Gulch Countdown
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Event overview
The Gulch Countdown - Last Person Standing is a timed trail running event held in Japanese Gulch in Mukilteo. The 2026 edition is scheduled for Saturday, June 13, 2026, and registration opens Sunday, February 1, 2026. The event has named local business sponsors and is described as Trail Sisters Approved. Past editions have produced official results and photo collections.
Format and course
The course is a single loop of 2.18 miles on forest trails with rolling hills, ferns, mossy trees, and large cedars. Runners complete repeated loops under progressively shorter time cutoffs. The first loop has a 32 minute cutoff. All runners who finish within the cutoff can rest and then start the next loop together. Each subsequent loop reduces the cutoff by one minute until 12 loops have been completed (a marathon distance), after which cutoffs decrease by 30 seconds per loop. The event continues with this inverse time format until only one runner remains. The race is described as allowing both social pacing and competitive elimination through the cutoff system. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.