Spring Eagle 10 Miler – Dionne H

Race: Spring Eagle 10 Miler

Runner: Dionne

Date: 4/29/17

Location: Sammamish, WA

Results – 1:38:15, 13th overall and 6th female

3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most – Small event/not too crowded, well maintained trail, and a good trail for both experienced runners (relatively flat) and newbies (lots of twist and turns).

Not so much – aspects of the race that didn’t do it for you – Pretty much none

Highlights of your race – what did you do well and enjoy about your race in particular – I like single track trail, runners will not just fly by and pass you without saying anything. Also running in loops helps me getting familiar with the trail itself quickly making it less intimidating.

Lessons for others – share your pro-tips on the race to help the next runner – If you go park your car on the the South trail entrance and run through the center of the park/gravel pipeline trail to do your WU and CD. I was the only one parked there and it is less than a mile to run to the start/finish area. The main trail head parking lot is very small, you will have to park your car in the adjacent neighborhood area and it gets crazy.

Lessons you learned that will help you next time around – I will need to run more trails so I can enjoy small races like this better than just keep looking down watching my footing and try not to fall down.

Most important course specific knowledge to know about the race – Lots of small turns, big rocks and exposed roots.

Aesthetics – is it a pretty course – It is and very quite too given the fact it is in near big housing developments.

Difficulty – is it a tough course – It is not a tough course and relatively flat with about 650 ft of gain. But it gets very muddy in some areas. This trail is also used regularly for bike race.

Organized and well run – did it feel like a well-oiled machine or were they flying by the seat of their pants? – Yes, it is a very well organized race. 2 aid stations, at the start/finish and mid point with PB&J, water, gatorade, M$&M’s, chips etc.

Competition – is there a strong field? – I don’t know but 1st place on full marathon finished at 3:44:32 and second place was in almost 15 minutes later.

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, I registered a week before and I believe the registration was still open on the day of.

Aid Stations – 2 aid stations at the start/finish and mid point fully stocked with gatorade, water, chips, PB&J, M&Ms, Oreos ..

Weather and typical race conditions – It was cooler in the high 40’s low 50’s and overcast. It’s a typical PNW weather and can be wet as well.

Gear – did you need anything special or is there anything you’d recommend for the next guy?– I was able to do little WU from the car to the starting line, I took off my light jacket and had sleeveless shirt on and shorts. Brought 2 gels with me. It was perfect.

Spectators – is this a friendly course for your friends – Yes, at both aid stations.

The Overall Score – how many stars do you give this race and do you recommend that others run it – I give them 5 stars because it is a good race in early Spring in PNW.