Pigtails Challenge

Welcome to the 2026 edition of the Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series, put on by Seattle Running Club and Northwest Trail Runs. Our events support King County Parks, with $15 of every entry going to KC Parks.

Events

May 9: 5.1 Miles & 10.8 Miles

9 AM start for all races, 12:00 PM cut-off (~16:40 pace for 10.8 miles)

June 13: 5K, 8.2 Miles & 14.5 Miles

9 AM start for all races, 1:00 PM cut-off (~16:35 pace for 14.5 miles)

July 11: 5K, 10.8 Miles & 19.5 Miles

9 AM start for all race, 2:30 PM cut-off (~16:55 pace for 19.5 miles)

August 8: 5K, 14.5 Miles & 26.2 Miles

8:30 AM start for the 14.5 and 26.2, 9 AM start for the 5K, 4 PM cut-off (~17:10 pace for the marathon)

October 24: 5K, 7.6 Mile Cross Country, 19.5 Miles & 50K

8 AM start for the 19.5 and 50K (7 AM early start will be available), 9 AM start for 7.6 Miles and Cross Country event, 9:30 AM start for 5K, 5 PM Cut-off (~17:25 pace for 50K, ~19:30 pace for early start)

Series (BEST 3 OUT OF 4 RACES is eligible for awards):

Short Series: May 5.1 Miles, June 8.2 Miles, July 10.8 Miles & August 14.5 Miles

Long Series: May 10.8 Miles, June 14.5 Miles, July 19.5 Miles, August 26.2 Miles

Top overall Man, Woman, and Nonbinary runners based on cumulative time will receive an award and free entry into next year's series.

If you are a Seattle Running Club member and want to use your membership discount on the short or long series, please signup for the series using the short pass or long pass and then send the race director ([email protected]) an email with your SRC member number. You will receive a partial refund within 5 business days. For all other races, please use the coupon code given to Seattle Running Club members--if you do not know the member code, please email the race director with your member number to get the code).

Online registration closes at 11:59 PM PDT the Wednesday before each event. We will have day-of registration if you did not register in time.

Reasons to Sign Up

1. Well-marked trails with distances that are perfect for all experience levels

2. Community: Surround yourself with members of the trail-running community

3. Post-race food and libations, including beer provided by one of our Club's partner stores, Flying Lion Brewery

4. Raise money for King County Parks: $15/runner donated to the parks

Safety Guidelines

If you are showing symptoms of any illness or disease, please skip this race. Email [email protected] for other race options or it's a much appreciated donation!

We Run on Native Land

We acknowledge that our running opportunities are built on the purposeful removal of Native peoples, who have been the stewards of Seattle-area lands for thousands of years. Thus, we accept our ethical responsibility for the ongoing stewardship of the land and purposeful support of Native neighbors, colleagues, businesses, and tribes. The Muckleshoot, Duwamish, Stillaguamish, Snoqualmie, and Coast Salish are the Natives of the lands we run on.

Photo Consent

I understand and accept that photos/videos/illustrations may be taken of me and/or my personal property while attending/participating in Seattle Running Club (SRC) events/functions. I acknowledge and agree that such photographs or other illustrations may be used by SRC and its related entities for advertising and promotional purposes in any medium, without compensation to me. If you would prefer not to have a particular photo used, let us know and we’ll do our best to remove it right away.

A Greener Event: Cup Free - Again, this year the series is continuing to reduce the amount of trash created during the event. We ask that runners bring a refillable water container with them on the trail to use at aid stations along the way. Our friends at Seven Hills Running, Fleet Feet Sports Seattle Ballard, and Snoqualmie Running have a variety of hydration products.

Race Information -Thanks to runners like you, the Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series has raised over $265,000+ for King County Parks and contributed hundreds of hours of trail work. Join Seattle Running Club and Northwest Trail Runs in carrying this legacy forward and making this 22nd annual event bigger and better than ever!

Just 15 minutes from Seattle, King County's Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park is one of the most popular training grounds for area trail runners and the Seattle Running Club. The course builds on itself throughout the series and brings runners through a lush forest of fern-lined single-track trails, over hills and along marshes and wetland habitats. This is a great series to supplement the training regime for a fall marathon or ultra. Cougar Mountain features rolling hills, a few moderate climbs, and a few steep but short inclines.

The summer Short Series and Long Series races are held on the 2nd Saturday of May, June, July, and August. The Fall races are held on the last Sunday in October. Series standings are updated after each month's races and everyone competing in each successive distance is eligible for Series awards (best 3 out of 4 races is eligible for awards!). There is a participant cap and the races tend to sell out, so register early! There are NO REFUNDS!

Seattle Running Club Discount

If you are a member of Seattle Running Club, you should have received a discount code for 20% in the newsletter. You will need to provide your member number if you use this discount code. There are also many other discounts and benefits for being a member of the Seattle Running Club.

No Dogs

As much as we love our four-legged friends and family members, we are not allowed to have dogs at our event.Very important announcement: Dogs are not allowed on the course due to Insurance Requirements. Despite the park's policy on dogs on leashes being acceptable, insurance has determined dogs on course cause a potentially unsafe environment for participants and spectators.

