Chuckanut 50K

The Chuckanut 50K is one of the oldest trail ultras in the Pacific Northwest, tracing its roots back to 1993 when Doug McKeever and Richard West invited a small group of ultrarunning friends to join them on a favorite training loop around Chuckanut Mountain, just south of Bellingham, Washington. What started with around 20 participants has grown into one of the most well-attended trail ultras in the country.

The lollipop-shaped course opens and closes with 10K of smooth running on the Interurban Trail, while the middle 30K - the heart of the race - climbs 5,000 feet through the technical, forested ridgeline of Chuckanut Mountain. The course is 100% unpaved and known for its wet, rooty, Pacific Northwest conditions in mid-March. A notorious climb called "Chinscraper" has become something of a rite of passage for first-timers.

Current race director Krissy Moehl took over in 2002 after running it as her first ultra in 2000, and has kept the race's grassroots character intact. It's a cup-free race, leans minimalist in its production, and has built a loyal community around that ethos. For many Pacific Northwest runners, it's a spring season benchmark - a challenging but accessible early-year test before the bigger mountain races of summer.