R2R PROCLAMATION
HISTORY
Rainier to Ruston began in 2002 with an idea sparked by John Selby and carried forward by friends and family who loved running, the Foothills Trail, and National Trails Day. What started as a personal challenge quickly became something more — a shared adventure rooted in joy, community, and a belief that trails connect people in powerful ways. From the very beginning, a sense of fun and imagination was part of the journey, reminding everyone that this race is meant to be as joyful as it is challenging.
The Rainier to Ruston Rail-Trail Relay challenges teams of runners to travel the course under their own power, tracing the historic Foothills Trail corridor from the foothills of Mount Rainier toward the Salish Sea. The event calls attention to the Foothills Trail, a rail-trail project following the former Northern Pacific Railroad corridor from Mount Tahoma to Tacoma.
Over the course of 50+ miles, runners experience a remarkable cross-section of the Pacific Northwest — from forested foothills and river valleys to coastal waterfront — finishing along Ruston Way on the Tacoma waterfront.
Along the way, the trail passes through landscapes shaped by both nature and history. Wild cherry trees often canopy the route, a nod to early rail travelers who flicked pits from passing trains. Otter, beaver, red-tailed hawks, kingfishers, hummingbirds, bald eagles, and salmon all make their homes along the Foothills Trail and its connected waterways.
RAINIER TO RUSTON PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, a unified, non-motorized trail system promotes healthy lifestyles, environmental consciousness, community building, and an improved quality of life for people of all ages;
WHEREAS, the Foothills Trail connects communities from across Pierce County to diverse public treasures, from an alpine National Park to seaside Marine Park on Ruston Way;
WHEREAS, the Foothills Trail exists as a commitment to healthy lifestyles, to contiguous access, and to the historical significance of the railroad grade as part of a transcontinental thoroughfare;
WHEREAS, National Trails Day, the first Saturday of June, recognizes the essential role of healthy trails in the lives of healthy people;
THEREFORE, the Foothills Trail Coalition's, established in 1989, shall endeavor the annual Rainier to Ruston, established in 2002, Rail-Trail Relay to celebrate National Trails Day, the first Saturday of June. We shall descend the abandoned Northern Pacific railroad grade, enduring heat and mud and sand and fatigue and pain and dehydration as we pass from glacial moraine and through cherry blossoms to the shores of Commencement Bay. Trusting only in our own stout legs and in the wills of our fellow teammates, we celebrate old growth, new blisters, and a summer run through the woods with friends.