Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon

I'd had my eye on this race for a few years! The draw of a gradual downhill race located in the beautiful PNW is hard to resist especially when it falls near my birthday! We flew into Seattle and stayed in Bellevue at one of the host hotels, Hilton Garden Inn. This proved to be a great location since it was less than an hour to the start line but still close to sightseeing in downtown Seattle. Bib pickup was in North Bend and was set to begin at 12 noon. Race management had a few hiccups which delayed this until 12:30 causing a line to wrap around the building. However, this was only a minor issue and management was otherwise top notch!! They were quite informative prior to the race, the swag was awesome, the food spread at the finish was over the top, and the free photography was some of the best I've seen! No masks were required at the start since vaccination proof was needed to register so it felt so good to be "back to normal" at the start line! The course is located at 2,500 ft in Snoqualmie Pass and is a gradual downhill losing 2,100 ft in total. It is a crushed, packed gravel, dirt trail which was muddy this year because of the light rain but easily run even by a road runner like me. It was a perfect 55 degrees and misty running through some of the most dramatic scenery in the country. The course, which was once a railroad route, features a pitch black tunnel at mile .6 which is 2.3 miles long!! I brought a flashlight that looks like a pen and fit easily into my pocket, but since I was in a pacing group didn't use it. The headlamps from other runners lit up the tunnel. Be careful upon entering the tunnel as it's quite uneven to start. It flattens out quickly and is a lot of fun especially with everyone hooting in excitement! It was a little cooler inside the tunnel with water dripping down and muddy puddles but what an experience!! Be ready for a photo when exiting! Then you will be impressed by waterfalls, trestle bridges, and deep forest views for the next 23 miles! Aid stations were every few miles and were well stocked with water and electrolytes. A few offered Honey Stinger gels. My Garmin was about a quarter mile off the mile markers, most likely due to the tunnel and gps signal in the mountains. I ended up with a PR and was so happy to add another state to my portfolio! I would definitely recommend this race to anyone looking for a PR or a BQ! And I'd love to run it again someday!