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⏵ Course guide · Strait of Juan de Fuca timed race

Salt Creek 24 Course Guide

Salt Creek 24 is really two races at Salt Creek Recreation Area on the Strait of Juan de Fuca: a laid-back 12 or 24-hour lap of a 1.4 mile park loop, and a genuinely hard Last Runner Standing division that sends racers up neighboring Striped Peak, about 1,000 vertical feet, every hour on the hour. I will walk you through both formats first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for whichever one you pick, with free calculators along the way.

⏵ At a glance

Salt Creek 24 quick facts

Date
Saturday-Sunday, October 24-25, 2026
Location
Salt Creek Recreation Area, 3506 Camp Hayden Rd, Port Angeles, Washington
Formats
12-hour (solo), 24-hour (solo or relay team), Last Runner Standing
12/24-hour loop
1.4 mile paved/unpaved park loop; lap when you want, as often as you like
Last Runner Standing
Striped Peak summit every hour on the hour, 3.7-3.75 mi round trip, about 1,000 ft of vertical gain per summit
Start times
24-hour: 8:30 AM Sat to 8:30 AM Sun. Last Runner Standing: 9:00 AM Sat, continues hourly until one runner remains
Views
Strait of Juan de Fuca, towering evergreens, moss and ferns, WWII-era history
Organizer
Peninsula Adventure Sports, in partnership with Rain Bear Running

These facts come from the official Peninsula Adventure Sports event page. Check the current year details, formats, and pricing before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

Two formats, one scenic park

Salt Creek 24 does not have a single finish line. Pick your format based on how you want to spend your day: an easygoing lap race you control, or a hard, hourly summit contest that decides itself.

The 12/24-hour loop: choose your own challenge

Runners and walkers circle a 1.4 mile combination paved/unpaved loop around the park for either 12 or 24 hours, solo or on a relay team. The clock runs continuously, but you decide how you use it: lap as much or as little as you like, go on and off the course whenever you want, and treat it as an all-out mileage push, a long training day, or a fun outing with friends. Expansive views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, towering evergreens, and a bit of WWII-era history keep every lap interesting.

Last Runner Standing: a real climb, every hour

This is the format that separates Salt Creek from a typical flat backyard ultra. Instead of a flat loop, racers summit neighboring Striped Peak on a 3.7 to 3.75 mile round trip forested singletrack trail, gaining about 1,000 vertical feet each way to a stunning viewpoint, on the hour, every hour, until one racer remains. The course record stands at 16 summits (2024), and the 2025 edition was suspended at midnight due to dangerous winds with two runners tied at 15 summits, a real reminder that this coastal course brings weather risk on top of the vertical demand.

Pacing strategy for each format

The two formats ask for opposite approaches: freeform mileage management on the loop, and strict per-summit banking on Last Runner Standing.

Loop race: set a mileage goal, not a pace

Since you control when you lap and when you rest, decide your target, whether that is a mileage PR, a set number of hours moving, or simply an enjoyable day out, before you start, then let a race-time estimate guide how aggressive your early laps should be relative to that goal.

Last Runner Standing: respect the climb, bank the descent

With about 1,000 feet of gain each way, this is not a flat backyard yard. A grade-adjusted pace target for the climb to Striped Peak’s summit tells you an honest, repeatable effort, since going out too hard on an early summit borrows directly from the legs you need for hour eight or nine. Use the descent to recover pace and banked minutes, not to push harder.

⏵ Free tools to plan your race

Fueling strategy for a long coastal day

Both formats give you frequent access back to a base area, so treat fueling as an ongoing routine rather than a single race-day plan.

Use the fully stocked aid stations

Aim for roughly 40 to 70 grams of carbohydrate per hour depending on your intensity and format, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range. Salt Creek 24 is known for fully stocked aid with themed features like Mashed Potato Hour and Bacon Hour, real food that pairs well with the long, moderate-effort nature of both formats.

Last Runner Standing: eat every summit, not just when hungry

With a real climb every hour, treat the base area like a backyard-ultra corral: eat and hydrate on a schedule from the first summit onward, not once you feel depleted. Stage your food and dry layers there since coastal fall weather can turn quickly.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight and a long coastal effort with the free ultra fueling calculator. Browse the rest of the free running tools at the tools hub.

⏵ Train for it with Summit Line

Get a training plan built around YOUR fitness, whether that is durable time-on-feet for the 24-hour loop or repeatable vertical power for Last Runner Standing. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the specific demands of each format, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

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Salt Creek 24 FAQ

What formats does Salt Creek 24 offer?

Salt Creek 24 is actually three events in one weekend. The 12-hour and 24-hour races have runners and walkers circle a 1.4 mile park loop for their chosen time window, solo or as part of a relay team, going on and off the course as they please. The Last Runner Standing division is a separate, harder format: racers summit neighboring Striped Peak every hour on the hour, a 3.7 to 3.75 mile round trip with about 1,000 feet of vertical gain, until only one runner remains.

How does the Last Runner Standing division work?

It runs on the classic backyard-ultra rule: everyone starts the summit-and-return loop together on the hour, and you have to be back and ready to go again when the next hour starts. The Salt Creek version replaces a flat loop with a genuine climb, roughly 1,000 vertical feet each way to the top of Striped Peak and back, so fatigue builds from real elevation gain as much as from the repetition. In 2025 the race was suspended at midnight due to dangerous winds with two runners tied at 15 summits each, a reminder that Pacific coastal weather is part of this format.

How hard is the Salt Creek 24 Last Runner Standing?

Climbing roughly 1,000 feet of forested singletrack to a summit viewpoint and back, every hour, on top of accumulating fatigue and lost sleep, makes this a genuinely tough backyard variant. The course record sits at 16 summits (2024), meaning even the strongest field only pushes into the mid-teens of hours before someone breaks. Respect both the vertical gain and the exposure: this coastal course faces real wind and weather risk, as the 2025 edition showed.

How should I approach the 12/24-hour loop race?

Because you can lap the 1.4 mile course as often or as little as you like and step off whenever you want, this format rewards a personal strategy over a fixed pace plan. Decide up front whether you are chasing mileage, using it as a long training day, or just aiming to enjoy 12 or 24 hours at a scenic park, and pace accordingly. Fully stocked aid stations, including themed treats like Mashed Potato Hour and Bacon Hour, make steady lapping easier to sustain than you might expect.

How should I fuel for Salt Creek 24?

For the 12/24-hour loop formats, aim for a steady stream of carbohydrate through the hours you plan to be moving, roughly 40 to 70 grams per hour depending on your intensity, and keep sodium around 300 to 700 mg per liter. For Last Runner Standing, treat each hour like a backyard-ultra yard: eat real food between summits, keep electrolytes steady, and use your gear and food staged at the start/finish area since you return there every hour. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.

What is the weather and terrain like at Salt Creek 24?

Salt Creek Recreation Area sits on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with towering evergreens, vivid green moss and ferns, and a bit of World War II-era coastal defense history along the way. Late October on the Olympic Peninsula coast can bring genuine wind and rain, strong enough that the 2025 Last Runner Standing division was stopped at midnight for safety. Pack for coastal fall weather regardless of which format you run.

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This guide is independent and for planning only. The formats, dates, and course details come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the official race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.

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