Lots of fun under the midnight sun
Written: Jun 25 '01
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Pros: Spectacular scenery, well-organized, lots of fluid stops, good support, might see a moose or bear
Cons: moderate difficulty, not actually run at midnight!
The Bottom Line: Moderately challenging course with beautiful scenery and well-organized that lets participants experience a little bit of what Alaska has to offer. Highly recommended by TNT'ers.
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| Macharoni's Full Review: Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon |
Although the name of the marathon implies a run under the midnight sun, this race really starts at 8AM. However, after completing the marathon, you can celebrate well into the sunlight as the event is held on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice. In Anchorage, this means the sun doesn't set until close to midnight, and it never really gets completely dark by the time the sun rises again around 4AM. What follows is my description of the marathon, which I ran for the first time in 2001 (time 3:32).
Over the last few years, the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon has had about 3000-4000 entrants. The majority of the entrants are dominated by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team In Training (TNT). I would estimate that about 80% of the participants are affiliated with the team! Prior to TNT participation at this race there were only a few hundred runners, so TNT has helped the event grow tremendously. There is a veritable stream of purple TNT tops pouring out of the starting gates! This makes the race exciting, because the TNT group is really pumped up. For many of them, this is their first marathon and they're ready to go. They also bring with them a great support crew to help cheer everyone on their way. Even though I did not run for TNT, Leukemia society folks were still cheering me on!
The event welcomes both race walkers and runners. The one restriction is that everyone needs to finish by 4:30, giving racers 8 hours and 30 minutes to complete the course. At that time aid stations and organizers start to shut things down. If you aren't interested in the marathon, the event also features a half marathon and a 5.6 mile run. Both of these races traverse the coastal trail, giving runners a good view of the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet.
As far as the marathon goes, everything was very well organized in the 2001 event. Apparently this was not always the case - in 2000, the men's leader took a wrong turn (due to course vandalism) and ended up going the wrong way for some distance, which very well may have been the factor that cost him the race. In previous years, finishers toward the end of the pack have complained about aid stations running out of water. To add further insult, there have been times when they ran out of finisher's medals and ran out of t-shirts/sweatshirts!
However, the race organizers appear to have learned from their mistakes. In the 2001 race I heard no reports of running out of water or running out of hardware at the finish. The course was well marked and tape (along with people) blocked any paths that a runner might mistake for the course. Bikers and staff on foot kept the leaders apprised of where to go. There were 12 aid stations that had both water and Ultima Replenisher. Some aid stations had sponges while others had fruit. One of the aid stations was fashioned into a pit stop like at a car race, while another featured tiki torches like a tropical island. The crowd support along the way was fantastic and really helped keep me going. People were cheering even at some of the more remote points of the course.
Now, a little bit about the course itself. The course starts on the NE side of town at Bartlett High school. The first 3 miles are to the east along a bike trail that parallels the Glenn Highway. This trail is a bit narrow, so there is likely to be a bit of shuffling here until the crowd begins to thin out. Then the course heads over the highway and back toward Anchorage. The first hill is around mile 5, and then at about mile 7 the course leaves the pavement for the foothills of Ft. Richardson. The next 8-9 miles are on gravel, dirt, or partially paved roads and there are several hills here. These are the "tank trails" used by the army for training. This is also where you get some great scenery with streams, trees, and a nice vista of Anchorage and the Cook Inlet when you get to peer through the trees. If you keep your eyes open you might see a moose or even a bear. There is a good sized hill around mile 14-15. One of the race staff at the bottom of the hill urged me to "make the hill your friend!". hah!
After leaving the tank trails around mile 16, there is a fair bit of downhill until reaching Tudor road at mile 18. It's pretty easy to pick up the pace here, but if you pick it up a little too much like I did, then it may hurt at mile 23 :) The course winds its way down busy Tudor road for a few miles, and then the remainder of the course is along a series of paved greenbelt trails along chester creek. The greenbelt skirts several lakes and the universities until the finish at West High School.
The most notable feature close to the finish is "Insult Hill", a short but steep hill at mile 25. This hill is only about 400-500 yards, but it also rises 90 feet. This makes it even steeper than Heartbreak Hill. Apparently it's an insult to run this hill after going 25 miles! Needless to say, it can be a real killer after hitting the wall and discovering that you need to climb this steep hill. But take heart - just a short distance away is the finish line, where plenty of fruits, bread, bagels, drinks, and massage tables await you.
The weather bears some mention. For those not familiar with Anchorage, you might expect it to be cold because it's in Alaska. Not necessarily so! The weather might be cool, but in 2001 it was a warm and very hot 75 degrees. There is not much shade in the first 5 miles or the last 2 miles, so the sun can really take a toll. Be prepared for warm or cool weather for the run and check the weather reports. If it's warm, be sure to drink lots of fluids!
Overall, I think this is a great marathon with nice scenery, varied terrain, and good administration. Registration was a snap - I registered online and the day before the event picked up my bib and champion chip. Complete race results, searchable by bib #, name, team, or age groups, was posted on the course web page later that evening.
Currently there are not a lot of elite competitors at this event. Anchorage's Chris Clark (USA's olympic marathoner in Sydney) is an exception! The bulk of the pack finished in 3-6 hours. I think this is a great marathon for first-timers, but be warned that the course is not easy. There are a fair number of hills and if the weather is warm then it becomes that much harder. However, it is certainly doable, and completion of the hills gives you just a bit more to be proud of for completing the race! For out-of-towners, this marathon also gives you a great reason to visit the state and see some of the fantastic sights of Alaska.
One interesting note about this marathon - while Alaska has a slightly higher population of males than females, the marathon population is reversed. In 2001, there were 1670 female finishers and 948 male finishers. Perhaps this is due to the domination by Team In Training, and somehow attracts more females than males?
For more information, here are the websites for the event:
http://www.muni.org/parks/mayor.cfm
http://www.runanchorage.com
The University of Alaska Anchorage is in the process of taking over administration of the race from the municipality of Anchorage, so I anticipate the muni website might be going away eventually.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 40
This Event Is: Both
Event Organization: Always runs like clockwork
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Epinions.com ID:
Macharoni
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Member: Kenrick
Location: Eagle River, AK
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 9 members
About Me:
I'm a computer science professor that likes running, outdoors, games, AI, and other geeky things
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