On July 24, 2021 I completed Jack & Jill’s Downhill Marathon! It was a beautiful, amazing, and painful experience. 🙂 First, lets talk about how GORGEOUS it was. The race starts at the Snoqualmie Tunnel and finishes in North Bend, Washington.
The weather at the start was 48F and it warmed at the finish to be in the 70’s. Absolutely amazing and even a little chilly compared to my training in South Carolina. I was in heaven!
The Terrain
The course is a gradual, gentle downhill on a dirt trail. I definitely underestimated how that was going to affect my body. I live in Charleston, which is very flat so the only hills I trained on were bridges and small neighborhood “hills”. I did do some trail running, but the trails here are just not the same. Early on in the race (about mile 5) I started to feel pains in my shins, knees, and lower back, all from the rocky and uneven path and decline. I wore trail shoes and I do think that helped me with traction.
The Tunnel
The race kicks off just in front of the Snoqualmie Tunnel, and then you run through for about 2.5 miles before emerging on the other side. I definitely recommend a headlamp through the tunnel, but you can leave it with the volunteers on the other side and they’ll transport it back to the finish. I felt great through the tunnel, and it was kinda cool running through it, though it was wet with puddles to maneuver.
The Course
The first half of the course, I felt pretty good. I was keeping a great pace, minor pains from the uneven terrain but still strong! I tried to take as many pictures and videos as I could without stopping but didn’t get much of quality this way. However, after the half way mark I really started to feel the effects of the gravel and downhill, which slowed my pace a bit. I decided then, that this was not going to be “the race of my life” so I may as well stop for a few of the views for some pics.
Somewhere after this point I decided to allow myself a brief recovery walk every two miles. Mental games are real y’all and knowing I could take a break after two miles helped get me through. Just before mile 18 I spotted my training buddy, Amy, up ahead and we squealed with joy! We both needed some motivation at that point and carried on together for the rest of the race. Our faces say it all…
The Finish
GPS signal was spotty, especially through the tunnel, so my watch was a bit off for most of the race. This probably helped me, as I didn’t focus too much on pace toward the end, and didn’t have that eagle eye on chasing a PR, though it was definitely on my mind. Once I saw the clock at the finish, though, I got suuuuper excited that I was going to have a pretty big PR! I yelled like a fool “OMG I’m doing it!” and summoned strength from somewhere to sprint through the finish line. In the finish line video and you can just barely see my knees start to buckle and I almost ate gravel before crossing. That would have been embarrassing! I’m doing it!…SPLAT. Luckily I was spared and earned my medal injury free.
Overall, this was an amazing course with breathtaking views. However, it was also pretty painful and I’m in no rush to do it again. 🙂 The half marathon starts at, you guessed it, halfway down the mountain. I’d be interested in doing that one in the future. If you’re on the fence, DO IT! It’s a great race and the weather was fantastic. I’m glad I got to experience this event as my first in person race in 18 months.
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