Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Race Info

Lessons Learned from Race Reports

  • It’s a very fast course, though the smooth gravel section near the middle of the race, miles ~5-9, does slow your pace slightly
  • Past years have seen very good weather, in the 50s, especially considering it’s the PNW, but be ready for rain regardless
  • There are some very short switchbacks at the start and it is a fairly narrow pathway for about the first mile – be aware because it is hard to pass people. If you’re going for a fast time, it’s worth putting in a small burst of speed to get out of the fray and establish a front position.
  • 2018’s race saw mile markers incorrectly placed, which lead to a lot of confusion and angry runners – be aware this could happen and don’t depend just on the markers to gauge how your race is going in terms of pacing and feel
  • There is a bridge to navigate about 800m into the race. If you get stuck in the middle of the pack, your group could bottle neck.
  • When you reach the state park it’s safe to start your kick for home and push to the finish.
  • The race often draws lots of competition, so if you’re fast, you’ll likely have some fast people to run with who are going for PRs.
  • Course is mainly shaded, so if temps are cool, expect to feel a little chilly, even if it’s sunny
  • The first two miles or so consist of trails to and through Marymoor Park, heading towards the East Lake Sammamish Trail (ELST).  These wind a bit, so follow the tangents if you can.
  • There’s a wood bridge around miles 3 or 4.  It was only a few steps to cross, but it was really slippery.  There was a volunteer and sign warning about it.
  • As of now, the course goes from paved to gravel at about 5.5 miles.  The gravel is in good shape but can have some puddles and mushy parts.
  • At about mile 11.5, the course turns right and then there is a ~1 mile straightaway and you can see the whole thing. This is great for seeing runners ahead of you but a little tough mentally because it just keeps going. Then it heads into the park and makes a few turns. The finish comes up a little quickly though it’s not just after a blind corner.
  • There aren’t that many turns, but the signs tended to be just after you started worrying about which way you would have to go but definitely before you actually had to turn.

Course

Type: Point to Point, 30% smooth gravel, 70% pavement; mainly bike path

Start/Finish Info: Start at Redmond Town Center and finish at Lake Sammamish State Park; check shuttle information on race website.

Hills: None, minimal elevation gain of <100 feet

Course Map/Elevation (see Strava)

 

Aid stations

Locations of water and electrolyte stations: Miles 2.1, 4.7, 7.1, 9.1, 11.3

Electrolyte offered: Nuun, Clif gels/bloks and fruit at some, not all

Spectator access

Access Locations: Very few because it’s a bike path that runs along private property, so it’s very hard to find parking and/or public accessible locations along the way, and homes along the way are very sensitive about public access and parking. Best location is the finish at Lake Sammamish State Park.

Race reports

Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Race Report – Matt Hall

Race: Lake Sammamish Half Runner: Matt Hall Race Date: 03/04/2023 Location: Redmond, WA Results: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/87210 Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/8660451360 3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most? Great Trail Great Communication Great Race Swag/Free Photos ...
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Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Race Report – Matthew Bigman

Race: Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Runner: Coach Matthew Bigman Race Date: 03/05/2022 Location: Redmond, Washington Results: 1:13:10 - 6th overall Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/6778090358   3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most? Meeting Team Run ...
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Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Race Report – John Gregson

Race: Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Runner: John Gregson Race Date: 03/05/2022 Location: Redmond, WA Results: 1:48:15 Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/6778159090/overview 3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most? Nice and flat (minus one hill) scenic ...
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run with the kokanee 1ok

Run with the Kokanee 10k Race Report – Matt Pawelski

Race: Run with the Kokanee 10k (Northwest Trail Runs) Runner: Matthew Pawelski Race Date: 10/17/2020 Location: Lake Sammamish State Park - Sunset Beach Results: 56:00 (6.75 miles because I missed a turn) Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/4207702362 3 Bests – What ...
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lake sammamish race report

Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Race Report – Ping S

Race: Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Runner: Ping S Race Date: 03/02/2019 Location: Redmond, WA Results: 1:25:19 3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most? One of my favorite half marathon courses around! Fast course: Point ...
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Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Race Report – Rohit E

Race: Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Runner: Rohit E Date: 3/10/2018 Location: Redmond, WA Results: 2:14:56 Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/1446111619 3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most? The course; extremely flat, wide, and easy terrain (though there's ...
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lake sammamish race report

Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Race Report – Laura R

Race: Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Runner: Laura R Date: 3/10/2018 Location: Redmond Town Center to Lake Sammamish (Seattle, WA) Results: 1:45:27 3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most? The location is great and an easy ...
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lake sammamish half marathon race report

Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Race Report – Aaron R

Race: Lake Sammamish Half Marathon Runner: Aaron R Date: 3/10/2018 Location: Start: Redmond Town Center, Redmond, WA, USA; Finish: Lake Sammamish State Park, Issaquah, WA, USA Results: 1h24'49", 45th out of 1,383 overall. P.R. by 2'27". Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/1446065015 ...
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Lake Sammamish Half Marathon – Mark P

Race: Lake Sammamish Half Marathon - http://lakesammamishhalf.com/ Runner: Mark P Date: 3/4/17 Location: Redmond Town Center to Lake Sammamish State Park Results - 1:16:06, 8th place overall 3 Bests – what aspects of the race did you like the most ...
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Lake Sammamish Half – Dan S

Race: Lake Sammamish Half Marathon – http://www.lakesammamishhalf.com/ Runner: Dan S Date: 3/5/2016 Results: 1:29.10 Location: Starts at Redmond Town Center and finishes at Lake Sammamish State Park 3 Bests – what aspects of the race did you like the most This race was well ...
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Strava links

https://www.strava.com/activities/1446111619

https://www.strava.com/activities/1446065015/overview

Race Website

http://lakesammamishhalf.com/