Hi Seattle!

[sakura]

I really want to thank the Seattle posters that gave me advice earlier this year on moving to Seattle. It was extremely helpful!

A little update on me: It was a long process to get here, but we moved to Seattle about a month ago and we love it. We found a rental house in Ballard and I have a job in downtown Seattle so we can both commute by bus. Figuring out childcare was a disaster in the beginning, but our kids are in pre-Kindergarten now and it's working out well. 

A question for you, what's a fun 5k to half-marathon organized race in Seattle? My friend is planning a trip to visit us in 2018 and would like to plan it around a run because her goal is to do race in every state. 

Thanks!

[jenny1980]

Oh fun! We're in Ballard too! PM me if you want to meet up sometime. :-)

There are fun runs (generally 5ks) for most holidays. The Jingle Bell run is fun as is the one for St. Paddy's Day and there is a "love em or leave em" run for Valentines Day at Greenlake. I am not a runner though so my advice isn't great on this subject lol. 

[smock]

I just moved to Seattle earlier this summer too! I grew up here, though, so it has been a pretty smooth transition--other than childcare, which is crazy here! I'm also in the north end.

As for races, my BIL came up for the rock N roll half marathon last June and loved it.

[sakura]

I'm not a runner either, but I could probably huff and puff my way through a 5k so we could do it together I'll see if any of those runs/dates will work for her. Thanks!

[spunbutterfly]

I rarely post these days, finding time to be on a computer rather than phone is nearly impossible. But I'm in Ballard too and used to run when I had more time and less kids. There's the hot chocolate run at some point, the FroYo run in the summer. There's a briefcase run in Fremont with beer at the end.

www.active.com/seattle-wa/running/5k might help.

[clseale]

Not from Seattle, but I am a runner. I have had friends that did the RnR race and enjoyed it. DH and I were out there year before last and we did the Beat the Blerch half in Carnation. It was a lot of fun! It's on the Snoqualmie Trail, so a different experience than your typical road race, but so pretty!

[InBetweenDays]

Welcome! I'm in Ballard too Do you have school-aged kids? I have a son at elementary school and a daughter in middle school here. I also love running so some fun runs:

Hot Chocolate (early March) is a pretty good course and excellent treats at the end. The start time is SUPER early though. Some friends and I have done it with our kids the past 4 years. www.hotchocolate15k.com/seattle

Turkey Trot is a fun local Ballard run the day before Thanksgiving that raises money for the Ballard Food Bank. seattleturkeytrot.org/

Fitness for Vitality 5k at Alki Beach is a great FLAT course. When I did it it was in June. Not sure of the timing now. fitnessforvitality.com

If you have a pet (or love dogs), the Furry 5k is fun. www.furry5k.com/

Women of Wonder 5K at Green Lake. promotionevents.com/wow2/index.php

Another local (Ballard) race is the Running of the Beavers that raises money for the Ballard High School Foundation. runningofthebeavers.com/

So many other races in and around Seattle.

[InBetweenDays]

Just realized you said you were looking for distances between 5k - half marathon. I only noticed the 5k. Some other distances in the area that are fun:

12Ks of Christmas - src12ksofchristmas.com/
Seahawks 12k - seahawks12krun.com/
Seattle half marathon (hilly but nice course over Thanksgiving weekend) - www.seattlemarathon.org/
Mud and Chocolate 1/2 marathon (muddy but fun and flat trail 1/2) - mudandchocolate.com/
Mercer Island 1/2 marathon (nice sized race. Not sure if they've changed the course but when I ran it was rather cambered so my knee hurt at the end) - mercerislandhalf.com/

Personally I am not a big fan of the Seattle Rock 'n Roll. HUGE race, rather expensive for what you get, the bands were playing at only a handful of stops, etc. But I haven't done it in a few years.

If you want to travel a bit I highly recommend the
*Leavenworth Oktoberfest 1/2 (beautiful course and the race is on a Saturday so you can enjoy Oktoberfest in Leavenworth)
*Victoria 1/2 marathon (again, gorgeous and relatively flat course and makes for a fun getaway weekend)
*Whistler 1/2 marathon (very hilly, but some road, mostly paved trail, and some gravel and single track trail with phenomenal views)
*Seawheeze 1/2 marathon in Vancouver (it sells out immediately now. Put on by Lululemon and well run race).