The Orca Half Marathon and 8 Miler

online presents

Orca Half Marathon and 8 Miler

Photos by Bruce Fisher and event photographers
Article by Karl Johnson & Judy Fisher

9/19-20/26 – Seattle
The Orca Half Marathon is a premier, namesake event for Orca Running. It is held over two days, with a half marathon on Saturday and Sunday and an 8 mile race on Sunday. The Saturday Half had 1076 finishers and the Sunday Half had 518 finishers. There were 446 finishers for the Sunday 8 miler. Between these 3 races there were 227 Silver Strider finishers. In the Half Marathon, Angie Song was the first female Silver Strider on Saturday and Erica Eyring was the first female Silver Strider on Sunday. Todd Keating was the first male Silver Strider on Saturday and Jeff Bell was the first male Silver Strider on Sunday. For the 8 miler the first female Silver Strider was Patricia Shuster and the first male Silver Strider was Eric Buechler.

The Half Marathoners started first in waves a few minutes apart. The course goes north to the first turn-around and then back to the other end of the park and up the hill. This is where it got confusing for the 8 mile runners. Any late starter for the half were told to not just follow the pack as the half marathon had a couple out-and-backs that the 8 mile course did not have. However, the first turn-around sign only said “Half Marathon Turn-Around” so quite a few of us running the 8 miler just continued on past it expecting a different turn-around for us. There was none, though. I should have known better as I had run this event last year. But like lemmings over a cliff, I just followed those ahead of me. Some of us turned around as soon as we figured it out while others continued on down the road and joined up with the course. They then had to run past the finish line, like the half marathon course did, and then double back to finish the race. The rest of us ended up running more than 8 miles, in my case it was 8.4 miles. And yet I still managed to take first in my age group.

Other than that, it is a very scenic course, going through neighborhoods before finishing along Alki Beach. It offers great views of the Seattle skyline. They say you can sometimes see Orcas in the Sound, but the most I’ve ever seen was the occasional sealion and lots of seagulls. The finish area was festive. There was live music and several booths offering refreshments. You could also get a poster with your time for the race stamped on it. That was a nice touch. All in all, it was a great race.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Judy Fisher’s Race Report
What is there not to love about this race? If one is not up for the Half Marathon, the 8-Miler is a recommended option. I’ve always enjoyed this venue with its waterfront vibe and lovely views.

Runners gathered at the base of Lincoln Park for the start, then followed the shoreline north to the finish at Don Armeni Boat Launch. Race Director Porter Bratten told his usual bad jokes, described the course and told runners that signs would indicate where the turn-around would be for both the Half and 8-Miler then, off we went in separate waves.

All was going well until there was no 8-Miler turnaround sign to be seen. Confused, most runners continued on and then, realizing something was amiss, turned around, resulting in inaccurate finish times. My Garmin didn’t register my turn-around time (my fault). I went long but my recorded finish time was close to my estimated finish time. I still don’t know how the race officials figured out everyone’s finish time. Seeing people enjoying the sun and sand along the water was pacifying, especially after dealing with the lack of adequate signing which took some of the competitive drive out of my legs.

Then, if that wasn’t enough excitement for the day, my husband Bruce informed me at the finish that he had securely locked both sets of keys in our van! With his camera inside!! Thus, no Flash Fisher photos for the race report. Luckily, I always carry an extra key when I run races, so the day was saved (along with the locksmith’s fee). Friends say we’ll look back on this and laugh. We’re still not laughing. Would I run this race again? Of course! Orca has always treated runners well. Porter did an admirable job of executing an ecological-minded race with special attention given to the local whale population and the indigenous land.

The signage snafu, as frustrating as it was, did not take anything away from the beautiful route, glorious sunshine, great volunteers and a celebratory atmosphere at the finish (8-ish miles later). Another great event by Orca!

Judy Fisher

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jerry’s notes:

The Orca Half Marathon is the Flagship Event for Orca Running

2026 was a banner year for the event with a record-breaking total of 2034 finishers for the Half Marathon and accompaning 8 miler. The Race Director, Porter Bratten is tops in his field, annually producing 17 of the largest races in the Pacific Northwest.

The Brooks Orca Half is a half marathon running along the shores of West Seattle, starting at Lincoln Park and finishing at Don Armeni Boat Launch. The half course is point to point, with two small out and back sections in the beginning and a longer one towards the end. The 8-miler course is point to point, with two small out and back sections in the beginning.

The silver strider showing was strong, with 165 finishers. If you consider that 40 years ago, a larger half marathon usually averaged 2 male finishers over 50 years of age and no females at all. A male runner over 60 was a celebrity as was a female runner over 40 back in those days.

The first male Silver Strider to finish the half marathon was Todd Keating in 1:32:33
First female Silver Strider to finish the half marathon was Jennifer Luna in 1:40:16

__________________________________________________________________________________

Here are the 8 mile results in photos by Bruce Fisher and fast photos photography