The final race of the Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series is happening this Saturday! Thank you for being a part of our event put on in collaboration between Seattle Running Club and Northwest Trail Runs in support of King County Parks and Recreation. Since the inception of our Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series, we have donated over $249,000 to King County Parks, in addition to countless hours of trail work that we have done at Cougar Mountain.
Carpool Carpool Carpool
Parking is available at Sky Country Trailhead at Cougar Mountain (Google map here). You do not need a parking pass. Parking near the race is limited, so we recommend carpooling with friends or family. Once the parking lot fills up, you will be directed by our volunteers to park on the west side of 166th Way SE. Do not park on the east side of the road. Please give yourself plenty of time to walk to the start line as you may have to park far away. Please be kind to the parking volunteers and follow the directions they give you.
Weather
We have another round of beautiful blue skies and warm temps for race day! Temperatures will be in the low60s at the start and trending up to 81 by the end of our event. It will be sunny, so please remember to apply some sunscreen.
Raffle Table
Every runner will be entered into a raffle for sweet Cougar Mountain Trail Running swag along with additional prizes. There will be a raffle table by the post-race food so see if your bib number was drawn!
Schedule (Start Times and Awards)
7:30-8:15 AM – Registration and bib pickup
8:15 AM – Pre-Race Announcements for 14.5 & 26.2
8:30 AM – Start for 14.5 & 26.2
8:50 AM – Pre-Race Announcements for 5k
9:00 AM – Start of 5k
10:00(ish) AM – 5k Podium Awards // Youth Trail Championship Awards (only for youth who were registered with their youth USATF membership number)
12:30(ish) AM – 14.5 Podium Awards // USATF PNTF Championship Awards (only for USATF members who have registered with their membership number). There will be prize money for this event, as follows:
1st: $220
2nd: $180
3rd: $140
4th: $100
5th: $60
USATF PNTF numbers will be verified prior to prize money being awarded. If you have not already provided your USATF PNTF membership number, you must present it at check-in prior to the start of your race. Non-Binary runners do not need to register with USATF PNTF to be eligible for the prize money.
Awards will be given to runners as they cross the finish line for the 26.2
4:00 PM Finish line closes // 7.5 hour cut-off
CHECK THE RAFFLE TABLE BEFORE YOU LEAVE!
Every finisher will receive a locally made finisher’s award, made by Otter Pawz Lazer (IG @otterpawzlaser. Podium awards will be given to the top 3 Men, Women, and Non-Binary finishers for each distance.)
Cut-offs
There are aid station cut-offs but don’t panic, they are generous cut-offs that should allow everyone through who are on track to finish by the 4:00pm cut-off:
| 5k | 14.5 Mile | 26.2 Mile | Cut-off | Time in Race (h:mm) | Pace (mm:ss) | |
| Clay Pit Road | 1.2 | 3 | 5.4 | 10:05 AM | 1:35 | 17:36 |
| Shy Bear Pass (first pass) | N/A | 4.6 | 6.9 | 10:35 AM | 2:05 | 18:07 |
| Shy Bear Pass (second pass) | N/A | 7.1 | 10.7 | 11:45 AM | 3:15 | 18:13 |
| SR900 (first pass) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| SR900 (second pass) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Squak Mountain | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| De Leo Wall | N/A | 10.3 | 14.2 | 12:45 PM | 4:15 | 17:57 |
| Fred’s Railroad (first pass) | N/A | N/A | 18.3 | 2:00 PM | 5:30 | 18:02 |
| Fred’s Railroad (second pass) | N/A | N/A | 24.8 | N/A | N/A |
Race Drop Downs
If you would like to drop down in distance prior to the start of your race, please let the race volunteers know of your intentions at check-in. You cannot drop in distance once you start the race.
Aid Stations
There will be basic aid stations, consisting of water, Skratch electrolytes, and some basic snacks. Then stick around the finish line for more snacks, post-race food (after 10:30, and while supplies last), and beer (Flying Lion Cougar Mountain Kolsch for those that are over 21). You can find the race maps here.
AS location 1: Clay Pit Road (all races)
AS location 2: Shy Bear (14.5 and 26.2 twice)
A3 location: De Leo Wall (14.5 & 26.2)
A4 location: Fred’s Railroad (26.2 only)
Distance between aid stations (thank you, Michael Havrda!):
| 5k | 5.1 Mile | 7.6 Mile | 8.2 Mile | 10.8 Mile | 14.5 Mile | 19.5 Mile | 26.2 Mile | |
| Clay Pit Road | 1.2 | 3 | 5.4 | 5.4 | ||||
| Shy Bear Pass (first pass) | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4.6 | 6.9 | 6.9 | ||
| Shy Bear Pass (second pass) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 7.1 | 10.7 | 10.7 | |
| SR900 (first pass) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| SR900 (second pass) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Squak Mountain | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| De Leo Wall | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 10.3 | 14.2 | 14.2 |
| Fred’s Railroad (first pass) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 18.3 |
| Fred’s Railroad (second pass) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 24.8 |
Cupless Event
Please remember that this is a cupless event. Please bring a collapsible cup or hand-held water bottle for the aid stations and for post-race drinks.
Litter
Please do not litter. If you have trash, please put it in the trash receptacles at aid stations or the finish line. If you see trash on the trails please help pick it up. If you knowingly litter you will be disqualified from the race and not allowed to enter future SRC events.
No Tolerance
Seattle Running Club events are zero tolerance events. We will not tolerate any harassment of participants, volunteers, organizers, or bystanders. If you have witnessed harassment or have been a target of harassment, please reach out to the race director.
No Dogs
As much as we love our four-legged furry friends, we are unfortunately not allowed to have dogs on our course due to the safety of other runners and our insurance policy. Please respect this policy.
Other Northwest Trail Runs
Our partner in putting on the Cougar and Bridle trail races is Northwest Trail Runs. Please check out their events on their website, including their summer Trail to Grill Tuesdays: https://nwtrailruns.
Seattle Running Club
Please check out Seattle Running Club, including the benefits of being a member. SRC hosts group runs and workouts. And membership includes benefits from our partners, including Flying Lion Brewing, Seven Hill Running Shop, Fleet Feet Seattle (Ballard and Capitol Hill), and Snoqualmie Running. Receive 10% off food/fuel at these local running stores for your Cougar race!
Volunteering
If you are interested in volunteering at future Cougar races, please reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator, Michael, at volunteer@
See you at the start-line!
Gretchen Walla // Cougar Series RD