2025 Race Series
2025 three-race trail series designed for youth ages 8-18
Tiger Mountain 5k
June 21, 2025
All youth: 5 kilometers & 500ft gain*
Cougar Mountain 5k
August 9, 2025
5 kilometers and 400ft gain
USATF PNTF Youth Trail Championship
2024 Final Series Point Standings
HOW THE SERIES WORKS
The PNW Youth Trail Project has partnered with local race organizations, coaches, and community members to bring together a youth trail running series!
Our goal is to create a space that encourages youth to get outside, develop community, and compete against themselves, the route, and one another.
Youth are categorized and scored in age and gender categories (more info below). Youth are running in the same race in which all participants are taking part. These are not youth-only races.
Want to get better running on trails? Get in touch! We organize free youth trail running events, post tips on IG @youthtrailproject, and have resources like popular local trail routes.
REGISTRATION
We’ve partnered with Northwest Trail Runs and Seattle Running Club for the 2025 series. For the Tiger Mountain and Seward Park races, youth runners will get a $10 discount. See registration info for each race:
- Tiger Mountain 5k: Race starts at 10am. More info
- Seward Park Sizzler 4.2m: Race starts at 6:30pm. More info
- Cougar Mountain 5k: Race starts at 9am. More Info
To participate in an individual race, please complete an individual registration for all events you plan to participate in. All youth runners will automatically be participating in the youth series based on their submitted DOB and gender. See categories below.
- Join USATF
- Be sure to choose PNTF for the Association
- Pay $30 registration fee + transaction fees
- Then, use your USATF PNTF number when signing up for the race
AGE GROUP CATEGORIES
USATF Youth age categories are determined by birth year not age on the day of the race. Age groups are:
- 8 and under; Born 2017-2019
- 9-10; Born 2015-2016
- 11-12; Born 2013-2014
- 13-14; Born 2011-2012
- 15-16; Born 2009-2010
- 17-18; Born 2007-2008
If a parent/guardian is concerned about their child being alone out on the course, they may accompany them. The parent/guardian will need to sign a waiver like a race participant would. The parent/guardian does not need to register online for the event and, thus, and is not a competing participant in the race. (Note: This is not meant to be used as an opportunity to pace your child’s race. The child is to be in the lead.)
GENDER CATEGORIES
- Male
- Female
- Nonbinary
Gender category decisions are left to the discretion of parents/guardians and their child.
SERIES SCORING & POINTS
Runners score points based on their time as a percentage of the winner’s overall time, making every second count! For example, a winning time of 41:08 gets 100.00 points; a time of 42:21 is worth 97.13, and 1:20:32 gets 51.08 (the winning time being just about 50 percent of that runner’s time).
The runners with the highest combined score from two of the three races–including the USATF PNTF Championship at Cougar Mountain–will win the PNW Youth Trail Project race series. The Youth Trail Series will recognize runners in each gender and age group category:
- Male and nonbinary scoring is based on 100.00 points for the first overall finisher.
- Female scoring is based on 100.00 points for the first female finisher.
- To be eligible for series scoring, a runner must participate in at least two races including the Cougar Mountain Race.
- If a runner participates in all three races, we will use points from two races including Cougar Mountain and either Tiger Mountain or Seward (whichever is highest).
AWARDS
Races will have awards for each youth and gender category. Awards will be presented to the respective winner of each age and gender category for…
- Tiger Mountain 5k age and gender categories
- Seward Park age and gender categories
- Cougar Mountain 5k, official USATF PNTF Youth Trail Association Championship
- YTP Trail Series overall winners
Please note that USATF does not currently recognize the nonbinary category.