THE COURSE THE LOOPS AID STATIONS RACE RULES

THE 50k RACE

If you’re looking for a solidly difficult, early-year ass-kicking, this is it. Tiger Mountain, with its many summits, packs a brutal one-two punch - steep uphills followed by focused downhills. 50k with nearly 9000 feet of elevation gain on rugged Pacific Northwest terrain is a stout effort for even the most seasoned of trail runners. Tiger Claw is a unique challenge that puts you in control. It’s simple: there are three different climbs, each of varying length and difficulty, and one common descent. You get to pick the order in which you complete the loops. Successfully complete each of the 3 different loops, return to the finish and you will have tamed The Tiger!

WEATHER & GEAR

Weather in the Pacific Northwest is delightfully unpredictable. The day might start with cold showers and finish with roasting sun. Even more-so on Tiger Mountain where temperatures and conditions will dramatically change from the base to the summit. We ask that you be prepared for any and all conditions. This could include packing a lightweight rain layer, gloves & beanie. You should follow the weather reports the week leading up to the race start for further details.

WILDLIFE

Spring or Fall in the Issy Alps is prime season for wildlife spotting. While encounters with our bigger counterparts are rare, people have reported seeing black bears, owls, deer and mountain lions in the area. Please stay alert on the trails at all times and follow the proper protocol if wildlife is encountered.

The Pink Loop travels along the local favorite, Tiger Mountain Trail (TMT). Just over 4.8 miles to the top with 2700’ of gain. From the Lower Aid Station, you run straight up the High Point Trail to where the trail splits in a “Y”. To the right is the Bus Trail which connects to the white and yellow loops. Staying left is the West Tiger #3 trail. Continue up to your left until you reach the Tiger Mountain Trail junction 50 feet ahead. A sharp left on the TMT. Enjoy some beautiful singletrack that slowly winds it’s way to the shadowed quiet side of the mountain. In about 2 miles, you’ll arrive at the K3 junction. Turn left continuing on the TMT, downhill. Run across the long bridge and stay right on the TMT. This is where it gets good. TMT will start to climb and climb, eventually crossing paths with the West Tiger Railroad Grade. Take a right and stay straight. When the K3 junction appears on your left, take that left and continue up K3 to the summit of West Tiger 2 and the upper aid station. Congrats, you’re halfway through the Pink Loop!

Download the Pink Loop GPX file HERE.

The White Loop follows the brutal Section Line trail. Just over 2 miles to the Upper Aid Station with 1500’ of gain. Upon leaving the Lower Aid Station, you’ll run straight up the High Point Trail to where the trail splits in a “Y”. Stay to the right along the Bus Trail. In a 1/10th of a mile, you’ll hang a left onto the Nook Trail - a gorgeously lush trail draped in moss and green. As you begin to climb, you’ll turn right on the Talus Rocks Trail. Very quickly you’ll reach the junction with the infamous Section Line. Turn left. Climb. And climb some more. Once you reach the West Tiger Railroad Grade, turn RIGHT. Enjoy the climbing break, catch your breath and keep your eyes peeled for the Seattle View Trail on your left. Turn LEFT on Seattle View and continue to the treeline where you’ll follow the boot path to the summit of West Tiger 2 and the upper aid station. WARNING: the logging operation over the last 2 years has left this section is some disrepair. While we have crews working hard at making this section as pristine as the rest of the course, there may be some tree crossings and difficult footing. Please follow all course markings throughout this short section to the summit of West Tiger 2. Congratulations, you just completed one of the punchiest climbs of the entire race!

Download the White Loop GPX file HERE.

The Yellow Loop - sponsored by rabbit - follows the extremely popular Poo Poo Point Trail (named as such by the loggers after the lunch whistle that would sound through the forest). It’s one of the longer loops, but enjoys some of the flatter sections of Tiger Claw. It’ll take you just over 6 miles to reach the Upper Aid Station, but you’ll crush ~3000’ of vertical! Upon leaving the Lower Aid Station, run up High Point Way Trail to the “Y”. Stay to the right on Bus Trail. Continue straight for about 3/4 of a mile (keep your eye out for the old school bus remains for which the trail is named on the right). Turn LEFT onto the Bonneville powerline service road trail. Then turn LEFT when you reach the Poo Poo Point junction about .25 mile ahead. Follow this trail up for about a mile. When you reach the 3-way Poo Poo Point Trail intersection, stay LEFT to continue up the mountain. Continue up One View Trail, turn right on TMT trail and LEFT on the Hidden Forest Trail. When you reach the fireroad, cross directly over and continue up Poo Top Trail. When you reach the summit of West Tiger 1, continue along the fireroad to the summit of West Tiger 2 just ahead. Enjoy the Aid Station snacks, congrats you did it!

