Orca Running

Hello to all of the new members of our Orca fam! 👋

We thought it might be a good time to reintroduce ourselves. We’re Orca Running, and we think we put on the best darn races in the Pacific Northwest. Swipe through to learn a little about us, and then, if you’ve got a little time, comment below with how you found us! We’d love to see you at a finish line this year! 🙌

We have some amaaaazing news for our friends who enjoy non-alcoholic beer: Fremont Brewing 🍻 is donating some of their very own to the charity beer garden at Craft Classic on August 2nd! All of their NA beers are

IRON HORSE HALF MEDAL REVEAL

I am pretty dang sure we’ve never had a negative space medal quite like this one and I am here for it! Consider this medal a nod to this year’s temporary course changes: we’re turning a negative (massive flooding impacting part of our course for this year) into a positive (taking the scenic route and still having an amazing time along the trails in North Bend).

The Iron Horse Half sponsored by REI Co-op is the quintessential summer race. On August 30th, runners will start (this year only while trail repairs are underway) running south along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, and about 4.5 miles in you’ll turn around and start a gentle descent back the way you came, passing the start line and continuing on another ~4ish miles to our finish line, where the party will be waiting for you! We know for folks who run this event every year, change is hard, but we’re pretty sure you’ll love this event just as much as you always have. 🫶

We’ve got Seattle Greenlake Running pacing, REI setting up a campsite at the finish, and a charity beer garden sponsored by Iron Horse Brewery. All we need now is YOU!

Sign up now, before this one sells out: https://www.orcarunning.com/iron-horse-half/

Snoqualmie Valley Half ✅

Hip hip hooray for everyone who ended Spring on a high note by running the Snoqualmie Half & 10k! The weather was ✨perfect✨ for running, our finish line was hoppin’, and it was so fun to spend the last day before summer celebrating with all of you!

Thank you to REI for advocating for the outdoors, educating us, and creating a comfy spot to hang out and recuperate after a hard effort on the course! Vulpine Espresso, your coffee gave us LIFE today. Partners, A Tasteful Choice Company, never stop making the best crackers in the world. 🫶 To all of our volunteers, you made today happen! It has been so fun to get to know so many of you over the years, and I hope you know just how much we appreciate that you spent your morning helping keep our runners safe, hydrated, fed, and happy.

Thank you to Iron Horse Brewery for sponsoring our charity beer garden and Eastside Fire & Rescue for the work you do supporting our community members - we hope the donations to the Eastside Firefighters Benevolent Fund help so many people this summer!

Big kudos to Pateltales Photography and Ross for snapping so many amazing shots in the course and at the finish - they’re already working on your photos and will have them ready to share later this week!

We are already excited to see you on August 2nd at Craft Classic. There’s still space available so let’s make it a date, okay?

https://www.orcarunning.com/craft-classic/

In case you missed it, the most recent iPhone update added an emoji to the lineup that we’ve been dreaming of for YEARS! 🫍🫍🫍🫍🫍

Now we don’t need to pick between a humpback and a blue cartoon whale 🐋 🐳 when we’re emojifying our logo!

To celebrate, we’re hosting the Orca Emoji Extrava-Giveaway starting today (June 15th) and running through the 21st. Winners will receive $500 or free entry to this year’s Orca Half & 8 Miler, and there will be four winners total. 🙌

To enter, share a post or story on Instagram about the Orca Half. Make sure you tag us (Orca Running 🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏻🫍) and you MUST include the orca emoji in either the image or the caption (or go crazy and do both)! If you’re not sure what to share, swipe right to see this year’s medal, designed by Tlingit artist Alison Bremner! Folks have been earning Orca Half medals designed by Alison since 2019, and we always love seeing her designs gleaming as our runners cross the finish line. 😍

Go check out our page about this giveaway for more details and a few more ways you can win, and good luck! 🤞

https://www.orcarunning.com/orcahalfgiveaway/

📸 credit for slide 1: tiare bowman | seattle photographer
🎨 credit for slide 2: Alison Bremner

Do you love telling people what to do with confidence? Are you fond of fluorescent vests? How about being compensated with race discounts and snacks?