Awards

The top 3 Men, Women, and Nonbinary Runners in each event will receive a podium prize.

Join the Club!

It's officially race season! And the Ten Trails Active Club is back at it with our 4th annual 5k Summer Series! Having a baby girl isn't going to slow down this team! Our summer series is our claim to fame and is a great way to build new friendships with your fellow community members - all while getting active alongside a supportive group of individuals with their own set of unique fitness goals.

The series consists of seven bi-weekly races. You only need to register once to be eligible to run or walk in all seven races (you'll be assigned a race number for the entire season at check in) ... and registration is FREE! We encourage folks of all fitness levels, and of all communities to come out and join us! Each race will be hand-timed on an open course, and results of each race will be posted on our website within a few days following the race. Post-race snacks and water will be provided as usual, but we ask everyone to bring their own water bottles to help cut back on plastic cup usage. The course has not changed from the previous years - details can be found here: COURSE MAPS | TenTrailsActiveClub (or on the link further below on this page). Note that this is a 5k despite what your watch may record... it's a twisty course through the Ten Trails trails!

As with previous years, we will have prize categories for our fastest runners and walkers, as well as categories for racers who show the most club spirit, go all out on the sprint segment, or show the most support for others throughout the season. So, anyone can win in this series! But you must compete in at least four of the seven races to be eligible for prizes. Awards will be presented at our End-of-Season Awards Potluck which will be hosted a few weeks after the last race.

Races will be held every other Wednesday on the following dates: June 17th, July 1st, July 15th, July 29th, Aug 12th, Aug 26th, Sep 9th. Check-in for each race will be held in Civic Park at 6:00pm. Race announcements will start promptly at 6:30pm, with the official start to immediately following. On the weeks that we do not race, we do have a group run from Civic Park at 6:30pm that we encourage everyone to join as well.🙂

We can't stress enough how fun these races are! So, come on out and see for yourself! 😀

Excited to see you all out there!

~Coach Dalty

Sponsorship Note:

We (a very small group of individuals) love hosting these free events for the community and have no plans on stopping! With that said, we have no large or consistent sponsors - so these events are not free for us to host! If you are in a position to donate and help keep these events going in the future, we would greatly appreciate it. Donations can be made during registration or directly to Coach Dalty in person. Every contribution is much appreciated!

Pulse Brewed Coffee (owned by Coach Dalty) also contributes a portion of his sales to funding Ten Trails Active Club events, so if you'd like to try some great coffee, give Pulse Brewed a try! You won't be disappointed!

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!!

$35 for adults; kids 12 and under are FREE, thanks to our sponsors, when you register online by May 31st (a small handling fee will apply for all registrations). Participants 8 years old and younger must register with and be accompanied by an adult or participant 13 years or older.

SCHEDULE FOR RACE DAY, 6/27/2026

7:30am - 8:30am Packet pick up and day-of registration*

9:00am 5K race starts

10:00am Awards

*Day-of registration (until 8:30am) using your personal mobile device, then come pick up your bib from us! No on-site payments will be accepted.

RACE COURSE

5K Run/Walk Race Course map

PARKING

Parking will be available at Lake Wilderness Park. We highly encourage carpooling with others. Arrive early so you have enough time before race start!

Please see attached map for specifics. Parking and Race Day Map

PRE-RACE PACKET PICK UP

Pre-race packet pick up will be offered at Road Runner Sports in Kent. Come and get your race bib and t-shirt* before the race. Grab all of your race day needs when you come in to grab your race bib!

*T-shirts only guaranteed for those who register by May 31st.

CHIP TIMING

Chip timing will be provided by Tortoise and Hare Timing. Disposable chips will be placed on back of bib numbers.

AWARDS

Awards for both males and females will be given in the following age groups for in person race only.

Age Group Awards will be given based on Chip Time

0-5

6-9

10-12

13-15

16-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85-89

90-94

95-100

100+

1st place in each age division wins the coveted Bear Run Bear!

2nd-3rd place in each age division receive Bear Run Bells

Special awards for top 3 overall men and women will be based on gun time.

RACE RESULTS

Official race results will be posted on our website and online at Tortoise & Hare Timing. Results will be based on chip time (crossing start line to crossing finish line).

STROLLERS, DOGS & WATER

We encourage the use of jogging strollers along the trails of this family-friendly 5K! Out of consideration for other participants, dogs will not be allowed on the course (with the exception of service dogs). We do offer water at the end of the race.

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

Proceeds from the Bear Run will benefit Tahoma High School distance running programs administered by the Tahoma Cross Country Running Club. The funds fill a wide range of needs for our large team of athletes including support for athletes and families who need help with team participation and summer camp fees, multiple scholarships awarded each year, and travel expenses beyond that available from the school district budget. These kids work hard and run hard all year while maintaining exceptional grade point averages. They deserve our support!

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Send email to Katie Leh at [email protected]