The Rattlesnake Lake marathon and lunch will start on Sunday July 6, 2008 at 8:00AM. Start and
finish are at the Rattlesnake Lake parking area near North Bend. The course is a double
out-and-back on the Snoqualmie Valley and Iron Horse trails. Lunch is provided for all registered
runners and volunteers.
Checkin Runner checkin starts at 6:15AM at the start/finish area in the gravel
parking lot at Rattlesnake Lake. You'll need to pick up a waiver form on the check-in table,
sign and print your name on it, then hand the signed waiver along with your $10 (unless you've
pre-paid) entry fee to pick up your packet, which contains your bib (courtesy of Road Id) and
safety pins. Bib numbers are pre-assigned this year because we use your bib number for timing
and runner tracking along the course. Please remember your $10 entry fee.
At 6:50AM for early start and 7:50AM for regular start we'll have the pre-race briefing in
the parking lot then walk up to the starting line which is about five minutes up
the trail from the finish area. See Course Details.
Early Start Starting time this year is at 8:00AM with an optional early start at
7:00AM. Runners who expect to take more than about 6 hours to finish should do the early start if
possible. Aid will be available at all stations for early starters as well as for regular starters.
Check-in for early starters will begin at 6:15AM.
Lunch All registered runners are invited to stick
around for lunch after the race. We'll have delicious Philippino food (Abodo, Pancit and Lumpia) as
well as vegetarian chili and Greek salad along with watermelon, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,
snack mix, chips and other stuff. Lunch will be available starting around 11:00AM and continuing
until everyone has finished. Bring a folding chair or two if you think of it; we may be short.
Course The course will be measured and every mile marked, although some may not be
numbered. See Course Details for more information. You may want to check
out the Updated Directions for precise directions to the parking area.
The course is all on a rail trails which are in good shape. The first five miles are mostly
hard-packed, fine gravel. The last 16 miles are generally smooth with some areas of small rocks.
No mud and little if any standing water. Some areas of the trail are fairly remote with no nearby
vehicle access points. You might consider carrying a cell phone although service is sketchy in some
areas. The first 13 and last 3 miles are mostly shaded, as are portions of the remainder of the
course. All turns are marked with white flour arrows and orange tape.
Aid Stations Aid stations are provided at miles 5, 10, 14.5, 18 and 21.5. The 14.5/21.5
aid station will probably be self-service. Aid stations will remain set up for up to 6 hours. If you'll
be taking longer than 6 hours to finish and cannot make the early start, let us know at the start and
we'll see what we can do. We're serving water and lemon-lime Gatorade at all stations. Cups will be
provided at all aid stations but at self-service aid stations you'll need to dispense your own
water/Gatorade from 5-gallon jugs with spigots.Gu provided by Roadrunner Sports
will be served at mile 14.5, 18 and 21.5.
Due to distance between aid stations, and to reduce waste, we encourage you to carry a bottle which you
can refill at the aid stations. Please drop used cups/Gu packets in wastebaskets at aid stations.
Don't litter the trail.
Wildlife Bears have been seen in the area within the past few months. There have
been no incidents but one of the smaller bears is relatively unafraid of people. If you encounter a
bear on the trail, wait for it to get off the trail before proceeding. If it pays any attention to
you, back up slowly while talking to it in a calm (yeah, right!) voice. If it charges you (about as
likely tomorrow as getting struck by lightening), yell at it, stand your ground, throw whatever you
can at it and fight back. Don't run from it.
Peregrine falcons are reported to be nesting near the trestle over Change Creek, which is at about
mile 16/20 on the course. Count yourself fortunate if you see one of these relatively rare and
impressive birds of prey.
Timing Finishing times for all runners will be recorded and reported on this site
after the race. We will record splits at mile 10. We also want to ensure that we don't leave
anyone out on the trail, so if you decide to run just the first leg (about 10 miles), please let us
know. Likewise if you turn around before the official turnaround at mile 18, let us know at the
finish because we'll be looking for you to come by before we close down the aid station at that
turnaround.
Medals and T-shirts We do not have medals or T-shirts this year.
Photos We'll try to get photos of all runners during the race. All photos will be
freely available to copy from this site once I get them uploaded after the race. That may take me a
few days.
Race Information
