Tunnel Light Marathon Reviews

  Wow!

By Laurie Hallerr about 2023

Review

I was privileged to run the Tunnel Light Marathon on September 10 , 2023. I really enjoyed running a marathon that did not have any huge hills. The trail was well cared for, and I especially loved running through the tunnel! Also, it is refreshing to run a marathon where much of the trail is downhills.

Race Tips

I consulted with a few others on pacing strategy. The more info we can get ahead of the race, the better prepared runners will be mentally. Emphasizing the downhill nature of the course is also important.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

I think you did a great job with info that was sent out by email ahead of time. The importance of wearing a head lamp in the tunnel also emphasized. Most important, I loved the cold water plunge at the end of the race. My recovery is much better because I was able to spend time allowing my legs to rest a bit. Thank you for a wonderful DOWNHILL race!

  A Superb Race!!!

By Laurie Hallerr about 2023

Review

I loved this race! Everything was well prepared, lots of information was provided, and instructions were clear. I always have a fear of getting lost during a marathon, especially when it is in the woods. I had no problem with the trail.

Race Tips

I appreciated how clear you were with the instructions, especially reminding runners that most of the course is downhill. The "Swimming pool" at the end where we could do a cold plunge with our legs was immensely helpful for my sore legs and in my recovery.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

All of the published information was clear and most helpful. Thank you so much for your hard work in preparing the course for runners.

  Great course, terrible logistics

By Anonymous about 2023

Review

LOVED the course. Disliked the logistics

  Gorgeous course, friendly race

By RY about 2022

Review

Just a really beautiful course, whether in the forest or with sweeping views or crossing dramatic bridges. Mostly shady, less so at end. Tunnel is fun, was a bit damp. Well organized with super friendly staff and volunteers, and fun food and leg soak pool at the end. Slight uphill finish. Highly recommended!

Race Tips

Tunnel comes up right at the start so have your flashlight ready. I used a small hanndheld which worked fine, just put my bib # on it with a piece of masking tape. Regular road shoes with no gaiters was fine though it's definitely dirt & gravel. On course restrooms are park facilities. In my case my quads actually were not ready for the downhill after 100% flat training (odd, since I'd run super downhill Revel courses with no problems). YMMV.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Start area is very relaxed, incl. race day bib pickup. You can stay with your check bag up til just before the start (there are just piles there to drop it off at). After the race, Snoqualmie is a picturesque stop for a bite and the Falls are worth seeing.

  The Best Course, The Best Organization.. The Best Everything

By Anand about 2022

Review

Simple and small race. Sufficiently late start (8AM) due to an amazing weather.. allows you to wake up at 6am and still with plenty of time to catch shuttle, porta potties etc. Race also offers a race day bib pick-up easing travel arrangements. Even down hill with not so many turns. Packed gravel.. have to watch out for ankle twists - I had two such moments personally and another friend had a swollen ankle at the end of the race with one such slips becoming a bit too much. So watch where you land constantly. Post race party was fantastic - intimate family like.. Race director, owner and her family all there to personally attend on runners from getting them salt tabs/electrolytes/recovery refreshments to any other needs the runners may have. Home cooked chili with guac, sour cream and onions was a runners delight.

Race Tips

Tunnel can be a bit slick if it had been raining the prev few days.. Flashlight is a must. Constantly be on the watch out for where and how you are landing. This is a small trade off you make to reward yourself with a gentle continuous downhill.
All my training runs were for a flat marathon and I came quite well on this gentle downhill.. so this is not like the revels or the St. Georges (which I have done) that will be utmost cruel in the later stage if u r not trained for downhill running.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Best place to stay in is at Issaquah.. decent hotels, grocery shops, restaurants near by. 15-20min drive from the shuttle pick-up. You can leave at 630am and still be in time for porta potties and catch the shuttle bus. Rental car is a must at Seatac. Keep yourself warm staying inside the buses at startline until race start. GPS is non existent inside the tunnel - so use mile markers

  BQ-Worthy Course

By jlc about 2018

Review

I ran the Tunnel Light Marathon on September 16, 2018. This was my 8th marathon overall. I chose this race because of its reputation for being a very fast course, and flew all the way from North Carolina to Washington for this race. The course did not disappoint. I PRed by ~8 minutes over my previous best, which itself was a downhill course. I also qualified for the Boston Marathon for the first time.

