The SCOTT Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series returns for a 12th season to King County Parks’ Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park in May, with a wider variety of race options than ever before through beautiful forest land that’s just minutes away from Bellevue, Seattle, and many other parts of King County.

Co-produced by Northwest Trail Runs and the Seattle Running Club, the race series not only introduces hundreds of participants to Cougar Mountain’s 36 miles of fantastic trails, but it also benefits King County Parks, with more than $126,000 raised since its inception.

Volunteer work groups organized by the Seattle Running Club spend an average of 150 hours each year doing trail restoration work, including improving trail surface conditions, invasive weed removal, and picking up trash.

The series kicks off May 10 with a choice of five-mile or 10-mile runs.

Additional race dates are:

·June 14 – 5 kilometers, 8 miles or 13 miles;

·July 12 – 5 kilometers, 10 miles or 20 miles;

·August 9 – 5 kilometers, 14 miles or 26 miles; and

·October 26 – 7.6 miles, 20 miles or 50 kilometers.

Cougar Mountain Trail Running Series sponsors include SCOTT Sports, The North Face, The Balanced Athlete, On the Ball Fitness, Fleet Feet Sports Seattle, Arcteryx, and KIND Healthy Snacks.

INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION

Details on the race series, including registration, are available online.

DIRECTIONS

From I-90, take the Lakemont Boulevard Southeast exit (Exit 13). Turn right (south) on Lakemont Boulevard Southeast and drive for approximately two miles. Turn left onto Southeast Cougar Mountain Way. Continue 0.6 miles before turning right onto 166th Way Southeast. Follow this road through the gate and look for the parking lot on the right.

From I-405, take the Coal Creek Parkway exit (Exit 10) and follow Coal Creek Parkway east for 2.4 miles to the shopping center. Turn left at the light onto Southeast 72nd Place. At the stop sign, turn left onto Newcastle Road, which turns into Lakemont Boulevard Southeast. Continue on Lakemont past the Red Town trailhead to Southeast Cougar Mountain Way. Turn right and drive 0.6 miles before turning onto 166th Way Southeast. Follow this road through the gate and look for the parking lot on the right.