The Juneau Half Marathon is a USATF-certified out-and-back (AK25008FW) run at sea level on the Douglas Highway, a lightly traveled two-lane road on Douglas Island immediately west of Juneau. The start and finish sit near the picnic shelter at Sandy Beach in Douglas, about four miles from the cruise ship docks downtown and half a mile across the bridge from Juneau proper.
The course is genuinely flat by Alaska standards — roughly 225 feet of total gain. The first mile climbs gently, there’s a short hill at mile 4 and another between miles 6.1 and 9, and the closing mile drops gently to the finish. Views run to saltwater, conifer forest, glaciers and alpine mountains.
The half starts at 9:00 AM, two hours after the marathon. Three aid stations serve half marathoners, hit twice on the out-and-back, with water, Gatorade and Gu at each. All participants receive a technical short sleeve shirt and all finishers a medal, with additional awards by age group and category. Free parking is available near the start; the city bus stop is close by but doesn’t run early enough for the marathon start.
The event is organized by Juneau Trail and Road Runners and dates to 1992, when it was founded as the Frank Maier Memorial Marathon in tribute to a local architect and marathon enthusiast who died in a fishing accident. The half was formerly the Douglas Island Half Marathon; both were renamed in 2018.
