Paul Lieto

If you haven’t tried obstacle racing, maybe this is the year, or decade, to give it a whirl. Your options are plentiful as there are a handful of Spartan events in the Pacific Northwest this year. Events kickoff in early April as Seattle plays hosts to a Spartan Super and a Spartan Sprint event at the Meadow Wood Equestrian Center in Snohomish, WA.

Challenging yourself is often the best way to stick to any training plan. The Pacific Northwest Half & Full Marathon Series has several challenge options if you’re willing to tackle a number of races this season.

The 52nd Annual Zena Road Runs, put on by the Willamette Valley Road Runners, takes place Sunday, February 16, 2020.

Escape the wet and cold of the Pacific Northwest and head south to enjoy all that Napa Valley has to offer. The Napa Valley Marathon and Half Marathon is set for March 1, 2020.

The Canyon Rumble Frozen Half is a trail race through Willow Canyon in Madras, OR, held Saturday, December 7. Racers can choose between the half marathon, 10K, or 5K routes which all follow the same course.

According to Seattle Parks & Recreation, a local realtor named Ravenna Park after “an Italian seacoast town that was famous for its pine trees, where poets, warriors, and statesmen once strolled in a state of euphoria.” The PNW Ravenna Park serves as a nature retreat for city dwellers and also hosts the Ravenna Refresher trail races held on November 16.

Riverside State Park in Spokane, WA will play host to the Chocolate Chip Cookie 50K Trail Run on October 26. The course offers runners views of the surrounding mountains, Spokane River Valley, the CCC Suspension Bridge, and nearby haystack rocks.

Choose one, two, or all three races at the Oakridge Triple Summit Challenge three-day event held September 27-29.