Mount Marathon in Seward, Alaska, is sometimes referred to as the ‘toughest 5k on the planet’. The race lived up to that title this year on July 4th 2023. Since summer has decided not to come to Alaska this year, it was no surprise when it poured rain on the night of the 3rd. The mountain was slick and muddy on the race up, and filled with ankle-breaking terrain on the way down. This was by far the most brutal and interesting Mount Marathon that I have raced!
Our Junior course for racers 17 and under is steep. In addition to being wet, and muddy, the mountain has a grade of 34%, which is equivalent to a steep downhill ski slope. This made for a very extreme Mount Marathon year. One wrong step — or a snapped branch/handhold in my case — sent the racers sliding back down the mountain grabbing for anything to stop their momentum. Most years, the racers only worry about the short cliff section at the beginning. The racers are stacked on top of each other and trying not to fall off. This year, the entire uphill race was exactly like that, due to the mudslides that erased most of the footholds that we had rehearsed. I made it to the Junior turnaround after 32 minutes of constant step watching and hard work! Then came the scree! While it was not a record breaking downhill year for any racer, my own endurance felt the best it ever has.
There are reasons that I find this race inspiring. They extend beyond the present and past the winners that make it into our stories and newspapers. I count myself fortunate to see some of these podium winners occasionally on training days. David Norris’s fourth consecutive Mount Marathon win is a truly amazing feat! I congratulate the Marvin family for taking home a total of two wins for the day (Christy Marvin winning the women’s and Coby Marvin winning the juniors and almost beating Bill Spencer’s 50+ year junior record despite the harsh conditions!). Not everything that happens on this mountain can be covered. Watching the people aged from 7-90 years old finishing this race is amazing, and it is an equally inspiring accomplishment. Some iconic figures like Roger Kempell (81) have raced up the mountain for decades and crossed the finish line once again this year despite harsh conditions!
Moreover, the team of volunteers started their morning hours before my race began at 9:00am, and they didn’t leave until after the last racer finished at around 4:00pm. This awesome group was out all day in the mud, rain, and cold. So many of them dedicated their time months in advance to make sure our annual tradition ran smoothly.
North Crawford was one of many highly dedicated volunteers this year. He is on the Anchorage Service High Cross Country Ski Team in addition to his year round cross training/nordic skiing with Alaska Winter Stars. He devotes his time to Partners Club (for students with intellectual disabilities) at Service High School, volunteering for the Special Olympics, and just about any other local race event that he can make time for. He volunteered for several unfilled slots on race day that involved trekking up muddy Mount Marathon three separate times. Training to be an elite athlete and getting good grades in school is more than a full time job. Then to be whole heartedly involved with every opportunity to support our community is on an extra level. I’m constantly inspired and impressed by that kind of committed dedication from others.
Mount Marathon is a perfect refresher on my future goals and current progress over the last year. We are already halfway through the summer training season. There are only a couple of months before snow starts falling again in Alaska. The sun has peaked out a total of five days this summer. Training is starting to become a grind, but I was reminded through this race about how much I’ve grown in a year. I was in good company with the girls that I compete with in the ski races. I caught a glimpse my potential for this winter. Independence Day presents an opportunity to reflect on the freedom that we are fortunate to have in this country, where our potential for perusing our dreams is possible. Just like New Years Day, I am reminded to be grateful and take time to reflect on my progress and to refine the focus on my goals for the next few months.
Mount Marathon is a place where athletes from different sports fields meet on common grounds and celebrate. It’s the perfect place to refocus those goals and find inspiration from different angles. It has been my family tradition for eight years, and it will continue to be for as long as my brother and I race. Next year is my last time on the junior course with him. I look forward to racing to the halfway point one last time in 2024, then continuing our annual tradition with a new chapter of my life on the full mountain.
