Olympic Mountains 100k: A grassroots 100k on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula

# Overview

On the morning of August 15, 2026, more than 100 runners assembled in a gravel lot seven miles up a Forest Service road on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula for the Olympic Mountains Trail Race Festival. Mountain Peaks Racing directors Jen and Richard organized four distances over two days, and the 100k in particular became a Western States Endurance Run qualifier this year after numerous Pacific Northwest races were canceled or rerouted due to wildfires.

# Why many runners were there

# Course and terrain

The 100k starts with flowy single track and occasional forest service road connections that make the first half relatively runnable. Runners pass through lush old-growth sections near the Dungeness River where mossy ground and large trees provide softer footing.

The second half is where the course intensifies. The total cumulative ascent is 14,300 feet. Around mile 35, after leaving the Cougar Corner aid station for a second time, runners encounter sustained climbing sequences, including roughly 2,500 feet of climbing over 6 miles and another 2,500 feet over about 2.8 miles. One sustained pitch packs about 1,300 feet of gain in a single mile. Key climbs include routes up Mount Townsend and a final push to a lookout near Mount Zion.

Views were limited by regional wildfire smoke on race day, but some outlooks still revealed layered mountains and dusk colors toward the finish.

# Aid stations, volunteers, and logistics

# Race experience and outcomes

Elite runner Joe "Stringbean" McConaughy passed the author multiple times and ultimately won the event by about an hour. The author, running bib number 40, completed the 100k in 17 hours and 45 minutes, placing in the middle of the field. Steep descents roughed up the quads and knees, but stretches of low-grade forest road allowed some recovery and faster running. The final three miles contained most of the last ascent before a long descent to the finish.

# What the event offers

Mountain Peaks Racing's festival format provides options for different goals: qualification, adventure, or a volunteer-supported mountain experience. The combination of runnable single-track, sustained high-vert climbs, volunteer aid, modest finishing rewards, and a small-field atmosphere positions the Olympic Mountains 100k as a classic grassroots trail race option for Pacific Northwest runners.