Sharp ups and smooth downs on this course. With a long flat gravel path sandwiched between. Time running along the lake was lovely, and when we weren’t next to the … MORE
Sharp ups and smooth downs on this course. With a long flat gravel path sandwiched between. Time running along the lake was lovely, and when we weren’t next to the lake, we were in the trees! Beautiful course. Some time spent in neighborhoods but there were police making sure each of our crossings were safe. And great snack collection at the end!
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Gorgeous course; wily hills
Sharp ups and smooth downs on this course. With a long flat gravel path sandwiched between. Time running along the lake was lovely, and when we weren’t next to the … MORE
Sharp ups and smooth downs on this course. With a long flat gravel path sandwiched between. Time running along the lake was lovely, and when we weren’t next to the lake, we were in the trees! Beautiful course. Some time spent in neighborhoods but there were police making sure each of our crossings were safe. And great snack collection at the end!
Lot of hills, difficult course
Would recommend training in slopes for this race, lot of hills at the beginning and towards the end too make this race quite challenging to run. MORE
Would recommend training in slopes for this race, lot of hills at the beginning and towards the end too make this race quite challenging to run.
A tough race with tough weather
My first time running an ORCA led race. Smooth enough but def felt less organized than any of my other races. Took a bit of asking around to determine where … MORE
My first time running an ORCA led race. Smooth enough but def felt less organized than any of my other races. Took a bit of asking around to determine where the starting line was. The course itself is pretty tough with 3 tough hills to tackle. Also late October is not a great time for races in the Puget Sound, at least it stopped raining but the wind was terrible. The finishers medal was really beautiful but not much else positive to say about the swag which is mostly lacking and the finish line area felt underwhelming. That being said the course was really clearly marked and despite numerous traffic crossings the Kirkland police did an awesome job and I never had to slow down for traffic nor did it ever feel unsafe.
Lake Views, Gravel Trails and Hills
Great race along Lake Washington and then through Kirkland. The only drawback is a boring 4 or so mile stretch on a gravel trail. As always Orca does a great … MORE
Great race along Lake Washington and then through Kirkland. The only drawback is a boring 4 or so mile stretch on a gravel trail. As always Orca does a great production.
While I wasn’t pushing hard on this race due to it being near the end of a training block, I suspect it would be a moderately difficult course due to the hills.
Fun race with some challenging hills
Fun local race, where half of it is along lake washington and the second half is mostly along a gravel trail and local roads. The hills were challenging but doable, … MORE
Fun local race, where half of it is along lake washington and the second half is mostly along a gravel trail and local roads.
The hills were challenging but doable, and there were plenty of water/ rest stations.
Great experience - tough course!
Finishing my first half marathon was quite the adventure. The hilly course made it a real test, especially for a beginner like me. But it was an experience I won't … MORE
Finishing my first half marathon was quite the adventure. The hilly course made it a real test, especially for a beginner like me. But it was an experience I won’t forget.
The course had some serious hills. Going up was tough, but the downhill runs were a blast. It was challenging, but it made the race exciting and different from anything I’d done before.
One cool thing was the photographers along the route. They captured me pushing through the pain and I got some great shots to remember the day.
After finishing the race, there were booths with food and stuff from vendors and a personal record bell. It was a fun and relaxed atmosphere, perfect for winding down after the tough run.
All in all, my first half marathon was a real challenge, but it was worth it. The hilly course, the race photos, and the post-race goodies made it a day to remember. I’m looking forward to more Orca Running races in the future!
Challenging and beautiful Course!
If you go into the race knowing about the hills and the gravel trail section (I ran this route earlier this year), then you know what you're up against! The … MORE
If you go into the race knowing about the hills and the gravel trail section (I ran this route earlier this year), then you know what you’re up against! The first time threw me, but this is a great race! Orca knows how to party. Plenty of aid stations anytime you need it (I really appreciate that!) And the swag is always so cute! I always order a size larger t-shirt with Orca shirts, they are super soft cotton, but run small. Luckily, even if you order the wrong size, they’ll let you exchange sizes after the race!
Your can’t go wrong with an Orca race!!
Great experience! Would do again!
This was my first half marathon in 5 years and couldn't have asked for a better race. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of performance; ~8 weeks prior … MORE
This was my first half marathon in 5 years and couldn’t have asked for a better race. I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of performance; ~8 weeks prior to the race, I sprained my ankle unable to run for 6 out of the 8 weeks leading up to the race. I almost decided to defer my entry and wait until next year but had signed up with 4 other friends so I decided to run after all with little expectation. While I didn’t set a PR, I performed much better than I could have imagined (2:13 finish!) and so proud for pushing through. I’m more excited about running than I’ve been in a long time because of this race!
Aside from 2 intimidating hills, the course was very forgiving. There was a long stretch of gravel but I actually really loved this portion and was able to zone out and catch up to a lot of people which kept me going.
The morning had some mist but nothing crazy and exactly what you’d expect this time of year. I run my best in the cooler temps and couldn’t have asked for a better day.
Orca Running said it was a cupless race but they actually did provide some cups if you forgot yours. My friend let me borrow a collapsable cup that fit into my flip belt and I didn’t feel like it slowed me down more than a minute per stop. Overall, it was very well organized, and came with a medal and t-shirt.
