Part of an annual fundraiser for the Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center here in Haines, a village of just over 2,500 nestled along the Lutak Inlet on the Alaskan peninsula, the Totem Trot Half Marathon features just what its name promises – a run along the waterfront where runners will get to see plenty of exquisitely carved totem poles, carved by artists from around the world.
Runners will start the north-to-south, point-to-point course in nearby Lutak, next to the Chilkoot River Lodge, along Lutak Road. From there, the race proceeds south along Lutak Road for the next 9 1/2 miles, all the way until runners make their way into Haines, whose tourism board bills the area as “the adventure capital of Alaska,” thanks in large part to its proximity to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
Once they make it into Haines, the race follows several turns on city streets in the town, before crossing the finish line at the intersection of Main Street and 1st Avenue, next to the Sheldon Museum.
The race features some rolling hills, especially in the second half, but the first half of the race is almost pancake-flat, thanks to its location running along the Lutak Inlet. Runners will get to take in everything from the Chilkoot River, “where the brown bears come in August to catch and eat the spawning salmon,” organizers point out, to the waters of Lutak Inlet before meeting up with the Upper Lynn Canal, the largest fjord in North America.
Once they make it into Haines, that’s where they’ll get to see the beautiful, hand-carved totem poles, like these:
