The Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon in mid-June is a point-to-point downhill marathon race on a scenic gravel rail-trail 50 miles east of Seattle, Washington. The course is a Boston qualifier (USATF certification number WA 08031 MW) and has the best profile in the country for a …
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The Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon in mid-June is a point-to-point downhill marathon race on a scenic gravel rail-trail 50 miles east of Seattle, Washington. The course is a Boston qualifier (USATF certification number WA 08031 MW) and has the best profile in the country for a fast time due to the consistent gentle downhill grade and the low starting elevation.
This is a unique course you WON’T find anywhere else. Set in the beautiful North Bend and Snoqualmie area, it features a jaw-dropping 2-mile tunnel cut right through rigid landscape eventually opening to a sprawling Pacific Northwest paradise. The first three miles are flat, cold, foggy and damp inside this unlit tunnel. Flashlights are strongly recommended. Once out of the Tunnel, the gravel trail starts down the hill and keeps on going down, 2050 feet in the next 23 miles. It’s never steep enough to be uncomfortable; you just feel like you’re having a good day.
Spectators (other than a bear once in a while) are few but the views are scenic. Aid stations with water, Gatorade, and cups are provided every three miles or so and restrooms are located here and there. We provide medical support and marshals on bicycles on the course, which is supported for 7 hours for the regular starters (8 hours for slower runners doing the early start). You’ll receive a custom-designed medal when you finish, where you’ll also find food and aid and friendly people waiting to greet you.
The weather in the Seattle area in mid-June is typically partly cloudy with lows in the low 50’s and highs in the low 70’s. We have traditionally run the race in mid-July but after several hot race days, we’ve changed the date to mid-June to take advantage of the generally cooler conditions.
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Gorgeous Course
While this is a pricey event, it really is a gorgeous course. They have packet pickup the day prior and morning of, which is really convenient. Starting it with the … MORE
While this is a pricey event, it really is a gorgeous course. They have packet pickup the day prior and morning of, which is really convenient. Starting it with the tunnel is a cool experience and then downhill with some incredible views that really encompass Washington. There are pacers as well as a sweeper, also an early start for runners that are expecting to take longer than 5 hours.
scenic downhill PR course
This was my 26th Marathon and 17th State....This was my most expensive race entry around170$ and I registered when it opened....great and very scenic gradual downhill course....My family made a … MORE
This was my 26th Marathon and 17th State….This was my most expensive race entry around170$ and I registered when it opened….great and very scenic gradual downhill course….My family made a vacation of this visiting Seattle, Olympic NP, and Mount Rainer…The first couple miles were through a tunnel, requiring a head lamp….great course and support…the medal and shirt were okay…not alot of locations for crowd support on the course, but an awesome course if you want to PR/BQ….easy logistics and communication….alot of snacks, fresh fruit, desserts, drinks at the finish line…the shuttle to the parking area didn’t seem to be frequent enough as my family didn’t make it to the finish in time and we had to wait 30 minutes after the race….I would recommend this race due to the scenery, vacation aspect, and ability to PR/BQ
2022 BQ in the Bag!
Great downhill course and race for Boston Marathon qualification! Unique start with 2.5 miles through a pitch black tunnel that can literally and figuratively trip you up, but not if … MORE
Great downhill course and race for Boston Marathon qualification! Unique start with 2.5 miles through a pitch black tunnel that can literally and figuratively trip you up, but not if you have the right gear (light), focus on safe running and not talking, and race smart. Fantastic scenery throughout and excellent race support, starting from the race package pickup, across the course, and at the finish line. 26.2 miles on mostly hard-packed gravel was a welcome change from asphalt or concrete, especially for a downhill marathon. Limited field size of just over 500 helped to simplify and execute the logistics, especially given the point to point start and finish locations. Despite snow on the peaks near the start, the weather at the start in June was surprisingly warm, but not hot. Forecast called for “steady rain”, but it barely rained and this was never a factor other than keeping the temperature down under cloudy skies. Warmer weather for similar races on this course from Jul-Sep could play a bigger factor. As the first post-COVID marathon for myself, and many others, it was a great event. Well done to the race management team! I’ll be back and recommend this race to my friends and the athletes I coach.
