Rediscovering Cougar Mountain

Last fall I lead Patsy and Neo on a 7 mile run through Cougar Mountain.  Neo impaled himself on a 3" length of wood the width of a pencil, and we embarked on three surgeries and a five month recovery.  So it was nice to take Neo and Clair out yesterday on a trail run.  For inspiration I used the Cougar Mountain Race Series course map for their 5-mile event, but I had forgotten to draw an arrow on my map and ran the course counter-clockwise, in reverse of the intended clockwise course.  Oops.  So my route featured a gently rolling course to a short climb, more rolling, then a slow steady climb up Anti-Aircraft Ridge before a big downhill and fast run back to the car.  The actual course is certain to be fast, utilizing a wide retired road for the first mile, then a sharp stepp 300' climb to spread the crowd out, and long gentle downhill that racers will be able to keep speed up.  I think its going to be a blast!

Statistics:  Cougar Mountain Race Series 5-Mile Course (Reversed), 5.4 miles, 540 feet gain/lost, estimated 1:15.

seattlerunningclub.org | LINK