North Bend, WA
Downhill, and nearly guaranteed to get you a new PR.
USATF Certified Half Marathon
The Course
New course in 2026 due to flooding! The new course is a modified out and back, point-to-point route. While it is no longer downhill for the first 10 miles, the incline is mild and limited to the first few miles. The entirety of the course is unpaved and consists of hard packed dirt. Regular road running shoes work great.
There are a total of 5 aid stations along the course with Tailwind electrolytes and GU gels. Because it is summertime, we strongly recommend that all runners bring extra water and/or an extra bottle with them, in the case of hot temperatures (which are not uncommon in August) to help prevent dehydration. Aid stations are 2-3 miles apart.
Pacers are being provided by Seattle Greenlake Running Group for the following finishing times: 1:30, 1:40, 1:50, 2:00, 2:10 and 2:20.
All Orca races are cupless — bring a handheld or grab a small reusable folding cup at the start.
Negative splits for positive people
The December floods reshaped this course, but we’re making the best of it with a new course that rewards patience in the early race and lets you finish strong all the way to the finish. You bank a gentle climb in the first 4 miles while your legs are fresh — then turn around and run 9 miles of net downhill all the way home. Here’s exactly how to run it.
About the race
3x voted best half in Washington! 2019, and twice in 2024!
The Iron Horse Half Marathon is a point to point half marathon taking place in Washington state on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail (part of the King County Parks system). The trail is the remains of old railroad tracks, hence the ‘Iron Horse’ moniker.
Entry
Saturday, August 29th, 11:00am-3:00pm — REI Bellevue, 410 116th Ave NE, Bellevue, 98004
Free gear check is available, with the drop at the start line. It will likely be a bit chilly and potentially rainy at the start (it is Washington, after all), so the start line gear check bag is for your warm clothes. Please note that you must bring your own bag — we do not provide gear check bags. Bags are transported to the finish line and available for pickup after you finish.
Top 3 male, female, and non-binary finishers on gun time, plus age-group awards in 5-year increments. Picked up at the Orca tent — awards are not mailed.
Course closes at 12:30 PM
Chartered school buses, aka shuttles, will run from the FINISH to the START line on race morning. The shuttle is about 10 minutes long. Shuttles will run starting at 6:00am and will run continuously until 7:20am. The last shuttle will leave the finish line at 7:20am. We suggest you board a shuttle about 30-60 minutes before your wave start.
Shuttles will pick up participants at the parking lot of Meadowbrook Farm which is located at 1711 Boalch Ave NW, North Bend, WA 98045.
We strongly encourage participants to carpool whenever possible to the race, it’s good for the planet and traffic into the farm gets backed up!
Participants need to park at Meadowbrook Farm which is located at 1711 Boalch Ave NW, North Bend, WA 98045. This is the finish line of the race.
Start line parking is not allowed. There is nowhere to park and you would need someone to drive you back to the start. Shuttles do not run after the race.
We recommend staying at Homewood Suites by Hilton Seattle-Issaquah or Spinghill Suites Seattle Issaquah. Both are a 20 minute drive to the finish line at Meadowbrook Farm.
Two Rivers School (Mile 11.8)
Parking is available near the finish line at Meadowbrook Farm but traffic getting in and out of the farm will require some patience.
The beer garden is sponsored by Iron Horse Brewery. Iron Horse Brewery donates all of the beer to the non-profit Discovery Lab who receives 100% of the money collected. Each beer is $7 and you must be 21+ to enter the beer garden.
Can't make it in person?
The Iron Horse Half has a virtual option. Run and log your race any time after your swag arrives. Virtual participants receive a shirt, medal and bib in the mail, shipped the week after the in-person race. Limited to 50 participants, and it counts towards your R-Pod medal.
Where your entry goes
Time outside and connection to nature is fundamental to the health and well-being of all people. But millions of Americans lack access to the outdoors, and far too many people do not feel a sense of belonging or safety outside. That's why REI founded the REI Cooperative Action Fund, which directly supports organizations working to improve the health and well-being of people and communities through time spent outside.
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Good to Know
The fine print
We have a clear set of policies that we uniformly follow for all races. Entries are not refundable, but you can defer your entry, transfer it to another race, or transfer it to another participant. You can review our full set of policies here.
There are no higher stakes than being kind to the earth; we care deeply about keeping our planet viable for the next generation. To that end, we organize our events with an eye towards minimizing our impact on the planet. Read more here.
Orca Running want to make sure that everyone feels welcome and safe at our running events and in our community. We have a non-binary registration option and a non-binary category for overall awards. If you have a suggestion or idea for how we can improve our events in this regard, please let us know!
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