This race was the earliest wake-up time yet. The alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. since the race started at 6:30 a.m., and we had to take the light rail to the start line. (The race is a one-way race.) We got to the light rail station by 5:25, in time to hit the second train of the day. (The city starts the light rail early just for the runners.) However, because we were staying downtown and the finish line’s stop was two stops before ours, the trains were packed! And, I mean packed, to the point riders couldn’t get on.

When I saw the crowds at the station, I hit my Uber and Lyft apps to see what it would cost to get a ride to the start line. Uber was running $37, and Lyft was skyrocketing costs to $77-$80!! (I took screen shots below as I couldn’t believe my eyes.) I had checked the apps prior to arriving at the train station like 10 minutes before this, and the costs were around $16. Note to anyone traveling for a run, do your homework on how you will get to the start line. Anticipate crowds on public transportation; anticipate ride share programs increasing their prices. It might be worth the extra $20 for that hotel near the start and/or finish line.

In this instance, I had done my homework and knew another train was due in less than 5 minutes from the one we couldn’t get one. And after that one, there would be another train in 10 minutes. Both trains still gave us plenty of time to make the start of the race. But, other runners didn’t know that, and the ride share companies probably made some big bank.

The race started at Husky Stadium at the University of Washington.  My husband went to the University of Idaho, hence, his face in the photo here. (Smile!)

For this race, we bought the V.I.P. experience. This meant that before the race we had access to bathrooms, coffee, water, juice and a breakfast buffet. Honestly? For me, it was worth it for the restrooms. There were no lines like there were for the port-a-potties outside the stadium.

Soon, we were off. The course was beautiful. Seattle is so green. It’s a different green than Tennessee. It’s like a rich, forest green where Tennessee is more of a bright, kelly green. Part of the race runs along the water and flattens out there. It’s beautiful. You can look across the water at the large buildings and fog. There was so much fog that my photos didn’t turn out. The course is hilly though. Be prepared. It’s not the easiest course in this series. The weather was perfect for this run too–cloudy and in the 60s. But, the hills kept me from hitting a personal best, and I think the travel.

Steve and I finished though, and Seattle makes six. Nine to go!  After the run, we were able to change out of our wet clothes and into some dry ones before having the catered brunch in the V.I.P. area. This time, we were hosted at the Seahawks stadium which was pretty cool, but they made sure we stayed away from the field at this one. Again, no real photos. Coincidentally though, we met a couple from Franklin, TN who had run the race. He’d won an entry to the race of his choice and they had made a vacation out of it. We chatted with them over brunch while listening to music. 

We only had a few hours left to visit Seattle before it would be time to head back to the airport and home to Nashville. Since I hadn’t seen the Space Needle, we caught an Uber and had them take us to the area where there are also museums and beautiful gardens. Due to time, we couldn’t take in the museums. We walked around and simply enjoyed the beauty of the buildings and the views.

After we took in the sights, we walked back to our hotel to stretch our legs and happened upon the new Amazon biospheres. Wow! What an amazing feat they are undertaking. Next up? Chicago! Here we come Windy City!