Mount Marathon Race facts for kids
The Mount Marathon Race is a super tough mountain race held every Fourth of July in Seward, Alaska. It's known for being one of the oldest and hardest foot races in America. Runners have to climb up and then race down Mount Marathon, which is a very steep and challenging mountain. Many people get muddy and scraped up, but finishing this race is a huge accomplishment!
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Race Course: Climbing Mount Marathon
The Mount Marathon Race starts in downtown Seward, Alaska, and finishes just a block away. There are different start times for the junior, men's, and women's races each year.
The halfway point of the race is a special stone marker on Mount Marathon. This spot is about 2,974 feet (906 meters) above sea level. From there, it's about a mile and a half to the finish line. The total race course is about 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) long.
Top runners can reach the mountain's peak in about 33 to 40 minutes. They then race down to the finish line in another 10 to 15 minutes. Going uphill, runners move at about 2 miles per hour. But coming downhill, they can reach speeds of 12 miles per hour! It's common for runners to cross the finish line covered in mud or with small injuries because the downhill part is so tricky.
How to Enter the Race
To protect the mountain, only a certain number of people can enter the Mount Marathon Race each year. Currently, 400 spots are open for men and 400 for women. The junior race, for younger runners, has 300 spots, split evenly between boys and girls.
Most spots are filled through a special lottery system. This system gives people who have applied before a better chance to get in. There are also some spots saved for:
- Runners who have completed the race many times before.
- Runners who were registered last year but didn't finish enough races, but have a special permission.
- People who receive a special invitation for the current year.
If you want to apply for the lottery, there's a small fee. If you get picked, there's an additional registration fee to officially join the race.
History of the Mount Marathon Race
The Mount Marathon Race is one of the oldest foot races in the United States. No one is exactly sure when it first started, but the first organized race happened in 1915.
Legend says the race began as a bet between two "sourdoughs" (a fun nickname for people who have lived in Alaska for many winters). One person bet that someone could run to the top of the mountain and back in under an hour. The other person said it was impossible! The first runner to try finished in one hour and twenty minutes, proving it was a tough challenge. Since Seward is a port town, sailors arriving on ships would often hear about the bet and want to try beating the one-hour challenge. This might be how the race became a regular event.
For the first official race in 1915, local shops gave out prizes. They decided the race should happen on the Fourth of July. Back then, there wasn't a set path; runners could choose their own way up and down the mountain. The first winner, James Walters, finished in one hour and two minutes.
In 2011, the Mount Marathon Race was honored by being added to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame.
Race Safety and Changes
In 2012, a runner went missing during the race. This was a very sad event and the first time something like this had happened in the race's history. Because of this, and some serious injuries to other runners, many safety improvements were made before the 2013 race. These changes help make sure everyone stays as safe as possible while enjoying the challenge.
Sometimes, the race has to be cancelled. For example, the junior race was cancelled in 2019 because of smoke from a nearby wildfire. The entire race was also cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also cancelled during World War I (1917-1918) and World War II (1942-1945).
Films About the Race
- 3022 ft.: We All Have A Mountain To Climb: This documentary film from 2014 shows the race and shares the personal stories of the athletes who compete in it.
Interesting Race Facts
- The fastest time for the men's race is 41 minutes and 26 seconds. This record was set in 2016 by David Norris.
- The fastest time for the women's race is 47 minutes and 48 seconds. This record was set in 2015 by Emelie Forsberg.
- The first women's race was held in 1985, and 54 women finished it.
- The oldest person to finish the race is Chad Resari, who completed it in 2021 at 85 years old!
- The Junior Race is for runners aged 17 and younger. They run up to the halfway point on the mountain and then back down. Once a runner turns 18, they must join either the men's or women's race.
- In 2014, Allie Ostrander won the Junior Race overall, beating both boys and girls. She holds the girls' records for all age groups in the junior race.
- Before the race, a safety meeting is held. People who didn't get a spot in the lottery can sometimes bid on an entry, with some bids going as high as $3,000!
