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PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONUS / RACE GUIDE

Beat the Blerch

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

USSeptember 202742.195km · 21.1km · 10km +1 more events

RanchoRosco at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

Race date Sep expected: September 2027
City · Distance: Carnation · 42.195km · 21.1km · 10km +1 more events
Entry fee: $120From the 2026 edition
Status: SoonSee how to enter ↗

2027Date September 2027 · expected · Soon

2026Date Sep 12, 2026 · Entry fee $40 · Start 08:00

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 8, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

This race originated from a running comic by the webcomic The Oatmeal.

The events are 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from those who ran it first.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 2

El Santo

“I beat the Blerch. It took an hour twenty to do it.”

At Beat the Blerch, the runner enjoyed cake and a playful atmosphere along Carnation's tree-lined paths. Completing 6 miles in about 1 hour 20 minutes meant conquering a distance once thought impossible.

Read the original on The Webcomic Overlook

Joseph McLean

“And I finished, I staggered across the line and a nice person took my shoe tag away and gave me a medal.”

After recovering from injury, the runner entered the Beat the Blerch Marathon on their birthday and ran to birthday songs from other participants. Heat and leg cramps made it tough, but they kept moving even just before the finish and finished.

Read the original on quiet dispatches

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

Finisher vlog

Pablo De Stefani · Finisher vlog

View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

From the 2026 edition

Marathon

Entry cost $120

until Sep 12, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

Half

Entry cost $85

until Sep 12, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

10K

Entry cost $60

until Sep 12, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

5K

Entry cost $40

until Sep 13, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

The 42.195km I'll run

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

From the 2026 edition

Runners start · local timeFrom 08:00

not the start line

We have not confirmed the start line coordinates yet.

START

Tolt-MacDonald Park, Carnation, WA

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

Tolt MacDonald Park

Finish · Google Maps

The events are 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Marathon.

The start is at Tolt-MacDonald Park, Carnation, WA at 8:00 AM local time.

The start and finish are at the same location.

Participant benefits

Not yet confirmed in the official race guide

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2026 edition

Pick up your bib at the expo

9/11 Road Runner Sports (Green Lake, Seattle) 12-5PM; 9/12 race venue 7-11:30AM

Tolt MacDonald Park

Google Maps Directions

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startNo practical public transit — car access only (parking pass required)
IC cardNo dedicated transit card system for Carnation itself; the venue is a car-access rural area east of Seattle.

Source · checked Aug 24, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

No practical public transit — car access only (parking pass required)

Race starts/finishes at Tolt McDonald Park, 31020 NE 40th St, Carnation, WA 98014. King County Metro does not serve Carnation directly; Snoqualmie Valley Transportation's Valley Shuttle connects Carnation to Metro routes only in evening hours, not during race morning hours. Event explicitly discourages driving without a purchased parking pass.

Date confirmed as Sep 12, 2026 on the official Beat the Blerch site, matching the given date.

Map

Getting to the finish

No practical public transit — car access only (parking pass required)

Same location as start.

Map

IC card

No dedicated transit card system for Carnation itself; the venue is a car-access rural area east of Seattle. Visitors coming from Seattle can use an ORCA card or tap a contactless bank card on King County Metro buses partway, but a car or rideshare is needed for the final stretch into Carnation.

Source · checked Aug 24, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

The course is a flat, out-and-back gravel path along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, winding through moss-covered evergreen forest.

The start is at Tolt MacDonald Park in King County, with staggered start times: marathon at 8:00 AM, half marathon at 9:00 AM, 10K at 9:30 AM, and 5K at noon.

Packet pickup is available at the Road Runner Sports store in Green Lake,

Seattle from noon to 5:00 PM the day before the race on September 11, and on-site from 7:00 to 11:30 AM on race day.

The 2026 race is already sold out, and no waitlist is being maintained.

Times are local to Carnation. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Farmstay in the Woods at Cedrus Farms

Accommodation · 3.7km

View on Booking.com

Joint Base Lewis–McChord | Lewis–McChord Joint Base Airport Private Airport Pickup/Drop-Off Service

$177

Beat the Blerch

About Beat the Blerch — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run

Beat the Blerch runner reviews and race reports

Stories from those who ran it first.

See it on video,feel it through their stories.

Finisher vlog

How to enter Beat the Blerch — registration routes

How to reach the start line —start with what fits you.

Marathon

Half

10K

5K

Beat the Blerch course map and elevation

The 42.195km I'll run

Tolt-MacDonald Park, Carnation, WA

Tolt MacDonald Park

Participant benefits

Where and when to collect your Beat the Blerch race bib

To the start line,step by step.

Pick up your bib at the expo

Tolt MacDonald Park

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the start

Getting to the finish

IC card

From race morning to after the finish.

The race is one day,the trip can be longer.

Farmstay in the Woods at Cedrus Farms

Joint Base Lewis–McChord | Lewis–McChord Joint Base Airport Private Airport Pickup/Drop-Off Service

Seattle Snoqualmie Falls & Leavenworth Day Tour

From Seattle: 3-Day Guided Tour of Glacier National Park

Seattle Iconic Half-Day City Tour

Seattle CityPASS®

Seattle Hop-On Hop-Off Bus and Harbor Cruise

Hotels near the Beat the Blerch start line in Carnation

Hotels that make race morning easy

Farmstay in the Woods at Cedrus Farms

Time for you, before and after the finish

Joint Base Lewis–McChord | Lewis–McChord Joint Base Airport Private Airport Pickup/Drop-Off Service

From Seattle: 3-Day Guided Tour of Glacier National Park

Seattle CityPASS®

Smith Tower Observatory

Seattle: Rainforest and Olympic National Park Highlights

Original Selfie Museum VIP Admission Ticket

Seattle Space Needle & Chihuly Garden and Glass Ticket

Seattle Woodland Park Zoo Admission Ticket

Seattle Snoqualmie Falls Half-Day Waterfall Hiking Tour

Wallace Falls Rainforest Hiking Tour from Seattle

Seattle: Waterfall Wonderland Hike in Wallace Falls State Park

From Seattle: Snoqualmie Falls Visit and Hike to Twin Falls

From Seattle: Pacific Northwest Waterfalls and Hiking Tour

Seattle iFLY Indoor Skydiving Experience

Leavenworth: Private Bavarian Vista Jeep Tour

What to see in Carnation after the race

Seeing Carnation with the medal on

Seattle Snoqualmie Falls & Leavenworth Day Tour

Seattle Iconic Half-Day City Tour

Seattle Hop-On Hop-Off Bus and Harbor Cruise

Seattle: Locks Cruise with a Local Guide

Seattle: Harbor Cruise with a Local Guide

City Sightseeing Seattle Hop-On Hop-Off Bus & Cruise

Seattle City Sightseeing Bus Pass

Total cost and budget for Beat the Blerch

Trip prep too,light and in one place.

Runner stories and questions about Beat the Blerch

With runners who dream ofthe same start line.

Frequently asked questions about Beat the Blerch

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

To the start line,
step by step.

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

Trip prep too,
light and in one place.

With runners who dream of
the same start line.