Bigger and better are the buzzwords for this year’s Railroad Days fun runs.

Registration for the 5K, 10K and kids’ 1K race has increased about 15 percent over last year, race organizer Sean Sundwall of Run Snoqualmie told the Railroad Days committee. He’s expecting 1,100 to 1,200 racers, “plus 800 to 1,000 spectators” for the Saturday races, he said.  “It’s going to be the biggest we’ve had so far.”

The level of competition has also increased, especially in the 10K race.

“This will be… in terms of talent, probably the deepest 10K run in the west side this year,” Sundwall said.

Some 30 or 40 of the top 10K runners in the area, both men and women, will compete in the 10K, for a local championship.

“Even if you’re not into running, it should be quite an interesting event to watch,” Sundwall said.

Race time is 8:45 for the children’s 1K, down Railroad Avenue. Older runners will have a 9 a.m. start time, announced by the nearby train whistle.

The whistle start is a small detail, but appropriate, Sundwall told the committee, and “It’s becoming a fun tradition that I hear a lot of positive feedback on.”

Both the 5K and 10K races start out on the same path, down Railroad Avenue, past the Snoqualmie Parkway, then up Mill Pond Road, and across the Meadowbrook Bridge. Here, the race splits, and the 5K runners will start returning to Railroad Avenue along Park Street, while the 10K runners continue out on Park Street, around Centennial Fields and down Boalch before heading back to Railroad Avenue, where both races end.

“The whole idea is the last tenth of a mile will be running down the parade route,” Sundwall said.

Awards will be presented starting at 10:15, and the race course will be closed by 10:30, so scheduled to not interfere with the parade, starting at 11 a.m.

For more information on the fun runs, or to register, visit Run Snoqualmie, www.runsnoqualmie.com.