Beat the Blerch Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K

Saturday, September 7, 2024 • Carnation, WA • Course Map

If you’re a fan of cartoonist Matthew Inman’s work — and we definitely are, especially for things like “The DOs and DO NOTs of running your first marathon” and “The terrible and wonderful reasons why I run long distances” — then you know exactly what “the Blerch” is, and what this race is all about.

And that’s beating back “the Blerch,” the little voice inside us all that begs us to stay inside, on the couch, resting and having cupcakes, when instead we know we should be outside and on our feet running. The Blerch is irresistable sometimes — actually, a lot of the time — but he can be silenced and he can be outrun, Inman adds.

This race got its start in 2014 from the comic and is expected to expand to other cities, but in the meantime you can travel to tiny Carnation (population 1,786 at the last census) in August for a full and half marathon and a 10K, all of which follow out-and-back courses that start and finish at Tort-MacDonald Park.

From there, the course heads south and east through the park, and then onto the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, a 31.5-mile-long that winds from Tort-MacDonald to Meadowbrook Farm and the Three Forks Natural Area, and unfolds with beautiful views of working farms and preserved open spaces, on mostly crushed rock surface trails.

The course rises very gradually from the starting line (about 89 feet above sea level) to the halfway point near Rutherford Slough (just over 323 feet). After runners make the turn, the second half of the race is the same as the first — just in reverse.

You’ll have 7 hours to complete the race, and Matthew Inman is expected to run the race as well.

Race Weather & Climate

Located near where the Snoqualmie and Tolt Rivers meet in northwest Washington, about a 40-minute drive west from nearby Seattle, Carnation typically sees some of its mildest weather of the year in September, which typically brings temperatures between the low-50s and the mid-70s. The rainy season typically starts in September, with 2.2 inches of rain on average for the month.

On race day (Sep. 7), the average low is 53ºF and the average high is 73ºF.

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the Beat the Blerch Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

8:15 AM – full marathon
9:30 AM – half marathon
10:00 AM – 10K
12:00 PM – 5K

Fees

$80 for the half marathon

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2024 running of Carnation’s Beat the Blerch Marathon, Half Marathon or 10K race, register online at the event website here.

Official Race Website

www.beattheblerch.com

Comments

Ever run in the Beat the Blerch Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.

See more races in: September, Washington

1 comment… add one

Melvin L Gruschow August 4, 2019, 7:16 pm

Where are the results for yesterday’s 10K? Are you still using my old email address of mgruschow@q.com? It no longer works.

Reply