Spring Eagle Trail Marathon Race Report

This past month has been crazy busy at work and I was looking for a local event to keep my miles up. Northwest Trail Runs Spring Eagle Trail Marathon was an ideal solution. I was calling it a maintenance marathon, and getting weird looks from my coworkers. All of you ultrarunners know what I mean, right? Spring Eagle fit nicely into my training plan and ended up being the perfect supported long training run!

In January, I attended a Boldly Went storytelling event here in Seattle (check them out!!) At the event, I was the lucky winner of a race entry for Northwest Trail Runs from Boldly Went’s birthday raffle. Both Boldly Went and Northwest Trail Runs are great local companies, so it was pretty cool that they partnered together! I was excited to use my free entry for this race.

The race takes place at Soaring Eagle Regional Park on the east side of Lake Washington (about 30 minutes from Seattle). Spring Eagle race options include: 5 mi, 10 mi, half marathon, 20 mi, and marathon. The marathon was four 6.57 mile loops. Looking at the map, I thought it might be a tricky course with all of the crisscrossing trails, but they did a fantastic job on the course-marking. I never felt confused or lost!

The day dawned with steady rain in the forecast and I braced for a mudfest. I was happy that just the night before a friend of mine, Christy, decided to come and do the 20 mile as a training run, so at least I’d have wonderful company for three of the four loops in the rain!

After a short pre-race briefing about the course, the markings, and checking in on loops, we were off. The usual early race jostling and settling into our pace happened quickly, and dodging puddles made it more interesting. I don’t think anyone expected to come out of this race clean and dry, but it’s always nice to not soak your feet at the absolute beginning of a race.

The first and second loops went by surprisingly quick. Christy and I chatted the whole time about a plethora of topics, and when the rain let up after the first loop, it was even better. There was still a lot of splashing through puddles and squelching in mudpits, but hey, we’re washable.

Even though Western Washington stays green throughout the winter, it’s that time of year when our forests become fluorescent with new growth. Soaring Eagle Park glowed beautifully as if someone turned up the saturation dial specifically on green.

I was sad when we finished the third lap and Christy left me for the finish line. It had been SO fun to run with her, especially since two of the three loops were dry. The rain began in earnest once I started my fourth loop.

After leaving the aid station and well on my way down the trail, I realized that I hadn’t refilled my water at all during the race and had just a few sips left. Oops. Total rookie mistake. I had only carried 1.5 liters from the start, and had already run just over four hours. Well, I could make it six miles without water, and figured if it got bad, I could just stand around with my mouth open and drink some rain. 😉

I didn’t see anyone else during this loop with the exception of two gentlemen, when I had about 1.5 miles left. So I had lots of solitude (a.k.a. nothing to distract me from my sore legs) with the rain, the mud, and the green of the forest.

Without Christy to chat with, I really started to notice my joints and muscles protesting the constant forward movement. When I need a boost out on the trail, food is almost always the answer (since stopping is obviously not an option!) So I grabbed a GU, the new Birthday Cake flavor. Let me just say – YUM. I’m reintroducing gels into my food plan (mixed in with “real food”) and using them when I really need a boost or a treat. Say what you like, but liquid cake batter flavor certainly did the trick for me.

Before long, I happily rounded the final turn into the finish line. The day went smoother than I had anticipated. I was pleased with my time, even though this was just a training run. I was the second woman to finish! (Nevermind that only six women ran the marathon.)

This course is very runnable, albeit with some roots and rocks, but nothing out of the ordinary. It certainly was soupy, but… welcome to winter/spring in the PNW. All in all, an excellent day out there!

Some quick numbers:

Finishing time: 5:32:53

Elevation gain: Virtually none

Calories consumed: ~800 (4 Glutino Oreos, 1 Hammer gel, 1 GU gel, 1/3 roasted sweet potato, 1 small red potato, 3/4 PB & J sandwich)

Thanks for the great race, Northwest Trail Runs, and a HUGE thank you to all of volunteers who braved the cold and rain!