Beach from Seattle to Everett FKT

BEACH FROM SEATTLE TO EVERETT - FKT

Looking North from Carkeek Park

 The very first time I read about this route I knew I had to run it. I would be facing 26 miles of essentially uninterrupted beach running, that had to be timed with a negative tide event, as much of the beach is inpassable except at low tide. Pair that with extremely rocky, technical footing and a course that would travel point to point with few spots to drop if needed and I instantly knew it was calling me. It was in the summer of 2018 that this first came onto my radar. With other races, adventures and life projects the timing to run this FKT attempt had never really lined up for me. However with Covid-19 causing the cancellation of all racing for the foreseeable future, and forcing huge changes to our daily schedule, I found my self with an opportunity I knew I couldn't pass up.

I began by looking at the tide charts for Seattle to find out which day in the near future would give me the largest negative tide. It looked like May 9th would be the day, with a negative tide of -2.7 feet. When reading the notes from the previous FKT attempt I noticed that the last run had taken place during a -1.6 tide. This was reassuring knowing that -2.7 would be quite sufficient for beach access. About 10 days out I began to check on the weather forecast, it was looking like it was going to be hot! With a predicted high of 81, it was shapeing up to be our hottest day of the year by quite some margin. This excited me for the chance to be outside on the beach in such glorious weather, but concerned me because of my lack of heat preparation over the last couple of months, and knowing it would mean carrying extra water.

Looking South from Carkeek Park. The route begins just around the point in the upper right.

The low tide for Saturday May 9th was to be at 1:06 pm. I knew I was shooting for around 4 hours to complete the run, so I figured I'd try to aim for low tide around the middle of the run. This meant a departure time of 11 am was chosen. As the day drew closer it was all starting to feel real. I was getting so excited to be out on the beach, staring at the mountains, and running 26 miles point to point! The morning of the attempt finally rolled around, and after some play time with my daughter and a light breakfast of toast and oatmeal, I was off to Golden Gardens. The start is less than 2 miles from my house, so with a short car ride and a serious application of sun screen I was ready to get started.

Starting at Golden Gardens Bath House

The first couple of miles are relatively sandy, with fewer rocks than later sections, however the angle and slope of the beach is quite noticeable in these miles. I remember trying to keep my feet from getting wet on the first couple of water crossings that I came to. In retrospect this seems silly, it was about 5 minutes into the run before my feet were completely soaked, and they would stay that way for the rest of the run.

These first couple miles seemed to take a while. You know those runs where you are continuously checking your watch, only to find that you have run a mere .2 miles since the last check? Yeah, this was starting off that way. Suddenly I was thinking about, how far 26 miles seemed, as opposed to how excited I was to be traveling that distance. I tried to calm my mind, I focused on the beauty surrounding me, the feeling of the sun on my skin, and the uniqueness of the course I was traveling. This helped a little.

My brother lives near by, so I was excited when he agreed  to come and document the run with his drone. We talked beforehand and agreed on a couple of different access points where he would be able to get to the beach to do some filming. The first of the access points came just two miles into the run at Carkeek Park. I was excited to run past my brother and his wife, and it gave me a little extra boost of excitement that was appreciated. Here is a link to the video of the run: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fzOh1kiyEf0

Approaching Carkeek. I'm the little dot in the middle

Going through Carkeek park, Olympic mountains in the background

As I left Carkeek park, I knew that the next major landmark would be about 8 miles ahead. This would be the 1/2 mile or so of the run that leaves the beach and goes through the town of Edmonds. The first mile after Carkeek park was one of the rockiest and most technical sections of the whole route. There are stretches that are over a 1/3 of a mile long, where you are running on nothing but seaweed covered rocks that range from golf ball up to grapefruit size. This mile was one of my slowest, and while I tried to keep a "running" motion going, at times I was reduced to more of a cautious hobble over the rocks. I remember thinking that if you try this route you must be confident in your ankle strength! About 45 minutes into the run I decided I was ready for a little bit of music. As soon as I put the headphones on I felt a surge in motivation and a little calming of the mind. The miles started to flow by more effortlessly, the sun felt warm on my skin, and the mountains stood tall to the west. I was feeling good. 

Around seven miles you pass under this cool, old pier 

Prior to the attempt I spent some time studying the satellite images of the two sections of the run that exit the beach and pass through towns. I knew the turn off into Edmonds would come around mile 10, and I knew what it looked like on the satellite images. As soon as I hit Marina Beach park I should turn right to head into town. I was feeling good and hadn't looked at my watch for a little while and ended up running through Marina Beach park and encountering the end of the beach at a large rock wall. I quickly realized I must be in Edmonds and ran back towards the park. I think this mistake only cost me 3 or 4 minuets, but I felt silly because I had specifically prepared for this turn. When you hit Edmonds you have a little over a 1/2 mile on pavement. I was really excited to have solid, stable footing and I knew that this would be a good section to bank some time. I tried to push here.

