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Washington > Rainier to Ruston Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay & 50K Ultra
Buckley, WA • Saturday, June 1, 2013 • Course Map
Washington's Rainier to Ruston Rail-Trail Relay and Ultra added a half-marathon for the first time last year, to this race that begins in the outermost suburbs of Tacoma, Wash., and takes runners almost entirely along the paved running, walking and biking pathways of the Foothills Trail.
Only about 13 percent of the race will be run on either roads or rough trails. Runners of all experience levels can take in the excitement of running alongside marathoners and ultra-marathoners. The courses for each race distance overlap each other at different points and will provide all runners a chance to race together along long stretches of the trails.
Runners in the half marathon start their race at the Buckley Armory on North River Road in the town of Buckley, a small town that's less than four square miles and home to about 4,000 residents. From the starting line there, runners will watch the town fade quickly into the distance as they make their way southwest. Heading towards the unincorporated community of Burnett, runners will wind their way down south. In the second mile, runners will reach Wilkeson, a tiny town of only 0.5 square miles.
By the time they reach Wilkeson, runners will begin to see their counterparts in the longer distances races, as they will have now merged with the full marathoners. They will continue to travel southwest and reach the town of Carbonado and later Fairfax, more small towns located along the rail trail. The halfway point for the half-marathoners is before they begin their loop at the Carbon River entrance of the Mount Rainier National Park, where the 14,411-ft.-high stratovolcano that gives the park its name lies.
All of the other racers begin at the Carbon River entrance, whereby the half-marathons will be making a loop to head towards their finish line. Runners will retrace their steps through Fairfax, Carbonado, and Wilkeson. However, they will take a new route with only a few miles left in the race. They will head west towards South Prairie and begin to make their way towards the town of Crocker. Soon, racers will find themselves with less than a mile left in the race and will follow the course into the town of Orting, where they'll cross the finish line at the Orting Trailhead near Calistoga Street.
By Carissa Liebowitz, contributing writer for HalfMarathons.Net
Race Weather & Climate
Located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, Buckley (where the race starts) and Fairfax are sure to provide pleasant temperatures come race day. June temperature averages are in the 60s for the highs and in the upper 40s for the lows.
On the day of the race (June 1) in Buckley, the average low is 46°F and the average high is 67°F, while rainfall totals average just under 3 inches for the month, making June one of Buckley's drier months.
Course Map
View the map for the Rainier to Ruston Half Marathon
Fees
See race website
Registration
To reserve your spot in the early summer 2013 running of Buckley's Rainier to Ruston Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay or 50K Ultra race, register online at UltraSignUp.com.
Official Race Website
www.rainiertoruston.com
Leave a Comment
Ever run in Washington's annual Rainier to Ruston Marathon or Half Marathon? Share your impressions, stories and tips from the event.
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