Squak Mountain Trail Half Marathon, 50K & 12K

Saturday, April 20, 2024 • Issaquah, WA • Course Map

Just a short, 15-minute drive east from Seattle and you’re in the middle of a 1,545-acre wilderness park, filled with miles of hiking and horseback riding trails that wind through forests and meadows, and where runners will pass alongside creeks and streams as well as narrow ravines on their way through the park.

Organized by 4th Dimension Racing, a locally based running and race management company that features the Lake Sammamish Half as part of its Evergreen Trail Runs series — which also includes half marathon races in Grand Ridge and Taylor Mountain nearby — the Squak Mountain trail races feature three race distances: a half marathon, a 50K, and a 10K, and mark their 15th annual running in the spring of 2024.

For all three races, runners follow out-and-back routes that start and finish at the aid station near the radio facility inside the Squak Mountain State Park Natural Area, which lies just south of Issaquah on Southeast May Valley Road.

At more than 2,000 feet above sea level, the mountain offers quite a challenge for runners in any of the three race distances, all of which take runners on loop routes that wind both down and back up the mountain before bringing them in to the finish back at the aid station.

Along the way, runners will get to see a little piece of the history of the Seattle and northwest Washington area, as the land for the park was donated back in 1972 by the Bullitt family, a prominent Seattle family who are locally famous for founding King Broadcasting and Pacific Northwest magazine.

The land that now makes up the park was once the family’s summer home, and the fireplace from the home is all that remains — and today it’s a popular hiking destination for park visitors.

As this is a mountain trail race, runners will definitely want to be ready for the challenges of the up-and-down terrain — the half marathon features an overall elevation gain of 4,100 feet.

Race Weather & Climate

Located in northwestern Washington state, just over 17 miles east of Seattle, Issaquah typically sees cool to mild weather conditions in April, a month that has brought record temperatures as low as 23 degrees (in 1935) and as high as 88 degrees (in 1934).

On race day (April 20), the average low is 43°F and the average high is 60°F.

Past Results

Course Map

See the map for the Squak Mountain Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

7:00 AM – 50K
9:00 AM – half marathon
9:30 AM – 12K

Fees

$55 – $65 for the half marathon
$65 – $75 for the 50K
$45 – $55 for the 12K

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2024 running of Issaquah’s Squak Mountain Half Marathon, Marathon, or 10K trail race, register online at RunSignUp.com here.

Official Race Website

www.evergreentrailruns.com

Comments

Ever run in the Squak Mountain Trail Run? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.

See more races in: April, Washington

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