Bellingham, WA · March
Chuckanut 50K Training Plan
What the Chuckanut 50K asks of your training, and how to build for it. The coach writes the 50k plan around the course, the climb, and the fitness you have now.
- Distances
- 50K
- Course
- Hilly
- Usually held
- Each March
The Chuckanut 50K course
A long-running Pacific Northwest 50K with a memorable lollipop shape: flat Interurban Trail out from Fairhaven Park, a hard technical 30K middle loop that climbs, traverses, and descends Chuckanut Ridge for about 5,000 feet of gain, then the same flat trail back. The closing stretch is faster than it feels, because your legs arrive at it having just been taken apart on the ridge.
Weather on race day
Mid-March near Bellingham is cool and usually wet. Expect temperatures in the 40s, mud on the ridge, and roots and rock that stay slick all day. Dry years happen and are not the way to plan.
What to train for
Technical descending and running well on tired legs. The final flat 5K decides finishing times, so long runs that end with steady running after a hard hilly middle are the specific preparation. Get comfortable on wet rock: this course does not reward tentative footwork.
Registration and official details: Chuckanut 50K official site
Chuckanut 50K training questions
How long should I train for the Chuckanut 50K?
Most runners give a 50k race twenty to twenty-four weeks of focused training on top of a season of consistent aerobic mileage. The coach counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Chuckanut 50K course hilly?
Hilly. A long-running Pacific Northwest 50K with a memorable lollipop shape: flat Interurban Trail out from Fairhaven Park, a hard technical 30K middle loop that climbs, traverses, and descends Chuckanut Ridge for about 5,000 feet of gain, then the same flat trail back. The closing stretch is faster than it feels, because your legs arrive at it having just been taken apart on the ridge.
What is the weather usually like at the Chuckanut 50K?
Mid-March near Bellingham is cool and usually wet. Expect temperatures in the 40s, mud on the ridge, and roots and rock that stay slick all day. Dry years happen and are not the way to plan.
Do I need an account to get a Chuckanut 50K training plan?
For this one, yes. The instant browser builder stops at the marathon, so an ultra plan comes from the coach itself, which needs a free account. Still no card, and the plan adapts as you log the training.
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