Small, quiet race
I ran the August version this race (they had 3 a year). The weather was great, the tunnel was exciting, the field was small and there are no spectators. I … MORE
I ran the August version this race (they had 3 a year). The weather was great, the tunnel was exciting, the field was small and there are no spectators.
I went into this race recovering from an injury. It is a big BQ field since it is downhill for the first 22 miles, so I felt like I was pretty much running alone after the first five miles or so. The aid stations were mostly unattended (not sure if they had volunteers for the bigger pace groups that bounced or none at all) so it was self serve water.
Not much in terms of expo, after party, or swag.
Bottom line: If you are looking for a BQ and go into this race healthy, you would be in good company. If you want a fun race and spectators to help motivate you, this is not the course for you.
A lifetime experience race!
It's a Picture perfect race, surreal scenic beauty and tailor made for a PR or BQ. Ideal weather, smooth mild downhill after 3 miles. The gravel is tough to run … MORE
It’s a Picture perfect race, surreal scenic beauty and tailor made for a PR or BQ. Ideal weather, smooth mild downhill after 3 miles. The gravel is tough to run on if you are not used to it and can takeaway a few seconds per mile but the weather and the downhill more than make up for it. A race managed by someone who loves running and places runners interests first. Very warm and welcoming staff and volunteers! … Anyone who loves long distance running should run The Tunnel Marathon once in their running lifetime!… It’s a one of a kind lifetime experience. I flew all the way from India for this and had a 28 mins PR!! … But irrespective of the time I am glad to run this just for the experience.
Disappointing
No swag bags or bags to carry gear, no heat lamps like stated at the start. Changed start time an hour earlier 5 days before start of race. No volunteers … MORE
No swag bags or bags to carry gear, no heat lamps like stated at the start. Changed start time an hour earlier 5 days before start of race. No volunteers to cheer you on until mile 13, then again at 20. But most disappointing of all no photographer at the end of the tunnel like it had mentioned in the race details. Stopped photography at the finish at 4 hour mark. They packed up and left.
Fast and scenic
*This race has gone through some management changes the last year or two. I can't speak to it now, but in 2015, it was great. The Light at the End … MORE
*This race has gone through some management changes the last year or two. I can’t speak to it now, but in 2015, it was great.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel is a fast point to point marathon on a scenic gravel trail (not technical trail) east of Seattle. There is no expo, which is awesome – very small race, so you show up and get your bib on race morning.
The day starts with you parking at Twin Falls Middle School, followed by a bus trip to the starting area. You cross the start line at Hyak trailhead on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. Not long after starting you get to run through the Hyak Tunnel, which is close to 2.5 or 3 miles of pitch black, with literally just a pinpoint of light at the far end! It’s damp, cool, and full of echoes of runners’ breath, footfalls, and laughter. Run with a flashlight or headlamp!! I carried mine and they give you small bags to drop them in at the first table right outside the tunnel, so you don’t have to carry it the whole time. The tunnel portion is very cool!!
After that you’re running on gravel roads in a beautiful park with a lot of shade, crossing beautiful foot bridges with nice views. The course is very fast, and is pretty much all downhill, though it’s a gentle downhill, not a quad-pounding downhill. There are hikers and cyclists out and about on the trail, but it wasn’t ever a problem.
There are 8 or 9 aid stations along the course, though I carried my hydration pack just in case. We had great weather in 2015, warming up slightly by the end but otherwise comfortable running temps and blue skies.
There was an issue last year with signage towards the end of the course – I think a few mile markers were missing but apparently there was an issue unlocking a fire road gate which delayed them getting those last signs up. Not a big deal. The race was well organized and responsive ahead of time if you had a question.
The medal was decent, though the shirt was a bit too big. The most important thing about this race is the BQ that came out of it! I definitely recommend this event if you’re looking for a PR, BQ, or just to check Washington off your list of states. It was beautiful and a lot of fun. Oh, and it sells out fast, so be ready to sign up!!