Ultra relay along Seattle's Light Rail
by Race Condition Running. 08:30 October 3rd
Ultra relay along Seattle's Light Rail
by Race Condition Running. 08:30 October 3rd
Light Rail Relay is an unsanctioned urban relay along Sound Transit's 1 Line and 2 Line. Teams of runners and walkers make the journey from Federal Way/Redmond to Lynnwood. The event is held annually in early Autumn.
“explore unfamiliar pockets of the city, make new friends, and do something together that [you] probably wouldn’t do alone”
There are two routes this year, one per line. Each follows its line end to end, visiting every station on the way. They share the stretch from International District/Chinatown north to Lynnwood, so both finish at Lynnwood City Center.
We are using Pantograph for registration and to let teams upload exchange photos for timing.
New team and solo registration closed October 1. You can still join an existing team.
Create a new team and invite others to join.
Team of one. Save the fare, just run the whole way.
It's a chance to see different parts of the city with your friends, and to accomplish something together that you couldn't otherwise. If you're an ultra-runner, maybe you're keen on establishing Seattle's first great urban FKT. Or maybe you like the idea of racing trains. Check out the photos from last year if you still need convincing.
Past runners have said the event gave them a new view of the city and a fresh appreciation for the Link.
Besides, every city worth its salt has a run along a train. Make the most of it.
Yes. When creating a team you may select 1 Line, 2 Line or Interline (both). Interline teams will be expected to begin from both Federal Way Downtown and Redmond Downtown stations at 08:30. Where the trains interline, or share tracks (International District/Chinatown through Lynnwood City Center), you only need to have a single runner complete the leg.
You don't need to carry both batons for the interlined portion (you can pick your favorite)... but isn't it more satisfying if both of them get ferried all the way to Lynnwood?
An interline teams' finish time is the maximum of the durations of the separate parts plus the duration of the shared portion. This means its best if the two branches of the team reach International District/Chinatown at the same time.
That is,
InterlineFinishTime = max(
Federal Way Downtown to CID,
Downtown Redmond to CID
) + CID to Lynnwood
No, none of the above. The event is too small (headcount) and too long for that to pencil out. The relay is mostly an excuse for you to hang out with your friends. See the logistics notes for advice on managing without course support.
If you're interested in sponsoring any of these things for future Light Rail Relays, please reach out!
Anyone can form a team to complete the relay. See the instructions below for making a team.
Decide which format you'd like to participate in. There are three categories for results purposes: Competitive for teams of six, Solo for teams of one, and Open for all other formats. All teams will:
Teams are responsible for their own logistics and support during the event.
New team registration is closed. The registration fee covers a custom event baton. Once your team is confirmed, you and your runners will be able to use the main sign-up form.
Yes, your team can walk for any or all of the event. There will be about 12 hours of usable daylight. Please mark your estimated time appropriately when registering as walking teams will be given an earlier start.
If you want an official time, your team will need to upload station photos with time metadata on Pantograph. We'll verify the photos and post the results. The photos you share will not be posted.
Your baton must be in the photo. It must be possible to tell that the photo was taken from within 100 m of the station platform as the crow flies. You don't need to take the photo on the platform or even from within the fare zone! Use the station art or signage. Zoom into the map to see our recommended exchange landmarks.
We prefer photos contain at least those who started/ended/ran-through a station, so we have documentation for who ran what.
We strongly recommend you follow the given route. We've run it before and assembled notes on what to expect. That said, the course is not monitored, and we will only be checking station photos. You can run alternative routes at your peril.
There are no constraints. The RCR team treats the event like a big long-run, with multiple runners on each leg. See our previous schedules from 2021 and 2022 to get the idea.
If you're looking to set a course record, your team must have exactly six runners each running at least one leg. So you may exchange as few as five times or as many times as there are stations. A mixed team is 3 men and 3 women, and a womens' team is 6 female runners.
Participating in Light Rail Relay involves the same kinds of danger that you would encounter on any run in Seattle. Although unlikely, there is risk of harm from vehicle traffic, falling, nuisance animals, weather, or medical complications. The course is open, and you are responsible for your own safety. During registration, you will be asked to sign a liability waiver acknowledging these risks. That being said, the organizers have run the route multiple times without incident. Click around the route map to see our notes.
You're likely to only have one person running each leg, so it's easiest if the folks who aren't running ride the train together to the next handoff. The train is your Ragnar van.
Our experience with a team of 20+ and multiple runners assigned to each leg is that a shared schedule spreadsheet helps a lot.
