Mount Marathon News

2023 Juniors Email #1 – Cut-offs/Bib Pickup/Recon/Safety Tours

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Mount Marathon Junior racers and parents — please read this important information!

1) CUT-OFF TIMES
Junior racers must achieve these cutoff times or be turned around by a volunteer and escorted to the finish to meet their parents:
– 8 minutes to the trailhead gate by the picnic benches on Lowell Canyon Road (this was lowered in 2023 from 10 minutes by the race committee); juniors should practice the road section to learn this pace!
– 30 minutes to Squirrels’ Inn (all juniors must take a route that passes through there)
– 90 minutes to the finish to requalify for the following year.

2) SAFETY TOURS are scheduled at 12 p.m. on Saturday June 17 and June 24! They are a great way to learn the lower third of the mountain. Details here:
https://mountmarathon.com/news/safety-tours-offered-june-17-and-june-24/

3) COURSE RECON REQUIREMENT FOR FIRST-TIMERS — Parents of Juniors must sign a statement on July 3 that they have completed the entire course in training (the safety tour is not sufficient)

4) SAFETY MEETING FOR FIRST-TIMERS — First-time juniors AND their parents must attend the safety meeting at 6:45 p.m. July 3 at the Seward High School gymnasium.

5) COURSE KNOWLEDGE: The more you know about the course, the better prepared you will be. Do your homework in person and by watching these short VIDEOS from the mountain and this excellent SAFETY VIDEO.

Stay tuned for upcoming messages and best wishes for your training!
The Mount Marathon Race Committee &
Matias Saari, Race Director

2023 Kids ages 2-6 will race Mini Mount Marathon on July 4

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The adorable Mini Mount Marathon races are back for 2-6 year-olds!

There is NO registration fee, and race bibs are available at the First National Bank parking lot on the Northwest corner of Fourth & Adams Street ONLY on the Fourth of July beginning at 10:45 a.m.

The first kids race will be the 6-year-old girls, then the 6-year-old boys and downward. Races will start promptly at 11:08 a.m. immediately after the 3rd wave of the women’s start.

Kids will finish outside the fire hall and for security reasons only be released to a parent or family member. Parents are expected to be at the finish line to pick up their child and ensure that the next race starts promptly.

For more information, contact the Seward Chamber of Commerce at events@seward.com

The event is sponsored by Petro Marine Services in Seward.

2023 Safety Tours June 17 and June 24

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2023 Safety Tours June 17 and June 24! 

WHAT: Safety tours led by veteran Mount Marathon runners
WHEN: Saturday June 17 and Saturday June 24 from 12-1:45 p.m.
WHERE: Meet at the picnic table near the gate on upper Lowell Canyon Road no later than 11:45 a.m. The Tour starts at 12 p.m.
WHY: The tour will focus on helping participants travel safely up and down the bottom third of Mount Marathon. The cliff and roots routes, along with the creek (also known as The Gut) and a portion of scree running will be covered. Participants will be divided into small groups. Each group will hike at the pace of the slowest participant.
NOTE: this tour does NOT fulfill the first-timer requirement of completing the entire course before race day.
WHO: Anyone is welcome, but first-timers at the 2023 race or future newcomers would benefit most.
HOW MUCH: Free! No pre-registration required. Participants must sign waiver. Junior participants must have a parent or guardian sign their waiver.
WHAT TO BRING: Suitable trail shoes, water, gloves
INFO: Contact Matias Saari at director@mountmarathon.com

NOTE: To add the Safety Tours to your Google Calendar, visit our website’s “Schedule of Events”

2023 Bib Numbers and Waves Assigned!

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May 20, 2023

2023 bib numbers and waves have been assigned!

To find your bib number (listed alphabetically), simply visit the following links and scroll down.

MEN — https://mountmarathon.com/?division=mens
WOMEN — https://mountmarathon.com/?division=womens
GIRLS — https://mountmarathon.com/?division=girls
BOYS — https://mountmarathon.com/?division=boys

WAVE 1 — Bibs 1-120 for men and women
WAVE 2 — Bibs 201-320 for men and women
WAVE 3 — Bibs 401-530 for men and women

JUNIORS — Boys are 1-151 and Girls are 201-350 — but there is just one mass-start wave.

For an explanation of our bib and wave assignment process, visit:
https://mountmarathon.com/definitions/wave-change/

WAVE CHANGE REQUEST — If you believe you belong in a different wave, fill out the wave change request form. The deadline is May 31.

Online Auction Monday May 1 at 5:30 p.m.!

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Online Auction For 2023

For the women’s and men’s races, additional race spots are offered through an online auction on May 1. There is no auction for the juniors race.

The Online Auction Process

On May 1, three race slots will be auctioned for both the men’s and women’s races in a live online auction on Zoom. These are intended to give an opportunity for Alaskans or out-of-staters who require more planning than the July 3 auction to lock in a spot more than two months before race day.

2023 Details

When: 5:30 p.m. Alaska Time on Monday, May 1
Number of available spots: 3 men’s priority spots and 3 women’s priority spots
Minimum bid: $200 for men and $200 for women
Minimum bid increments: $50
Zoom Link: Click HERE

Auction rules and instructions:

  • Each participant must be set up to join a Zoom meeting (those lacking the technology or knowledge should join a friend’s or family member’s account).
  • Participants are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to join on a desktop computer or laptop with an Internet plan as opposed to a mobile phone that uses a data plan. The auction is much better viewed on a computer. Also, being perfectly synched with the auctioneer’s voice for bidding purposes is more likely achieved on a computer.
  • The Zoom site will open at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 1 (30 minutes before the auction starts) to allow participants time for testing their technology. The actual auction will start at 5:30 p.m. SHARP.
  • The Seward Chamber of Commerce is not responsible for anyone whose bids fail to come through promptly due to connectivity issues or other technological problems.
  • Use Gallery view; this will enable participants to see the auctioneer and other contestants.
  • Participants will be muted by the auctioneer.
  • All bidding must be done through the chat function (test the chat when you join by posting your name and location)
  • Each winning bidder must text their name and phone number to 907-529-4178. Organizers will follow up shortly after the auction ends for credit card payment in full.
  • Auctions winners who have never entered the lottery will receive a registration link to get them added to the MMR database and entered for 2023.
  • Auction winners will be “priority” entrants in 2023, meaning they can requalify through the Top 50 Percent in Age Group Rule.
  • The race director will determine auction winners’ bib and wave assignments.
  • Those who fail to win an online auction spot have another chance for entry at the in-person auction at 6 p.m. July 3 at Seward High School. Seven men’s and seven women’s spots will be auctioned then.