Orcas Island 50K
Olga, WA
- 50K
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
The Orcas Island 50K is unique in the trail running world, with old-growth forests, tough climbs, and spectacular views of surrounding islands, mountains, and Puget Sound – but what truly sets it apart is the chance to hang out all weekend on a gorgeous island with your trail runner friends. The … MORE
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Hard AF
Had a great time out on the island running all day. This course is no joke... the elevation alone is going to make it difficult for runners to hit cut … MORE
Had a great time out on the island running all day. This course is no joke… the elevation alone is going to make it difficult for runners to hit cut off times. There’s plenty of flow but also some rough technical terrain and obviously powerline has a steepness of 30-40% for miles that is un-runnable. You’re rewarded though with the best views of the day on top of Mt Constitution and it felt so good to summit! I underestimated how much technical trail there would be and the downhill ate me alive. I would do this again as I missed the final cutoff time at Mt Constitution but felt good knowing all I missed was a little bit of downhill back to the finish line. Talked with multiple race participants who have done the race multiple times and always come back. Rainshadow did a stellar job with communication and setting up aid stations and the finish line was such a great party with pizza and drinks! 5 star experience the race promoters should feel very proud.
Scenic and challenging course
Scenic fun course with 8,400' of elevation gain/drop and aggressive cut offs. It's a popular race by Rainshadow Running, there is a lottery to get an entry. The weather in … MORE
Scenic fun course with 8,400′ of elevation gain/drop and aggressive cut offs.
It’s a popular race by Rainshadow Running, there is a lottery to get an entry.
The weather in Washington in February could be hit or miss. We were lucky to have a nice partially sunny day with a lot of water on the trail from the previous rain. When I say a lot, I mean often more than an ankle deep and occasionally more than a knee deep.
There is a convenient option to stay in the bunk houses right at the start/finish.
Cut offs are aggressive, definitely check them out before you signup.
No finisher medals: “We do not offer finisher medals at any of our races, instead we choose to spend that money on free wood-fired pizza and other snacks, free beer and non-alcoholic drinks, and a live band at all of our races”.
Hence live music and good free food and drinks at the finish line.