Snoqualmie Valley Half Marathon & 10k

by Karl Johnson

It was a glorious day for a race. The weather gods truly blessed us on this last day of Spring. The temps were just right and the course had a nice tree-lined cover. This was my first time running this race. It is a beautiful course and reasonably flat. There was elevation for the first half, a total ascent of 295 ft, but it was very gradual. There were over 650 runners for the half but it really didn’t feel like it. 16% of the overall participants were Silver Striders. Gordon Wood was the first Silver Strider in the 10k with a time of 42:25 and Katie Ford was the first Female Silver Strider with a time of 55:09. Craig Ashley was the first male Silver Strider in the half marathon with a time of 1:34:43 and Amanda Hoskins was the first female Silver Strider with a time of 1:43:30.

I was struggling with this race. I hadn’t done nearly enough long runs to be properly prepared for it but I had been looking forward to it for some time, so devil be damned, I ventured forth. I took my time and enjoyed the scenery. We crossed the Tolt River at the beginning and end of the out-and-back course, as well as a couple creeks. It was mostly a packed dirt path after crossing the Tolt River. I was met at the finish by my wife, Kathryn, who volunteered to hand out medals to finishers. The after-race food was walking tacos, chili with Fritos, and the usual bananas and snack items. There was live music and a beer garden as well. They had a tie-dying station where you could purchase a shirt and try your hand at tie-dying. I had purchased a shirt before hand so it was waiting for me. I did a heart design for the Run With Love theme that Orca Running is doing this year. Not bad for my first effort. After that it was on to home for much needed rest and recuperation.