Since this is a smaller race, I was concerned the organization would somewhat slapdash, but I was pleasantly surprised. The race was very well organized. Packet pickup the day before was well-run, and there was no wait at all to get my bib and shirt. On race day, the pre-race announcements were clear and there were plenty of porta-johns. There were multiple calls for water stop volunteers in the days leading up to the race which gave me some concern that the planned water stops would be unstaffed, but that turned out to be untrue, as all stops had sufficient staff when I went by.

In reading previous reviews I see there were some reported issues with mile marker placement. However, I know that the course was remeasured this summer. I found that my Garmin GPS was reasonably well aligned with the mile markers all along the way, and my final Garmin measurement was 26.27, which is acceptably close to 26.2 for anyone who knows anything about how courses are measured.

The finish line atmosphere was excellent, with plenty of medical support, food, and drink available. The photo booth at the end was a nice touch. The post-race photos were also excellent.

Race Tips

One recommendation I have for first-time participants is to rent a bike and ride the course before race day. I did and it gave me a lot of confidence as I knew what I would encounter on race day.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

We stayed at the Roaring River B&B. The owner has run marathons himself. Wonderful ambiance and views.

  As advertised...and more

By TSF about 2018

Review

All reviews are clouded by the results of the individual race so I will start by saying I had a great race; PR and BQ and a few minutes under my goal time. No surprise, I have a lot of positives to say about this race.

The race is as advertised.

Pre-Race: Nothing notable. Pre-race communication is minimal, but contains all the info you need. Packet pick-up is exactly that. Logistics in the morning of the race were fine, although the shuttle to the start took longer than I expected and I would recommend to err on the side of an earlier bus next time.

Race: The course is great - really great. The tunnel was interesting, although I didn't love it like others seem to. Wore a headlamp and worried the entire time about my footing. Was happy to exit the tunnel and drop my headlamp. They give you a bag for your headlamp but I would recommend tying your bib tag directly to the headlamp. The rest of the course is a nice gentle downhill. I held back early and had a negative split by quite a bit. The path is rocky, although you can find a nice line to run. We had pretty heavy rain which made that a bit more difficult than I would expect on a nice day. The views are amazing and I tried to take time to soak it in. I wore gaiters...not sure I needed them but I recommend to use them because honestly, they are not noticeable after wearing them a couple times.

Post-Race: Great spread for a small race. All the things you gave up during training were available...chili, chips, cookies, cake. Yum. The medal was unique and I really like it.

Race Tips

Definitely pace conservatively during the first half. The "pitch" seems to slow a bit in the last few miles but it is still downhill and I felt I had a lot in the tank. My fastest full mile was Mile 26.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Stayed in Bellview at the Hotel Bellview and that was awesome. A bit of a drive to the start but offered a lot of options in the area.

  Awesome fast course!

By SH about 2018

Review

What a great marathon! I picked this course mainly because I heard it was fast and that the downhill was gradual and not harsh on the quads. All is true! It's as beautiful gradual downhill course. There was only one uphill section that was very short but other than that it was either flat or downhill. The 2.4 miles in the tunnel wasn't bad at all. It was well lit with my knuckle light in one hand and with all the other runners with lights in the tunnel, made for a well lit tunnel and I wasn't claustrophobic. Running on the trail was great and the course was beautiful. This is one I would definitely do again. I got my a PR and BQ. Everyone that we knew that ran on the course got a PR that day. The only thing that wasn't ideal was the rain. It started out with no rain, then got some light rain, it stopped, then started pouring and ended with no rain. Hoping to do this race again in better weather. Loved the post race goodies! There was cake, cookies, fruit, chips, chili, etc. I can't name it all but it was a nice spread! The medal was neat too!

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

We stayed at the Edgewick Inn which was very close to the school where you caught the shuttle bus. Great location but reserve early.

  Effortless!!

By Catherine about 2018

Review

This race was amazing! I can not wait to go back. I travelled from Oklahoma to run this race because I heard it was a fast course and beautiful. It met and exceeded my expectations. My goal was a 3:50, I ran a 3:47, which included a 5 minute negative split. I felt like I could have kept running another 4-5 miles when I was done. The course has a gradual downhill that just makes you feel like you are having a great day! It was raining throughout the whole race and I still thought it was amazing!!!

