Event Description
Fifth annual free Mount Si “Si of Relief” trail race set for April 14
NORTH BEND, Wash. – With hopes warmer weather and dreams of shedding their smart wool and gloves, local runners are setting their sights on thawed trails and this spring’s fifth annual Si of Relief Climb for Time on the Mount Si hiking trail near North Bend.
The four-mile, 3,000 vertical-foot annual ascent of the popular hiking switchback, located some 30 miles east of Seattle along I-90, takes place Sunday, April 14, 2019 and is free of charge.
In 2018 trail runners from throughout the Puget Sound region along with competitors from British Columbia, Canada and as far east as the Carolinas took part in the annual event ushering in the trail-race season.
“The climb was as beautiful and challenging as any climb I’ve done,” said South Carolina trail runner Melissa Kriza after crossing the finish line of the 2018 event. A regular on the local trails near her hometown Charleston, Kriza has tackled ascents on multiple continents including Indonesia’s 5,633-foot Mt. Batur and the challenging 3,558-foot Table Mountain climb near Cape Town, South Africa. She schedule the 2018 Si of Relief climb while traveling in Seattle on business.
While scenic, the Si of Relief Climb for Time is considered Washington state's most challenging trail race said founder Mike McQuaid of Seattle. The ascent takes runners from the Mount Si trailhead just off of the Mount Si Road near North Bend, along the trail’s sometimes rebellious switchback and up to the base of the 4,167-foot peak’s first scramble.
In 2018, Canadian Karen Bond captured the overall title in just over an hour. The 47-year-old native of Warrick, England who now lives in North Vancouver, B.C., shaved 31 seconds off the previous women’s record finishing with a time of 1:03.29.
Beginning with a mass start at 9:30 a.m. at the trail head next to the Mount Si parking lot, competitors keep their own time and reporting on the honor system at the event finish.
The trail race is open to all levels of hikers, climbers and runners. While there is no pre-race registration, climbers are encouraged to indicate they are “attending” the event on the event’s Facebook page or just show up and climb. A Discovery Pass is required to park in the Mount Si parking lot.
To learn more visit http://www.facebook.com/siofreliefclimb.
All-Time Top Finishes
2018 Si of Relief Climb for Time
Top Finishers: Women’s Open (overall winner) 1. Karen Bond, North Vancouver, Canada, 1:03:29. 2. Melissa Kriza, Charleston, S.C. 1:33:00. Men’s Open 1. Nathan Magnusson, Seattle, 1:12:30. 2. Mike McQuaid, Seattle, 1:13:34.
2017 Si of Relief Climb for Time
Top Finishers: Men’s Open (overall winner) 1. Arlo Siemsen, Redmond, 0:57:0. Women’s Open 1. Toni Carlstrom, Redmond, 1:04:00. Men’s 40+ Mike McQuaid, Seattle, 1:05:08. Men’s 20+ 1. Vishal Patel, Seattle, 1:10:51.
2016 Si of Relief Climb for Time
Top Finishers: Men’s Open (overall winner) 1. Jim Sheehan, Seattle, 1:02:10. 2. Mike McQuaid, Seattle, 1:06:30.
2015 Si of Relief Climb for Time
Top Finishers Men’s Open (overall winner) 1. Peter Erickson (Independent) Seattle, Wash. 1:00:45. Men’s 40+ 1. Mike McQuaid, Seattle, 1:08:05. Men’s 50+ 1. Jim Sheehan, Seattle, 1:02:21. Women’s Open 1. Holli Smith Redmond, (no time recorded).
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