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Alaska > Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon, Half Marathon
& 5-Mile Run
Anchorage, AK
Date
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Event
Details
Nearly 4,000 runners and walkers make the trip every year to run along
the
coastal trails of Anchorage overlooking the waters of the Gompertz
Channel at the annual summertime Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon, Half
Marathon & 5-Mile Run, which is timed to coincide with the
summer solstice, when the longest day of the year brings a full day of
sunlight over this subarctic region. Framed by the spectacular
mountains all around the city and the forested trails along the course,
the race offers breathtaking views of the nearby Alaska wilderness as
it takes runners through local landmarks like Earthquake Park, Point
Woronzof and the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.
Both the half and the full marathons share the same finishing line but
have different starting points -- the full marathon begins at
Anchorage's Bartlett High School, while those running the half start
their race at West High School, just off Hillcrest Drive. From the half
marathon starting point, participants follow Hillcrest and then Forest
Park Drive through some of the city's residential areas, and then head
out onto Northern Lights Boulevard, which transitions the course from
neighborhood areas to the forests of Earthquake Park as it makes its
way westward.
Run on paved surfaces through the early miles, the race course stays
mostly flat through mile markers one through three, and then becomes
hillier as runners make their way around the western edge of the park
onto Point Woronzof Road, as miles three through five bring some of the
biggest hills of the race, climbing from roughly 50 feet above sea
level at the first mile marker to around 150 feet above sea level by
the time runners reach the 5th mile marker.
Runners make the turn around Point Woronzof and head south along the
Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which includes the hilliest stretch of the
race, all the way south to the turnaround point at about the 6.5 mile
point in the race. After making the turnaround, runners then head back
northward along the trail, downhill along the stretch they just ran,
following the coastal trail for a roughly six-mile stretch back through
Earthquake Park along the
shoreline.
The second hilly stretch of the race occurs as runners are
making their way around the point between mile markers 8 and 10, and
then the course begins to flatten out again for the last few miles of
the race. Runners will hit a final uphill stretch in the last mile of
the race, as they make their way back into the residential areas for
the finish at the high school.
Race
Weather & Climate
Located on the coastal lowlands in southern central Alaska, just north
of the Kenai Fjords National Park and the Kenai National Wildlife
Refuge, Anchorage typically experiences mild to cool weather conditions
in the early summer, and usually drier weather than in the late summer
and early fall. In June, the city's average monthly temperatures range
between 62°F and 47°F, while precipitation amounts
average just over an inch for the month.
Fees
$40 for the half marathon, if registered by December 31, 2009
$50 between January 1 - May 15, 2010
$55 after May 15
Registration
To reserve your spot in the summer 2010 running of Anchorage's Mayor's
Midnight Sun Marathon or Half Marathon, register online at MarathonGuide.com.
Website
www.mayorsmarathon.com
Half
Marathon Course Map
Share
Your Race Story
Ever run in Anchorage's Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon or Half Marathon?
Share
your impressions and read fellow runners' stories
and tips for the event.
Post your comments in Runner Reviews for the Mayor's Midnight Sun
Marathon & Half Marathon
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