City Slickers 2026: A Race Through Seattle p/b SOAR

We're excited to host the third edition of City Slickers, a running alley cat race through the city of Seattle, on November 7th. This one is sponsored by our friends at SOAR and fueled by Maurten. Before we go any further, let's explain some things:

What is an "alley cat"?
Alley cats originated in the world of bike messengers, where racers would test their knowledge of a given city by seeing who can ride the fastest between different checkpoints. There's no set course—the winner is the first person to arrive at the finish that's visited every checkpoint.

So we're doing a running version! The course features seven checkpoints. The first person to visit all seven wins. Once they make it back to us, of course

Let's break it down even further:

• The race starts at 11AM on Saturday, November 7th at Windthrow
• Please arrive around 10:30AM to get briefed, meet your fellow racers and get your bib numbers
• Racers will run between nine checkpoints and should arrive back at Windthrow to finish
• Every racer will be given a map at the start. No GPX file here—you're making your own route
• Each checkpoint will feature either an aid station, some form of hijinx, or both. You'll be given a sticker from each checkpoint that you'll need to take with you to the finish line in order to complete the race. You must return with all NINE stickers to complete the race.

Volunteers at each checkpoint will record your number and the time you arrived. Certain checkpoints will also feature aid stations with Maurten bars! We'll have lots of Maurten drink mix at the start/finish as well.

We are teaming up with Soar once again to offer a new Mossback R.C. jersey. What does it look like? You'll have to race to find out! Each winner gets one along with a pair of Soar shorts, caps and socks!

Soar is sponsoring this race with run caps and socks for the podium as well, in addition to some Maurten goodies.

PSA: It's in the name—City Slickers is happening on city streets that are open to the public. It is unsanctioned. Please use your best judgement and don't be a fool. This is just for fun, don't put yourself or anyone else in harm's way.

Also, please tell your friends. At the end of the day this event is supposed to be a celebration of running in our fair city. We want it to be open and enjoyed by all runners, and we're excited to be teaming up with three great brands to make it happen. Please reach out to info@windthrow.store with any questions!

Interested in volunteering? We'd love to have you. Please sign up here.