Washington's ultrarunning scene is shaped by two things: the Cascade Mountains (some of the most technical alpine running in America) and the Pacific Northwest weather (rain, fog, mossy single-track). Two iconic 100s, Cascade Crest and Bigfoot 200, plus a deep bench of mid-distance races. Below: what to know.
The 200-miler
Bigfoot 200
207 miles around Mt. St. Helens. The original American 200-miler. Read the Bigfoot 200 briefing →
The 100-miler
Cascade Crest Classic 100
100 miles through the Cascade range. 23,000 ft of climb. The Pacific Crest Trail and the Trail from Hell. Read the Cascade Crest briefing →
The 50-milers
White River 50
50 miles in the Norse Peak Wilderness near Mt. Rainier. ~8,500 ft vert. July. One of the original American 50-milers; iconic course; competitive field.
Sun Mountain 50
50 miles in the Methow Valley (eastern Cascades). ~8,000 ft vert. May. Beautiful drier-side-of-the-state course; excellent late-spring training race.
Chuckanut 50K
50K in Bellingham, north of Seattle. ~6,500 ft vert. March. Iconic PNW spring race; technical sections; serious competition.
The 50Ks worth knowing
Capitol Peak 50K
Olympia, WA. April. ~7,500 ft vert. Olympia state forest single-track.
Wonderland 100K (informal)
The 93-mile Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier. Not a race; many ultrarunners do it as a fastest-known-time attempt or 1-2 day push. Permits required.
Issaquah Ultra Series
Cougar Mountain, Tiger Mountain, Squak Mountain. Multiple distances year-round. The local scene's training-race series.
The PNW running argument
Washington's ultras lean technical, mossy, and cool. The trails are the most "trail-runner-y" of any state, narrow single-track through dense forest, lots of roots, lots of rain. The community is tight and slightly anti-glamour. Race directors are usually ex-finishers; the volunteer corps is famously hardcore.
Where to train
- Seattle / Issaquah: Cougar Mountain, Tiger Mountain, Squak Mountain, all within 30 minutes of the city. Year-round trail access.
- Bellingham: Chuckanut Mountain trails out the door. Smaller scene but excellent terrain.
- Methow Valley (Winthrop / Mazama): drier eastern Cascades; better summer training without the rain.
What these sessions assume you are measuring with
Every pace, zone and power figure here needs something recording it. These three cover running, long days and the bike.
Garmin Forerunner 965 AMOLED multisport with the training-load and threshold metrics most of these sessions assume you can see day to day.
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COROS APEX 2 Series GPS Watch Sapphire titanium and the longest battery in its class, which is the deciding feature once a day out runs past a few hours.
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Favero Assioma Uno Power Meter Pedal Single-sided pedal power, the cheapest honest entry into training with watts rather than estimating from heart rate.
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