Download the Yellow Loop GPX file HERE.

Tiger Claw has two aid stations, Upper and Lower. Both aid stations will have food and drinks available, but the Upper Aid Station will have limited supplies due to its location. Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, we hope runners till try to remain as self-sufficient as possible. If you have any dietary restrictions/requirements, we recommend making sure you carry what you need to be self sufficient in case they don’t have what you need. Runners can use a drop bag at the Lower Aid Station to resupply as needed.

The Lower Aid Station is located near the High Point Way parking lot where all runners check-in between loops before heading back out to complete the remaining routes. The Upper Aid Station is located on the summit of West Tiger 2. Via the Pink Loop, Upper Aid Station is just under 5 miles from the start. Via the White Loop, Upper Aid Station is 2.8 miles. Upper Aid Station is 6 miles via the Yellow Loop. In the reverse direction, the upper aid station is 3.2 miles from the lower aid station via West Tiger 3 Trail. While the mileages may seem short, please plan on anywhere from 1-2+ hours to reach the Upper Aid Station. Carry everything that you might need.

We are asking runners to limit their on-site crew size in order to limit the number of people at the Lower Aid Station and to have any family avoid route crowding and blocking of trail use. Runners can be crewed at the Lower Aid Station by 1 crew member. Runners cannot receive aid more than 100 meters outside of the Aid Station. The Aid Station Captain will oversea these specifics so please look and listen to them for any questions and direction.

We are a cup-less race so you will need to provide your own bottle/collapsable cup to use during the event.

DROP BAGS

Drop bags will be at the Lower Aid Station for access throughout the day. When runners arrive at the start line in the morning, they can check their drop bag with our volunteers. Drop bags will be transported to the Lower Aid Station immediately following the start of the 50k/50m races. FYI, we cannot guarantee that the bags will arrive to the Lower Aid Station BEFORE you reach it for the first time on the initial Green Loop so plan on having what you need to start the loops with you at the start. Runners MUST write their bib number on their drop bag. Runners can ask for them once they arrive to the Lower Aid Station between loops. Once a runner has finished the race, drop bags will be transported back to the Start/Finish and will be available for pick up until 9pm pst. Please DO NOT leave your drop bag! If a bag is not claimed within 24hours, it will be donated.

ORGANIZERS

Tiger Claw is organized and staged by Ginger Runner, LLC. This organization reserves the right to make changes and amendments to the rules and regulations at any time. This organization reserves the right to add, change or cancel venues or events at any time. In the event that any changes are made, we will contact all registered racers with all the updates and details so that they may make the appropriate adjustments to their race prep.

On race day, racers must respect the direction and authority of the race director, race organization and volunteers.

PARTICIPANTS

We want to make sure you know that Tiger Claw is a very physically difficult event that could present numerous medical risks, many of which can be extremely serious or fatal.

Participants must be 18 years of age or older on race day; however we are able to accept runners 14 to 18 years old with a special waiver signed onsite by the runner and a parent/guardian.

RACE DAY

Tiger Claw features four distinct loops that runners finish in the order of their choosing. This can lead to some important time rules.

• You must leave the Lower Aid Station and start your final normal direction loop by 2pm.

• You must be able to reach the Upper Aid Station and start your final normal direction descent by 3pm pdt.

• You must complete all 3 normal direction loops and reach the finish by 5pm pst (10 hours) to complete Tiger Claw.

• No trekking poles are allowed.

• You must use your e-punch to check-in at the beginning of each climb, at the top of each climb, at the beginning of the blue descent, at the lower inter-loopal aid station and finally at the finish line for an official finish.

• All participants must complete an online waiver when registering. If for some reason a waiver was not completed, one must be signed and returned to Race Management prior to the race in order to participate – no exceptions. They will be accepted at the registration table on race day.

