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PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONUS / RACE GUIDE

Cascade Express Marathon & Half Marathon

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

North Bend
US

Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 4.0Retro101 · CC BY-SA 4.0Retro101 · CC0Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0

Race date Sep expected: September 2027
City · Distance: North Bend · 42.195km · 21.1km
Entry fee: $149From the 2026 edition
Status: SoonSee how to enter ↗

2027Date September 2027 · expected · Soon

2026Date Sep 12, 2026 · Entry fee $141 · Start 07:00

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.

Course starts at Snoqualmie Pass and descends almost continuously.

Net descent is approximately 1,247 feet, with total elevation loss of about 1,414 feet.

Both full marathon and half marathon start at Hyak Trailhead and pass through the approximately 2.4-mile Snoqualmie Tunnel.

The tunnel is dark, so runners must carry their own lights.

The surface is hard-packed gravel, and both course are USATF-certified.

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

Megan MorrisRan in 2022 · Finish time 3:11

“I also wasn’t delirious like I’ve been in the past – I felt calm and satisfied.”

At the 2022 Cascade Express Marathon, the runner followed the 3-hour-5-minute pace group before stomach trouble slowed them midway. After vomiting at 22 miles, they rallied and pushed to the finish in 3 hours 11 minutes, their second-fastest marathon.

Read the original on Megan's Blog

Tess CRan in 2018 · Finish time 4:01:55

“This year I finally stuck with a pacing group for longer than a mile.”

Tess C followed a pace group at the 2018 Cascade Express Marathon and held her speed into the later miles. Flexible trail shoes helped on the gravel, but the final 6 miles were tough; she finished in 4 hours, 1 minute, 55 seconds.

Read the original on Team RunRun

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.

Full recap

Donut Walk, Run · Full recap

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 $149

Cascade Express Marathon · until Dec 16, 2025 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

Half

Entry cost $119

Cascade Express Half Marathon · until Dec 16, 2025 · 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 07:00

START

Homestead Valley Trailhead, North Bend, WA

Start · Google Maps

Both distances start at Hyak Trailhead.

Course begins descending through the Snoqualmie Tunnel section, then continues downhill through mountain terrain on the Palouse to Cascades Trail.

The route passes the Cascade Mountains and Keechelus Lake.

The tunnel is approximately 2.4 miles long.

It has no lighting, so runners must bring their own lights.

You can leave a light in the collection bins at the tunnel exit, but it will not be returned.

The surface is hard-packed gravel.

Organisers say road shoes are sufficient and trail shoes are unnecessary.

Racing shoes are prone to damage on this surface.

Half marathon finishes at Garcia Crossing, 1 mile up from the main road,

while full marathon finishes at Homestead Valley Trailhead on the Palouse to Cascades Trail.

There is no parking at the full marathon finish area.

The net descent is approximately 1,247 feet and total descent approximately 1,414 feet.

The USATF certification numbers are full marathon WA25021RMB and half marathon WA25023RMB.

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

The organizer requires pickup the day before.
If necessary, you can pay an additional $25 during registration to request race-morning pickup (available until the Friday of race week).
9/11 (Fri) — Operating hours not disclosed

Snoqualmie Running, Snoqualmie, WA

Friday pre-race pickup location

Google Maps Directions

ID is checked at pickup

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the start

No public transit; nearest access is the Hyak Trailhead off I-90 (exit 54) near Snoqualmie Pass

Free parking at Summit at Snoqualmie/Summit I-90 Ski Area (~10 min walk to start);

paid $10/day parking directly at Hyak Trailhead (free with WA Discover Pass).

Remote Snoqualmie Pass mountain trailhead venue with no public transit;

a car is required.

Full details at cascadeexpressmarathon.com/parking.

Getting to the finish

No public transit; half marathon finish is near SE Homestead Valley Rd off I-90 exit 38

No dedicated finish-line parking - for the half marathon,

park along SE Homestead Valley Rd and walk ~1 mile up a dirt access road (driving up it is prohibited).

More details

Organizer shuttle buses run from the finish area back to start-line parking only: marathon shuttles ~every 30 min starting ~8:45 AM;

half marathon shuttles every 15-20 min starting ~9 AM.

Stations & transport near the venue

North Bend, WA sits at the edge of the Seattle metro area,

where King County Metro uses the ORCA card (also usable on Sound Transit and other regional agencies);

ORCA cards can be bought/reloaded at Seattle-Tacoma Airport, transit stations,

or via the ORCA mobile app, and contactless bank cards now work directly on many King County Metro routes.

However, North Bend itself has minimal fixed-route Metro service, so this trail-race venue is effectively car access for runners.

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.

Full marathon starts at 7:00 a.m., and half marathon starts at 7:30 a.m.

A light is required to pass through the tunnel.

The organizers suggest preparing an inexpensive light to carry to the finish or donate at the tunnel exit.

Donated lights are given to runners who forget theirs at a future race.

Aid station are spaced approximately 2 miles apart and provide water and Gatorade.

Some aid station also have GU gels.

Bag check is available at the start area;

bags are tagged with color-coded cable ties and collected at the finish area.

Bib will be distributed at Snoqualmie Running in Snoqualmie on the Friday before the race.

Race-day pickup is available for an additional $25.

Full marathon can be collected from 6:00 to 6:45 a.m., and half marathon from 6:45 to 7:15 a.m. at the Hyak Trailhead start line.

ID verification is required at pickup.

There is no shuttle to start line.

The only shuttle service runs after the race, taking participants from the finish back to the start.

Entry fee costs full marathon $149 (as of 2026).

Refunds, transfers to another person, and deferrals are not permitted.

Dogs and strollers are not allowed in course, and participants are advised to use only one earbud at low volume or use bone-conduction headphones.

The result is accepted as a Boston Marathon qualifying time, and no downhill course adjustment is applied.

Times are local to North Bend. 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.

Time for you, before and after the finish

Seattle Iconic Half-Day City Tour

$102

View on Klook

Seattle City Sightseeing Bus Pass

$66

View on Klook

Hotels that make race morning easyDistances are straight-line from the start.View on map Eating well is part of the tripA meal before the race, a dinner to celebrate the finish.View on map Seeing North Bend with the medal onThe city you ran — this time, a little slower.View on map

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

Trip prep too,
light and in one place.

Checklist Local eSIM · Yesim Flight delay or cancellation compensation · AirHelp Pace calculator

Once saved, you can open this page without an internet connection

RUN TOGETHER

With runners who dream of
the same start line.

Be the first runner
Leave this room's first post

North Bend runners' room

FAQ

When does Cascade Express Marathon & Half Marathon 2027 take place?

Not officially announced yet.

It's expected in September 2027;

the 2026 race was held on Sat, September 12, 2026.

How much is the Cascade Express Marathon & Half Marathon 2027 entry fee?

Not announced yet. The 2026 race entry fee was about $141.

What distances does Cascade Express Marathon & Half Marathon 2027 offer?

Marathon · Half. (From the 2026 edition)

What time does Cascade Express Marathon & Half Marathon 2027 start?

The race starts at 07:00. (From the 2026 edition)

Where does Cascade Express Marathon & Half Marathon 2027 start?

Homestead Valley Trailhead, North Bend, WA. (From the 2026 edition)

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Cascade Express Marathon & Half Marathon

About Cascade Express Marathon & Half Marathon — 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