Bridle Trails State Park is a nearly square-mile oasis of magnificent upland forest, dotted by a few wetlands and surrounded by quiet suburban neighborhoods. With its dozens of miles of trails—most beautifully maintained—and four horse arenas, it is one of the premier equestrian parks in the western United States, as well as a favorite location for trail runners, with its convenient location in the heart of the Eastside.

Despite being close to Seattle and Eastside communities, Bridle Trails State Park is large enough to offer the feeling of being out in the forest that one might otherwise need to travel farther from the metro area to enjoy. While many other large, forested areas are at higher elevations and under snow during the winter months, Bridle Trails—at just 500 feet above sea level—is usually snow-free and accessible year-round.

With many wide trails and a mostly gently-rolling elevation profile with few steep slopes, Bridle Trails is also a good place to stretch the legs out with a faster paced run than might be possible on a hillier or more rugged course.

Event Schedule:

7:30am – Check-in and day-of-event registration opens

8:20am – Marathon pre-run briefing

8:30am – Marathon Start

8:50am – Half Marathon pre-run briefing

9:00am – Half Marathon Start

9:15am – 5 km pre-run briefing

9:25am – 5 km Start

9:30am – 10 km pre-run briefing

9:40am – 10 km Start

2:30pm – Cutoff for Marathon runners to start fourth lap

4:30pm – Course closes

Course

The 5 km course is a counterclockwise loop that cuts short the longer, 6.55-mile loop, encompassing the west side of the park and dipping into the eastern trails. The loop climbs steadily for the first mile, is flat to gently rolling in the middle, then descends for about the last 3/4 mile.

The 10 km course is actually 10.55 km (6.55 miles, one quarter of a Marathon) long. It goes uphill for about the first mile, then is flat to gently rolling, with many small ups and downs, as it tours many of the trails in the east part of the park, then is downhill for the final 3/4 of a mile to the finish.

The Half-Marathon course is two identical laps of the 6.55-mile loop described above for the 10 km, with a pass by the start/finish aid station midway through, for a total of three well-spaced aid stations for Half-Marathon runners.

The Marathon course is four identical laps, on the same loop as the 10 km and Half-Marathon runners. Marathoners will pass by the aid station at the start/finish three times and by the remote, mid-loop aid station four times, for a total of seven evenly-spaced aid stations.

All courses have low to moderate climb and mostly medium-width or wide, smooth trails, with a few steeper slopes and a few narrower trails with more rocks and roots to keep you on your toes.

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