The Blanchard Beast Trail Race

The 2023 Blanchard Beast Trail Race

Saturday, October 21st, 2023 – 9 AM

The Blanchard Beast is a GBRC trail race that is approximately 10 miles long. The race takes place on the trails of the Blanchard State Forest due South of Bellingham, WA and offers an exciting, wooded run with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain. This race offers something in-between a 10K and a half marathon for those who are interested in pushing their max distances or as a training run for something bigger.

Race Results

Race results for the Blanchard Beast can be found below:

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Day of Information

An email will be sent out to all race participants with day of info approximately a week before the event.

Bib & Merchandise Pickup

Race bibs with timing chips will be available for early pickup at Fairhaven Runners and Walkers. We will have limited day of pickup, so if possible, please pick them up in advance:

Parking & Directions

If possible, please carpool! Due to limited parking at the start/finish area it is highly recommend that you carpool. We have arranged several transportation methods to help with the limited parking:

  1. Park at the Alger Park and Ride and take the provided transportation to the race start/finish area. There is enough space for about 45 cars at this park and ride. We will have a shuttle running periodically from the race starting area to/from the park and ride starting at 7:45 AM. The park and ride is only a few miles from the starting area.
  2. Park at the Lower or Upper Blanchard Trailheads. Please try to use one of our other transportation offerings if possible since we can only fit 20 or so cars at the start/finish area. The remaining cars will be parked on the side of the road as able. A Discover Pass is required to park in the Blanchard State Forest. Do not park East of the start/finish line on B-1000 Road (5 Mi Blanchard Hill Trail Road). This is private land and we do not have permission to park here.

The start/finish area is located in Blanchard State Forest. To drive to the trailhead, start at I-5 exit 240, go north on Samish Lake Road for 0.5 miles. Turn left on Barrel Springs Road and go one mile. Turn right on B-1000 Road (5 Mi Blanchard Hill Trail Road). Go 1 mile to trailhead.

Day of Schedule

Below is the schedule of events on Saturday:

Wave Start Information

We will have several waves at the starting line to help keep the first, short section of trail from getting too congested. Your wave will be determined by the time you provided during registration and will be communicated closer to the event.

Important Course Information

Detailed course information can be found below or by clicking here.

This is an open course. A portion of the race course is made up of multiple use trails. If you encountered a horse during the race, please yield to the horse ideally on the downhill side of the trail. You may encounter mountain bikers as well. For more information on trail etiquette https://trailrunner.com/trail-news/trail-running-rules-run/ and https://trailsarecommonground.org/ are good resources.

Pets are not allowed on the course.

There is one very, very important turn for you to make while racing (if you don't you'll get to add a few miles and a LOT of elevation gain...). During the second climb on the Samish Bay Trail make sure you take the left turn to the Samish Overlook.

Aid Station

There will be one aid station located at (or near) the Samish Overlook with water and a limited food selection. If you have a portable cup or water container you are willing to run with, please bring it. We are hoping to minimize the amount of waste created during the event.

In past years we have had an additional aid station at the top of the Alternate Incline trail. Due to its distance from the starting line and other logistical constraints it it was decided to not have one this year.
Finish Line Drop Bag

Since we are primarily using the park and ride for parking we are allowing one drop bag to be left at the start/finish line. Please be prepared to label it with your name and bib number.

Return Trip to Alger Park and Ride

We will have the shuttle running routinely after the race or as demand requires.

Volunteering

Interested or know someone who is interested in volunteering? Please reach out to info@blanchardbeast.com!

Awards & Prizes

The following awards will be given out after the event:

The Course View Course Details

The 10 mile course starts at Blanchard State Forest's Lower Parking Lot and the course is ran in the counter-clockwise direction. For more information on the coures please use the resources below:

Some additional important information about the course includes:

– Race Sponsors –

Need to Get In Contact With Us? info@blanchardbeast.com

Please contact us if you have any questions or if you are having any issues with the registration system. The best way to get a hold of us is to use Facebook chat (see chat bubble in lower right corner of the screen) or to email us at info@blanchardbeast.com.

The Race Team

Interested in getting in contact with a specific member of our race team? Their contact information can be found below.

Tim Schafermeyer
Lead Race Director and Web Guru
tim@blanchardbeast.com
Andrew Murray
Jack of All Trades
andy@blanchardbeast.com