We’re excited to announce that the Full Marathon is coming back this May, and will also be part of our September event. Start planning now for your next Boston Qualifier on this beautiful, fully paved downhill course, no tunnel, no dirt, no BQ penalty. There’s no excuse not to do …
MORE
We’re excited to announce that the Full Marathon is coming back this May, and will also be part of our September event. Start planning now for your next Boston Qualifier on this beautiful, fully paved downhill course, no tunnel, no dirt, no BQ penalty.
There’s no excuse not to do the dam thing!
Marathon
The marathon course begins at Mud Mountain Dam (elevation 1,400′). Runners will follow a fully paved route through picturesque farmlands and forested areas, tracing the path of the Carbon River. The race finishes in front of the historic McMillin Bridge (elevation 200′), with a total net elevation loss of approximately 1,200′.
Half Marathon
The Half Marathon begins in the scenic town of South Prairie (elevation 467′) and follows a gradual downhill route along the paved Foothills Rail Trail. Runners will enjoy a picturesque journey through farmland and forest, winding alongside the Carbon River and finishing in front of the historic McMillin Bridge (elevation 128′). The course features a net elevation loss of 339 feet.
Mud Mountain Marathon Update
The Mud Mountain Marathon has an elevation drop of 1201 Feet. USATF Certified WA21013RMB. It is not subject to the new downhill adjustments made for Boston Marathon Qualifying times.
LESS
Pleasantly Surprised!
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!