Cougar Mountain 50k Race Info

 

Date

10/27/19

Avg Temps f.

53/46

Gain/Loss in ft

7200/7200

Furthest Aid

5.8 miles

Highest Elev.

~1900ft

Start

8:00am

Surface

Trail

Time Limit

8 hours

Sunrise/set

7:46am/6:00pm

Longest Climb

1500ft/3 miles

Summary: Part of a race series on Cougar Mountain, put on by the Seattle Running Club; throughout the summer both a short and long race are offered on the same day. Popular trails just outside of Seattle, with lots of rollers as well as some harder climbs, and sections of smooth trail combined with technical, rocky, rooty and oftentimes muddy sections. A fun race series to be a part of throughout the year, as it’s popular among Seattle locals looking to race trails across all distances, and very well-organized with lots of support and volunteers who are all part of the local running community.

Race Details

Lessons Learned from Race Reports

  • The registration and start will be at the Sky Country Trailhead off of 166th Way SE (NOT at the Red Town trailhead).
  • Some steeper sections of trail you may have to walk
  • Rain is very likely, or at least a light drizzle, so be prepared for wet conditions and wet trails, especially slick rocks. Likely you will get cold if it’s wet and rainy, so be prepared with layers if you end up walking a lot
  • Easy to get caught up in a faster pace early on because there are people doing a 7.6 and 20 miler
  • Once you leave Cougar and AS #2, the Squak mountain portion is quite a bit harder and steeper than Cougar
  • Watch out for slick bridges
  • With it being Fall, lots of leaves on the ground, so harder to see stuff to trip on, like rocks and roots
  • Squak is more overgrown than Cougar, with narrower trails
  • Cupless aid stations, so bring your own vessel!

Elevation

Total gain/loss: 7200/7200

Total climbs:

1x 1500ft ~miles 15-18

2x 1000ft ~miles 9.5-11 and 20.5-22.5

2x 500ft ~miles 3.5-4.5 and 28.5-30

5 x ~250 ft

Longest climb: 1500ft ~miles 15-18

Steepest climb: Several (~6) climbs of 300-500 feet in .7-1 miles throughout

Course Map

Elevation profile

Aid stations

Total aid stations: 5

Furthest distance apart: ~5.8 miles

Locations: Approximately miles 5.8, 9.6, 15.4, 21.0, and 26.4

What’s available: Typical aid station fare such as water, electrolyte drink, coke, chips…minimal and basic

Crew access

Crew can walk to AS #1 on Clay Pit Road, or drive to AS 2, 3, and 4, then the finish. Parking at AS #2 is limited along 900, off I-90.

Pacers

None

Race qualifiers

None

Race reports

Olin Berger’s 2018 50k report

Jeff K’s 2018 20 miler report

http://www.longformrunning.com/blog/2016/1/26/in-the-long-run-1

http://one–step–at–a–time.blogspot.com/2012/11/cougar-mountain-50k.html

Strava activities and GPX files

https://www.strava.com/activities/761138345/overview

https://www.strava.com/activities/420420954

Race Website

http://www.seattlerunningclub.org/Events/Cougar/cougarmtn1.html