Beat the Blerch Marathon | Half | 10K | 5K

Beat The Blerch is a 5k, 10K, half, and full marathon created by The Oatmeal. It was inspired by a character called The Blerch, who came from this webcomic about running.

The race begins at King County’s Tolt MacDonald Park. It’s quick, (mostly) flat, and in the beautiful woods of the Pacific Northwest. Runners are treated to spectacular views along the Snoqualmie Valley River trail, which winds its way through evergreen, mossy forests. The race takes place in Carnation, Washington, a quaint little town located about 35 minutes outside of Seattle. Near the starting line of the race are strawberry farms and pumpkin patches, which offer guided tours in case you’re still up for a bit of walking after the race.

The course is a beautiful flat, out-and-back gravel trail that winds its way through evergreen, mossy forests along the Snoqualmie valley trail. Please note that for both the half marathon and the 10K, participants will start in waves of about 150 to 200 people, spaced approximately 2-3 minutes apart.

RACE DAY SCHEDULE

Packet Pickup: 7:30am to 8:50am
Marathon Start: 8:15am
Half Marathon Start: 9:30am
10K Start: 10:00am
5k Start: 10:15am
Race Course Closes: 3:15pm

PARKING

If you did not buy a parking pass, please use one of the many free parking options outside of Tolt-McDonald Park. The closest and largest free parking location is the Carnation off-leash dog park. Click here to view a map of available parking locations. Please note that you cannot come into the park without a parking pass, even to drop off runners.

PARKING PASS

If you bought a parking pass when you registered, you will receive it via email one week prior to the race. You will need to print it out and place it clearly on the day of the race.

GEAR CHECK

There is a free gear check for all participants to use. To use the gear check, you must provide your own bag. Beat the Blerch is not responsible for any lost, missing or stolen items.

AID STATIONS

They will be stocked with water, energy bars or gels, magical flavored beverage, Nutella sandwiches, and birthday cake. 10K runners will hit the aid station once at mile 3. Half marathon runners will hit aid stations at mile 3, 6, 7.2, and 10.1. Marathon participants will hit the aid stations at mile 1.5, 4.3, 7.5, 10.3, 12, 15, 18, 20 and 23.

Support Small & Local Businesses: Shop Northwest in Motion

We source directly from small and family-owned businesses in Italy and Europe.

This enables us to sell unique, high-quality fitness attire at reasonable prices.

Get updates about the freshest additions to our inventory: Subscribe, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.