Well we’ve got a gig for you!

We’re still looking for three parking volunteers for next Saturday’s Snoqualmie Valley Half & 10k in Carnation, WA. These are two hour shifts where you will support our runners with parking in designated areas around Tolt McDonald Park, and you would make a huge difference in so many runners’ mornings!

Head to https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/WA/Carnation/SnoqualmieValley and join us for a morning of music, fun, and walking tacos!

Let’s get ready to rumbleeeeeee!!!

We are so excited to share with you a new addition to this year’s One Step Closer: Battle of the Run Clubs!

Battle of the Run Clubs is our new team competition for One Step Closer, and you do not need to belong to an official run club to participate. Your team just needs a cool name and a willingness to have some fun!

Last year, during the inaugural running of this event, we couldn’t help but notice groups setting up camp together, cheering each other on, and creating an incredible atmosphere of support and camaraderie.

We thought two things:
☝️How cool is it to see our running communities come together like this?
✌️There’s an opportunity for some friendly competition here.

Enter: Battle of the Run Clubs.

This year, participants can form teams of 3–5 people. Together, your team will collect as many loops as possible throughout the event. Run as a relay, run together, run at different times—however you want to tackle the challenge is up to you.

At the end of the day, the team with the most cumulative loops will earn more than just bragging rights. They’ll take home our brand-new Stanley Cup-style championship trophy and claim the title of Battle of the Run Clubs Champions. The trophy will be passed on each year, creating a new tradition and giving future teams something to chase.

And that’s not all. We’ll also be awarding additional team prizes, with details coming soon. In fact, we have several other surprises in store. 😉

So what’s stopping you from joining our epic summer running party?

Wherever you are in your running journey, and whoever you are, we can’t wait to celebrate with you. We hope to see you at One Step Closer, and make sure to tag a few friends you’d like to have join your run club on August 15th!

https://www.orcarunning.com/one-step-closer/

Got questions about this epic battle? Pop over to our IG stories and plop them into our question box!

RACE TEE REVEAL: ONE STEP CLOSER

Orca fam, this is the only race I don’t sign up to work because I WANT TO RUN IT SO BAD! Last year’s inaugural event was such a blast and I’ve heard a few sneak peaky tidbits that I know it’s going to be even more fun this year!

On Saturday August 15th, join the entire Pod Squad at Lincoln Park in West Seattle for our only time-based endurance event. Pick from 3, 6, 12, or 18 hours. Everyone runs the same 2ish mile loop course highlighting our gorgeous waterfront and a *ahem* memorable climb. Don’t forget to wave at Bruun Idun the troll on your way by! Winners for each time are the folks accruing the most laps, and we all cross the finish line together and celebrate at 10pm!

Seriously, I had so much fun at the 6 hour that I signed up for the 12 hour this year. I want to experience twice the fun!

We’ll have the barbecues going and will be serving up an assortment of run fuel for our participants throughout the day. Bring your families, too - there are two options for kids to participate (30 min or 1 hour) and a special celebration just for them when they finish. 🙌

Have I convinced you yet? Sign up today because prices increase in July!

https://www.orcarunning.com/one-step-closer/

We’ve been keeping a secret…

The Lake Sammamish Half keeps growing (and we love you for that!) and thanks to YOU, we’re making it a two day event starting next year. Runners can join us on Saturday OR Sunday to nail their first PR of 2027!

To celebrate, we’re opening SUNDAY REGISTRATION ONLY today, at the lowest price you’ll see. There are only 100 spots available now so hop on it if you’d like to lock in your plans for 3/7/2027 today!

Register here for Sunday: https://www.orcarunning.com/lake-sammamish-half/

Lucky you, Orca Fam, because we’ve still got a few volunteer shifts open for June 7th’s Great Ferry Race! There’s a gear check assistant, one aid station volunteer, and at least five course monitor spots open and we’d love to have you. Plus, everyone who volunteers gets 50% off their next race with us, or 100% off if their shift is 3+ hours long!

Bainbridge is a gorgeous place to spend a Sunday morning. See you there!

Register here to volunteer: https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/WA/BainbridgeIsland/TheGreatFerryRace