Mercer Island Half Marathon – Dan L

Race: Mercer Island Half Marathon

Runner: Dan L

Date: 3/19/17

Location: Mercer Island, WA

Results – 1:35


3 Bests – what aspects of the race did you like the most

1- Near home (overall convenient and well-run, too)

2- Cool outside

3- Can choose between two Starbucks directly across from each other for a post-race Frappucino


Not so much – aspects of the race that didn’t do it for you

The road is very cambered at points


Weird factor – what’s the weirdest thing about this race

Because the course is kind of windy and in the woods (especially the first few miles), your watch can get off… My watch read a shorter distance than the road markings for much of the race, though from looking at my watch data later, it seems my watch was in error (not the course – I didn’t cut corners and run through people’s backyards).


Highlights of your race – what did you do well and enjoy about your race in particular

Ran even effort and did well on the downhills relative to others.

Most important course specific knowledge to know about the race

There’s two pretty big hills late in the race. A long, more gradual one around mile 9.5 and a really big one at mile 11.5.

Course Description

Once around Mercer Island : )


Aesthetics – is it a pretty course

When the sun is out, this course can be quite pretty. We had great views of Mt Rainier around mile 5.


Difficulty – is it a tough course

Seems like there is more uphill than down! That’s not actually true by more than a few feet, but there are a couple steep descents while the climbs are more spread out, leaving the impression of more climbing than descents.


Organized and well run – did it feel like a well-oiled machine or were they flying by the seat of their pants?

Very well organized – packet pick-up, race day parking, bag drop, aid stations all super easy and well done


Competition – is there a strong field?

Uli Steidl wins the men’s race every year.


Logistics – Does it require a special handshake, registration a year in advance, hotels all booked? Give us the low down on the nuts and bolts of making the race happen.

Super easy

Aid Stations

More aid stations than needed, especially given the weather. Seemed like there were ~7 offering both water and electrolytes (I think they even had Gu at one).


Weather and typical race conditions –

Typically Seattle in March… ~45, we got lucky and it was sunny this year though.

Awards – I’m pretty sure Uli Steidl wins an award every year.


The Overall Score – how many stars do you give this race and do you recommend that others run it

4.5 stars out of 5