It's possible to run the routes unsupported. Otherwise, there are many shops along the way for supplies (zoom into the map to see data from OpenStreetMap). Here are some within 100ft of the 1 Line route:
Within 100ft of the 2 Line route:
Seattle's lack of public restrooms means libraries are your safest bet. The Beacon Hill Branch is only a block off the course, as is the Central Library downtown on 4th Ave. Note that University Branch on Roosevelt is closed until late 2026. Check the Seattle Public Libraries page for up-to-date info. Stations from Kent/Des Moines and southward or Northgate and northward have restrooms, but they are not always in service. Some of the above stores may have restrooms available, and you can zoom into the map to see other restrooms from OpenStreetMap. Do not count on access to any restrooms on the UW campus on weekends.
The map includes OpenStreetMap water fountain information, but the presence and function of fountains changes often. Seattle Public Utilities has a map with the status of their fountains.
Exchanges: The easiest way is to meet at the exact points marked on the route. We've placed the markers next to station art, signage or other landmarks. Zoom into the map to see our recommended exchange landmarks.
Getting around: conveniently, exchanges are accessible via light rail and bus. See Seattle Transit Blog's page for a refresher on how to get around using transit, and check the ORCA site for recommendations on how to purchase fares. UW students can ride for free using their Husky IDs.
We reserve the right to cancel the event if conditions would be dangerous (e.g. lightning near the course, AQI >200, NWS storm/flood/heat warnings). We know the Link has its share of service disruptions. In the event of a disruption affecting teams' ability to reach the start, we may slightly delay the start, or arrange for late arriving teams to receive batons.
We make the batons (the only element of the event we charge for) a couple weeks before the event, and are happy to refund your purchase up until that point. See the date in the payment details during registration. After that, we don't offer refunds but are happy to make arrangements to get your baton to you.
Team captains are your main point of contact. Here are the emails they've been sent:
Hello LRR26 Captains,
Here's what to expect. This email and the previous will also be on the site if you need to reference them. See also: the FAQ.
If your team needs to withdraw, please do so in Pantograph. If you need to drop from Interline to just 1 or 2 Line, let me know.
Have people register. If your team size doesn't match your results images, your times may be struck. They can join your team anytime, even the morning of. If you want to indicate to me that your roster is complete, you can "Close" your team.
Have your team study the map and especially the warnings. In addition to those marked, every year there are minor sidewalk narrowings or detours. Every runner must be prepared to navigate their legs. Put the GPX on your watch.
There are >100 people running, but the course is very big. Depending on your team's pace, it is possible you won't see others after the start. If you want to guarantee meeting people, come to the start early.
If you registered with a previous baton, don't forget it! There won't be extras at the start.
Someone will stay back about 15 minutes after the start in case your start runner arrives late. After this point, you will run without a baton.
The latest trips you should plan to catch to the start are:
Run, but also hang out with your team! Plan ahead if you're going to stop somewhere for coffee. If your team cares about results, post exchange photos to Pantograph. See previous email for instructions.
Interline teams: you don't need to carry both batons on the interlined part of the course (pick your favorite), but you can!
There are many food options a short walk from Lynnwood station. Consider getting a banh mi with your team. I will be around the hummingbird (finish line) for a few hours to say hi. Sorry if I miss you!
If your team has any incidents on the course (from getting lost to getting injured), please let me know (what where and when it happened). We carefully plan the route each year, and we will try to adapt it to avoid repeat issues if we know about them.
Forecast looks ideal.
Redmond 8:00 AM 56°F (13°C) Overcast clouds Bellevue 9:00 AM 57°F (14°C) Overcast clouds Mercer Island 10:00 AM 57°F (14°C) Broken clouds Federal Way 8:00 AM 53°F (11°C) Overcast clouds SeaTac 9:00 AM 56°F (13°C) Overcast clouds Tukwila 10:00 AM 57°F (14°C) Broken clouds South Seattle 11:00 AM 58°F (15°C) Overcast clouds Seattle 12:00 PM 62°F (17°C) Overcast clouds Green Lake 1:00 PM 62°F (17°C) Overcast clouds Shoreline 2:00 PM 61°F (16°C) Overcast clouds Lynnwood 3:00 PM 59°F (15°C) Broken clouds
Please let a trusted person know that you are running and your ETA. The course isn't monitored. If you are injured or lost, you'll never be far from city help/emergency services, but I won't know what happened. If you drop, send me an email.
Nick Walker
Hello LRR26 Captains,
Hope you and your team are almost set for this weekend's run. Three items as you plan:
Please have your runners register. We need to know they've agreed to the event waiver, and the results only make sense with accurate team sizes.
We've added a tab to Pantograph to help you manage leg assignments. It's a little fancier than a spreadsheet, but also less flexible. It's probably most useful for bigger teams. You should coordinate however is most effective.
Also in Pantograph, the "Photos" tab lets anyone on your team upload exchange photos. Time and location from these will turn into live splits on the event page. If geotagging was turned off before a runner took the photo, you can manually set the exchange it was for. A warning will show when you attempt to upload a photo that has no metadata, and there are some troubleshooting pointers on the page. The photo system will be reset before the event. Let me know if you run into problems.
A few more details to come Thursday.
Nick Walker
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