• Race Numbers must be visible and worn on the front at all times. All runners must be checked through each checkpoint by a race official. It is the runner’s responsibility to ensure that the official sees the number.

• Obey all Course Marshals.

• No outside aid (crew, family, hikers, etc) is allowed.

• If a runner makes a wrong turn, the runner must return to the course on foot to the point on the course where the error occurred and then resume the race.

TRAIL ETIQUETTE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPECT

While running (or power hiking!) Tiger Claw, you will be traveling through beautiful and historic forests owned by The Department of Natural Resources and Issaquah Parks And Recreation. The route is open to the public on race day so be courteous and aware of other users. Please be polite and respectful to all other trail users so as to minimize any disruption. We are all sharing the beautiful mountain, so please respect the shared space and be kind to everyone!

• No Pacing - Any non-­participant may NOT accompany registered runners (on foot or otherwise) along the course.

• Do not litter on the course. This will result in disqualification and lifetime ban.

• Please use bathrooms, portable toilets or use common sense, if you have to relieve yourself.

• Slow runners must yield the trail to others wishing to pass.

• Stay to the right. You are sharing these trails with many other outdoor enthusiasts. We ask that you stay to the right on all trails and yield to uphill travelers when necessary. Many trails are very narrow so please stay single file as often as needed.

• If you come across an injured fellow runner, please stay with that person until the sweep or medical attention arrives.

• No short-­cutting: this includes all switchbacks.

• Runners may not store supplies of any kind along the trail.

• No dogs, baby joggers, trekking poles, or other “accessories”: Your shoes, clothing, and nutrition/hydration/emergency supplies, carried on your body are all that you should bring on your run to ensure competition fairness and the safety of you and other runners.

• Headphones ARE permitted, but at volume that allows you to remain aware of your surroundings at ALL TIMES. We request that you only run with one ear bud in but if you chose to run with both in you MUST have the volume low enough so that you can hear other runners, mountain bikers, and crazy wild forest creatures at all times. Seriously, don’t crank your tunes to drown out the suffering - it’s not cool.

• Runners may not receive assistance outside of the designated area at the Lower Aid Station by anyone other than another registered active runner. This standard is enforced for fairness to all runners. Runners do not need to have a crew. You are allowed to receive assistance from a crew within the Lower Aid Station boundaries so long as your crew do not impede other runners or race staff.

• Dropping Out: If you find it necessary to drop from the race, you must do so at an aid station. Notify the aid station captain and have the captain remove your bib number. Failure to do so may result in ban from future races. If you feel you cannot get to the nearest aid station, stay on the trail and a sweep will assist you. Do not leave the course without notifying an aid station captain. If we can’t account for your whereabouts an expensive search and rescue operation will be initiated.

• Mandatory Drop Out: Medical staff and aid station captains have the authority to pull a runner from the event should they deem it unsafe for the runner to continue. The runner must comply with this decision.

INFRACTIONS

Participants are expected to behave in a sportsmanlike manner. Race Management reserves the right to impose sanctions for behavior not specifically mentioned here. This could be in the form of time penalties or disqualification.

Official protests must be made directly to the Race Directors. In the case of unclear or contested infractions, a jury of available racers, volunteers and race marshals will be assembled to provide an opinion to the Race Directors; however the Race Directors reserve the right to make the final decision.

INFRACTIONS THAT WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION

• Short-­cutting the course

• Littering. Seriously, don’t do it. Pack in, pack out. Leave no Trace. All of it.

• Missing a checkpoint

• Receiving aid outside of an Aid Station from someone other than a registered runner

• Getting in a moving vehicle

• Having a pacer

• Failing to remain at a checkpoint for medical evaluation on request of checkpoint personnel

• Impeding another runner

• having a dog or other animal companion on the course

• Disobeying the directions of Race Management and/or race volunteers

INFRACTIONS RESULTING IN DENIAL OF FUTURE ENTRY

• Running as a bandit (either unregistered or using another registered runner’s bib)

• Pacing or crewing for a bandit runner

• Having crews take cars to areas designated as off-­limits

• Disobeying rules regarding dogs off-­leash or mistreatment of the environment

• Littering

• Failing to respect private property

• Mistreating Race Management, Aid Station personnel, runners or crew. We take this one very seriously. Don’t be a dick.