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Jack And Jills Downhill Marathon Reviews
Jack And Jills Downhill Marathon
4.4 Stars from
7 Runners
Awesome race!
By Melissa about 2022
Review
Everything was great. Only complaint was the wait time to get a bus back to car after race.
Race Tips
Had extreme heat warnings so definitely want to hydrate days before the race.
5 /
5 Stars
If you're looking to BQ this is it!
By Norm about 2021
Review
For 2021, the weather was great and the two COVID modifications were a rolling start and no pacers. Pre-race communication was a bit sparse (I'm guessing a lot of details were being sorted on the fly due to COVID) but come race weekend, everything went smoothly. I had set out hoping to run 3:45 and ended up with a 3:35 - BQ'd by 15 minutes! The downhill grade is perfect - enough to make every mile feel effortless, but not steep enough to shred your quads. The trail is packed gravel which isn't perfect, but given how I ran, I guess it isn't much of a factor!
Race Tips
GPS: My Garmin Forerunner 245 logged the race at 26.34 miles so I'd say it was pretty close
Pace: Unless you have experience with these downhill marathons, consider running based on effort, not pace. I had set out targeting 8:30 miles but once settled in, found my average pace at 8:10. I initially panicked but the miles kept clicking by effortlessly and I decided to roll with it. Ran out of gas in the final mile but that's what I had expected. Average pace turned out 8:12 - way faster than planned but that's the beauty of this course!
Rent a car and stay in Issaquah. Bonus if you can find a friend/spouse to drive you to the start then meet you at the finish. It's a small race so car access at the start and finish are easy
5 /
5 Stars
Lack of communication
By DC about 2019
Review
Good course overall, but a little too warm to run it in July. The tunnel is awful. Watch your step. Also, I gave a volunteer something to hold at the finish line. He promised to do so. It was not delivered. The race director did not return my inquiry about this item. Communications leave a bit to be desired. They run a highly desirable race by runners, and they know it and act like it.
Race Tips
Do NOT lose time in the tunnel. That is easy to do. Stay with a pace group if your timer is not working. Pacer was great. Satellite signals are suspect here.
Hotel choice is not great nearby. Parking is kind of messy at the start.
3 /
5 Stars
By MT about 2018
Review
This was an amazing marathon in terms of the shirt, medal, and course scenery. I personally wasn't a fan of the gravel road that the course is on. I don't think it's a good surface for people that have had previous ankle and/or knee issues. The course didn't feel especially fast to me and I didn't find it very shaded on such a hot and sunny day. I think this is a great destination race, but for me it wasn't a PR course.
Race Tips
Definitely start conservatively or you will suffer dearly later. Also be aware there are very few bathroom options on the course.
You probably want to research where to stay. I picked Seattle and it was quite the drive. Getting to the start was easy.
4 /
5 Stars
Course is near perfection
By morey about 2018
Review
The steady gradual downhill is just enough to give you an extra, maybe 10s per mile advantage. I've never run a course where the pitch is so perfect the whole way. Not enough to trash your quads, just enough to give you an edge. On course support was typical/basic. Water every 2 miles or so. Only a few had gatorade. Don't expect nutrition/gu's- bring you own. Beast Pacers! a plus.
It's a small, friendly race. Easy 'overhead' getting to and from the start/finish. Not a lot of on-course spectator options- but a few. Plenty of food, water, sports drink at the finish. Nice medals and shirts. Seems like everything was well organized and taken care of by the RD (USA Endurance Events).
Scenery is a 10. Plus- the course is mostly in the shade, even on sunny days. Nice
The Tunnel is a fun feature of the event. Bring your headlamp (toss it in a bin at the end of the tunnel and they bring them to the finish). It's a perfect 54F. Watch your step as there are sections in there that are a bit more uneven. Here's the answer to everyone's question: Yes- my Garmin (a Fenix 3HR) did a pretty decent job keeping pace and distance through the 2.5mi long tunnel. Perhaps it went into treadmill mode? Dunno'. YMMV.
There's no 'expo'. Just a packet pickup. Where they had some fairly nice J&J Marathon caps, jackets, hoodies, shirts, inexpensive headlamps, etc for sale. Oh- the had free pace band temporary tattoos there! cool.
Race Tips
Just ran it this year (2018)- and many (not all) of the on-course mile markers were pretty far off. So- this drove a lot of people crazy (i.e. including me) trying to use them to manage pace via a pace band. The 20mi split, for instance, was totally inaccurate. It was short... indicating you were going much faster than you really were.
The course is hard packed double track dirt/gravel road. While trail shoes are not necessary, I'd recommend shoes with enough thickness for some protection against some of the pointy rocks. If I ran it again- I might use my faster trail shoes- whose tread would get a bit more bite into the dirt vs a road shoe tread that has a bit of slippage with each step.
My Garmin ended up with a total distance of 26.5mi- which is fairly normal for a marathon. However, its instantaneous pace readout was mostly unusable. the trees and steep hillside seemed to affect its pace accuracy during the race. Which is why I was relying on the mile markers.... which were a mess!
The fact that this is a two day event- with Two fulls, and two half marathons, made it great for a group activity- destination event. If you have a driver- staying near the start in Snoqualmie Pass is a fine idea. You just need a ride back up the hill after the race.
4 /
5 Stars
Exceptional course to BQ or PR
By JR about 2017
Review
Beautiful course, ideal weather, slight downhill, perfect course to crush a PR or get your BQ.
Race Tips
It's a hard packed gravel path so wear sturdy sneakers and be aware there is a 2 mile tunnel so you need a flashlight.
Logistics are well organized. I stayed in downtown Seattle and it was only a half hour away.
5 /
5 Stars
By AE about 2017
Review
Loved the course but I do recommend you train trail or at the least dirt roads. Its a different feel than street or road running. The scenery and temperatures were great. Don't plan on anything fancy for race support. Its trail and its small, less than 600 full marathoners.
Race Tips
Train on some trails or dirt road. We still did most our training on the street but at least once and sometimes twice we did dirt roads. Highly recommend that. Also carry your own water. Water stations every three miles in the first half felt a little long to me.
We stayed in downtown Bellevue which was beautiful with lots of restaurants and grocery store within walking distance. It was 20 minutes to drive to shuttle pick up and end of the race.