As I left Edmonds and headed back onto the beach I was feeling great. I had made good time through town, the views were beginning to change showing a magnificent view of Mt. Baker, and I felt excited about what I was undertaking. Within a mile of being back on the sand and rocks I started to fatigue. I was starting to feel the 80 degree sun, my quads suddenly felt tired, and my hip flexors were complaining from lifting water soaked shoes that felt like blocks on my feet. I knew I only had another couple miles before the next point that I would run past my brother. I popped a gel, focused on good form and keeping my arm swing going, I just keep moving. 

This section from mile 10-20 in between Edmonds and Mukilteo is the most desolate section. There were a couple of 2-3 mile stretches were I didn't see anyone else. The wildlife that I encountered throughout this whole run was amazing. My bald eagle count for the day was 8, and the geoducks (google these if you are not familiar with them!) were squirting water several feet into the air. At a couple of water crossing I saw big schools of fish, and there were lots of crabs scurrying across the beach throughout the day.

Which line is going to be best through this section?

It was also this section between miles 10-20 where I realized how critical route choice is on this run. At times the tide was so far out that the beach section spanned almost a 1/2 mile. Choosing which path you wanted to follow was difficult. At times I would run into very, very soft sand or a water crossing that looked minimal from a distance. What looked minimal from far away would often end up being a water crossing up to my hips and over 50 feet long. The scale of the open beach paired with the ever changing conditions underfoot made this section a little more challenging and exciting.

As I approached mile 14 and Picnic Point park, I was excited to hear the buzz of my brothers drone. Again I ran past my brother and his wife, getting just the little boost of excitement I needed at the time. The drone followed me for over a kilometer and it was a positive motivator, it kept me thinking about good form, and helped me pick up the speed a little.

Mile 14, Picnic Point

Mile 14, Picnic Point

Whatever lift to my spirits the drone and my brother had given me, quickly dissipated as I headed into the last 10 miles of the run. It was at this point that I really started to feel the accumulation of all the sand, rocks, water, and unstable footing. The ground on this run is so technical that the amount of twisting, tripping, and stumbling that I did is hard to describe. My hip flexors and feet were hurting. I knew I had no other option than to just put the pain out of my my mind and keep moving. 

From miles 16-20 I found my self counting down each one. "Okay, only 3 more miles till pavement" I would tell my self. "Okay, only 2 more miles" I found this somewhat assuming, living in the city I often find myself craving more access to soft, dirt trails and here I was yearning for a mile of pavement!

As I started to see more and more people on the beach I knew I must be approaching Mukilteo. I thought about the minuets I lost prior in Edmonds by missing my turn, so I made sure to pay attention to this section. I turned off the beach, into Lighthouse park as soon as I could. I tried the best I could to make the legs turn over and add some speed through Mukilteo, however I was not moving as fast as I would have liked. I could feel the weight of the water in my vest, my feet were numb, wet and sandy, but none the less it felt good to pick it up a little bit and to have stable footing to run on. There is currently construction on the waterfront in Mukilteo, so again having studied the maps really helped in this section. You get to run right past the little train station in town, it was cool!

As I left Mukilteo, I knew I had about 5 miles left. Suddenly, I heard a low buzz. The drone was back! Again I got another little boost as I reentered the beach for my final section of the run.

Beach just past Mukilteo, Everett in background

Running parallel to the train tracks, looking for some softer sand

You have about a mile and half of quite rocky beach out of Mukilteo. I tried to hold some semblance of form and speed here, but the reality was that I was slowing down and fatiguing. The relentless challenge of the terrain was taking its toll on me. I kept reminding myself that my time was still on pace to be under four hours, and I knew the calmer I could stay, the stronger I could finish. With about 3.5 miles to go you round a large bend in the beach and you can see where you will be finishing the beach running. It felt great to be able to look ahead and know what I needed to cover. This last 3 miles of beach is a very large crescent shape, that is very flat with little slope. The tide was extremely far out here. There were big sections of open sand that I though I could take advantage of to get some speed over the last miles. Don't be fooled by them :-) They are big mud flats that at best felt like running through wet concrete and at worst almost took my shoe when I sank in past my ankle! I got back onto the rocks, put my headphones on and tried to wrap it up the best I could. 

The beach comes to an end at the edge of the industrial section in Everett, and you make a right turn onto the Pigeon Creek Beach trail. This last section is a little under a mile, and the final chance to spin the legs a little bit. As I finished up I reflected on how special it was to experience 26 miles of coastline. The smells, the wildlife, the views, it had all been an amazing experience. I finished at the parking lot of the trail head with a time of 3:58:08. I had just slipped under my goal of 4 hours! My wife and daughter were waiting for me. I enjoyed a post run beer, sitting on the curb listening to the sound of the seals in the distance.

Gear Used:

Shoe - Topo Athletic Zphyer (a road shoe, with great drainage and a plastic plate in the midsole)

Socks - Drymax

Shorts - Adidas 1/2 tight TinMan edition

Shirt - Cotton Coors Peak

Vest - Salomon 5L

Headphones - PowerBeats3

Water: I carried a total of 54 ounces, (34 in the vest, 20 in handheld) However I only used 23 ounces.

Food: 3 Cliff Gels, 1/2 pack of sour patch watermelon candies.