MORE
I did not have a lot of expectations, since the marathon distance has not been run for a few years, and it’s clearly a smaller race.
I must say that I was quite impressed with this race overall. The package pickup was seamless. The race start is absolutely awesome. Tons of parking if you have someone to drop you off, or you can take the shuttle. I was able to hang out in my car until 10 minutes before the race, when my wife packed up and left. Not many races you can do that at anymore!
I like the crew that ran this race. This is not some gimmicky money maker. The Tacoma runners that put it on were great.
The first few miles are severely downhill. Almost awkwardly so. It’s hard to get in a rythm and you got to chill out to not destroy your quads. The elevation profile is dominated by the large declines, so there are a few sections that are underrepresented in the chart. For example, from mile 4.5 to 7 is constantly uphill and you have to give a bit of time back. Between mile 7 and 11 it is fairly rolling through the country side.
Once you get on the foothills pathway it is particularily awesome. It is a beautiful, wide trail that is fully paved and mostly shaded until mile 21 or so, and very fast. I started hitting the back of the half marathoners around mile 15. This was actually a bonus, as it gave me a surge of energy to focus on catching people.
The last 8km are the toughest. They are probably downhill, but don’t feel like it. There is no more shade, and you are alongside a main road with lots of road crossings. We got very lucky this year with the weather, but if it’s hot, this is going to be a tough section.
The finish line is great, and there was good energy and decent post race food.
Overall, I think this was the most enjoyable marathon I have raced in the past 5 years. I look forward to travelling down from Canada to do it again!
Jack & Jill’s Downhill Marathon & Half
Sh!t happens!
Jack & Jill’s Downhill Marathon & Half
Look, there’s going to be a lot of chatter about how the shuttles never showed up and about 100 people didn’t make the start in time. We got to the … MORE
Look, there’s going to be a lot of chatter about how the shuttles never showed up and about 100 people didn’t make the start in time. We got to the start line 35 minutes after the start, even though we were at the shuttle area at 4:50 for our 5:15 shuttle. We ended up starting alone and had to run past about 500 runners that were slower than us on a trail that is 8ft wide. Clearly not ideal conditions. The organizers were stressed out about it and I truly feel bad for them. One offs happen and unless there’s a repeat down the road, I’m not going to carve them in a review for it.
This review is for people thinking of doing the race next year. It’s not so much about this specific race (which is fairly basic but fine) but the course, which can apply to any of the races that take place here.
The course is beautiful (second time I’ve run this course) and if the goal is to run a super enjoyable track in the mountains, this one is hard to beat.
If you are trying to qualify for Boston, I think you need to put some thought into whether this is the race for you. The reviews and write-ups make it sound like it’s the easiest race you can imagine. It is not. Unless you are trained to run on trail, this course can eat you up. The footing is very unstable, and every third stride you seem to land somewhat awkwardly, utilizing muscles you probably never thought of utilizing if you usually run on road. By 20 miles, your ankles are killing you from all the slight rolling, especially if you are trying to run fast. You have to keep looking down to ensure you have the right footing, which takes a lot of mental energy when you’re supposed to be relaxed. At my pace (qualified for Boston with a 3:05 on road last year), this type of surface really puts me out of my rhythm. I have open welts on the inside of my knees from rocks knocking my knees together every few minutes. My heart rate was consistently 7-10 beats higher than the same pace on road, which is saying something considering how downhill it is!
This is just one runners opinion, but I personally find a flat or slightly rolling road race much easier. I think I’m done with the Snoqualmie races for good now :). Best of luck!