Race Tips

The course is packed gravel and some rocks are bigger than I thought they would be. It also rained, so we couldn't really run in the tracks because they were filled with water. I thought this would bother me, but it wasn't bad at all and I'm sure it's even better if it's not raining. I wore gaiters to keep the rocks out of my shoes, better safe than sorry!

The tunnel is pitch black, but with everyone wearing head laps or having a flashlight it is well lit during the race. I brought a 400 lumen flashlight because I wanted to toss it after the exit and I don't like head laps.

GPS is iffy up there. I would self lap if you are wearing a gps watch, instead of it lapping on it's own every mile.

I'm telling you to pace yourself and stick to your game plan. I kept pace for 20 miles and then picked it up from 20 to the end. I passed a ton of people and no one passed me and my last 5 miles were my fastest!

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

I stayed in Issaquah and that was very nice, I would do it again. I went the day before to check out parts of the trail. Hyak is the race start where the tunnel is and rattlesnake lake is around mile 20-21. It helped a lot to know what to expect.

  Best Marathon Ever!

By Ann Smith about 2017

Review

I have done this marathon so many times - I have lost count! It is by far the best marathon I have ever done. The scenery is beautiful! The marathon starts with a unique run through an old railroad tunnel, followed by a slight downhill run through the lush green trees of Western Washington.

For those speedy gazelle's who care - this Boston qualifier is fast because it is ever-so-slightly downhill. But not so much that your knees would ever know. I am a rather slow runner and I enjoy it because there are so many places to stop an take photos.

The race support is always amazing as well. There are plenty of water stops along the way and everyone is extremely friendly! The weather is usually mild that time of year but one year it was pretty warm and the volunteers stayed at the water stops until the last person finished! All with encouragement along the way!

Truly the greatest marathon of all time!

Race Tips

Start out slow and taper. . . enjoy the scenery!

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Put the sign up date on your calendar and don't miss it!

  

By MAB about 2016

Review

The tunnel was fun! The surface in the tunnel was a bit uneven, but wasn't really too much of an issue.

The rail to trail conversion kept a nice 1.5% downhill grade for the last 23 miles. Made it easy on the quads compared to other downhill courses. Running on the north side of the mountain made the GPS not work well. I had to rely on manual mile marker splits and heart rate to maintain my target pace.

The aid stations for the last 10k seemed to be farther apart than other marathons.

I'm doing it again this year. ;)

Race Tips

The last 10k had leaves on the trail, which could be slippery, but it wasn't too much of an issue.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

https://tuttabella.com/
Good food just down the road in Issaquah.

  

By DW about 2016

Review

Well-organized marathon, with detailed descriptions and instructions on their website. Fabulous people (crew, volunteers, and spectators). Ideal course profile - I got 18 minute PR and BQ-ed by almost 6 minutes.

If you're lucky (like us in 2016), you'll get a perfect weather and amazing scenery as bonus.

Race Tips

Remember to turn off Auto-Pause on your GPS (I didn't), trees and mountains block the signal and that pauses the watch. Train your legs for long (but gradual) downhills. Get used to running on gravels.

Watch for other trail users.

Prepare for a wet or dry or in-between weather.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Just follow the instructions on their website

  

By SE about 2015

Review

The weather was great! Low 50s with a hint of mist here and there. Kept us nice and cool. The tunnel was a hair foggy and cold which created for even more visibility issues, but it only lasts 2.25 miles. Hard to complain really when you take 3 minutes off your PR and qualify! I will be doing this one again

Race Tips

I bombed my way down the first half when I knew it was more downhill. I knew I would come back down to Earth eventually pace wise, but it worked for me. The trail is more compact dirt with rocks. I had shoes on that weren't too cushy and pretty light and they worked well for me. The scenery is gorgeous. A few pretty high bridges on the course, but if you are afraid of heights, just crank up the pace

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

We stayed at the Roaring River B&B. They were great there! About 12 minutes from the drop off point for the buses. Owners were great, walked out to a view of the river, really hard to complain about that