Challenging, yet rewarding and beautiful
There are some hills but the scenery is worth it! The production was great and organized. There were plenty of refuel stations and a good amount of people cheering you … MORE
There are some hills but the scenery is worth it! The production was great and organized. There were plenty of refuel stations and a good amount of people cheering you on. If you are into trail running and road running this is for you.
Will do it again
Theirs is a loooooong stretch of gravel. That’s the only part I found a little boring since it’s so long and lonely. But overall it’s a great race. … MORE
Theirs is a loooooong stretch of gravel. That’s the only part I found a little boring since it’s so long and lonely. But overall it’s a great race.
Uphill training is a must!
Beautiful scenic route! The run was well organized. Only difficult part were the uphills. There were couple of them in the beginning and towards the end which slowed me down. … MORE
Beautiful scenic route! The run was well organized. Only difficult part were the uphills. There were couple of them in the beginning and towards the end which slowed me down. But overall , enjoyed and bagged another half!
A great half-marathon course
The course has enough hills, both up and down, to challenge you as well as provide relief. It's scenic and overall it provides a very wholesome Half Marathon experience. MORE
The course has enough hills, both up and down, to challenge you as well as provide relief. It’s scenic and overall it provides a very wholesome Half Marathon experience.
Excellent scenic lake view route
Run starts and ends at scenic Juanita Beach Park with beautiful water views throughout the course and beautiful fall leaves coloring the route. The climbs away from the water aren’t … MORE
Run starts and ends at scenic Juanita Beach Park with beautiful water views throughout the course and beautiful fall leaves coloring the route. The climbs away from the water aren’t too bad, along with a lot of flat easy trails and then you get to enjoy the hills to come back down! Fun route and I took the time to kiss a frog! 😘🐸 I was only a couple minutes off from my PR which occurred with an equivalent elevation gain run so I felt good about that.
There was a huge “winter” atmospheric river storm the day before that took out power and brought down limbs. Getting to the course start, from the freeway, was dark. The park had no lights but everyone had enough lights to help us check-in which was great. They were well organized and had enough volunteers, aid stations and products, port a potties, etc.. My only suggestion is move the trash bins off the grass so runners can maintain dry feet before the race. 🙂 it was fun to see all the participants enjoying the park and playing volleyball, etc. after the run.
OrcaRunning is Awesome
Few hills but not too bad, trail is a combo of paved/gravel. Lovely water scenes and nature along the way, not too much of the course was in the neighborhoods … MORE
Few hills but not too bad, trail is a combo of paved/gravel. Lovely water scenes and nature along the way, not too much of the course was in the neighborhoods which was a bonus so you got away from running next to cars or stores. First time I did this course and would do it again!
My First Sub 1:30!
Love this race! Been training all year and finally put up my first sub 1:30 half! Beautiful course half road and half bike trail. There's a couple small hills but … MORE
Love this race! Been training all year and finally put up my first sub 1:30 half! Beautiful course half road and half bike trail. There’s a couple small hills but nothing too terrible. Looking forward to running again next year!
Good race, bad weather
This is one of the roughest races I've ever run, maybe the toughest half marathon. A race that takes place in November in Seattle is always going to be dodgy, … MORE
This is one of the roughest races I’ve ever run, maybe the toughest half marathon. A race that takes place in November in Seattle is always going to be dodgy, and in 2021, half the race took place in absolute pouring, driving rain. For this reason, I can’t give it more than 3 stars, despite the fact that it was very well organized and run and I’ll probably run it again this year as a training run.
This is not a PR race. Even if the weather cooperates, there are enough hills on the course – 500+ ft of elevation gain per my GPS – including one really rough one early on, that’s it’s not ideal for fast running. In addition, Orca Running doesn’t provide cups, so you either have to carry a hydration pack or come to a screeching halt at four or so aid stations. Either option will slow you down a couple minutes.
However, as an early winter hard training run, or just a casual half marathon, it’s not bad. There are some scenic spots in the lake. Orca is super well organized and always does a good job putting on their races. You get a pretty medal. I ordered my usual Women’s Medium shirt and it was skintight, so that was a little disappointing.
The rain notwithsanding....
I really liked the course layout, combining some not so steep hills with long, relatively flat stretches. This was an ideal fall run for me since I enjoy cooler weather … MORE
I really liked the course layout, combining some not so steep hills with long, relatively flat stretches. This was an ideal fall run for me since I enjoy cooler weather for these longer runs (> 6 miles). This was only my 2nd in-person Orca Running event and I will try out their other offerings in the new year.
Favorite Seattle area Half
This is my third time running this race. I love the course for all of its differing terrain. It offers flat sections, trail, uphill and downhill. It gives you a … MORE
This is my third time running this race. I love the course for all of its differing terrain. It offers flat sections, trail, uphill and downhill. It gives you a little of everything. It’s not just a flat, straight road. The aid stations are well stocked and situated every few miles. Course support was great this year. I was surprised how many spectators were along the course, standing in the rain to support us. This is one of the few repeat races I’ve done, so that says a lot about the course and Orca Running. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone looking for a fall half marathon. It’s most likely going to be raining at this event, so be prepared to get wet!
Tough course but satisfying...
Really nice course with lots of good views. A bit too tight for my liking - not enough space on the course for runners and cars. Tough course but challenging … MORE
Really nice course with lots of good views. A bit too tight for my liking – not enough space on the course for runners and cars. Tough course but challenging which is good. Just wish there was a wider berth for runners. The end corner to finish line was particularly dangerous.