Mount Marathon News

Non-Binary Division Added to Mount Marathon Race

March 15, 2024

The Mount Marathon Race has added a non-binary division, joining a growing number of events nationwide that include an option for those who identify with a gender beyond the binary categories of male and female.

The non-binary option was added to registration on March 15.

“The Mount Marathon Race has a long history addressing inequities among women, girls, older racers and other groups,” race director Matias Saari said. “But this is the first time we’ve created a policy that benefits the LGBTQ+ community. Runners who identify as non-binary deserve to be recognized and have a welcoming space for participation.”

Anyone who completes priority registration or a lottery application through March 31, 2024, will now have the option to select non-binary. Those who have already registered may switch to non-binary by emailing register@mountmarathon.com

The non-binary division will have its own results and non-binary participants will receive the same overall and age-group awards as participants in the men’s, women’s, boys’ and girls’ divisions.

Because the event has separate gendered races, adult non-binary entrants will need to choose to participate in the men’s or women race and will be placed in a start wave that corresponds with their ability.

Non-binary juniors will simply join the juniors’ race because boys and girls run together in a single wave.

Zoe Dohring, 34, of Anchorage plans to enter the Mount Marathon lottery and hopes to participate as a non-binary entrant in 2024.

“I’ve dreamed of running in Mount Marathon for all the 10 years that I’ve lived in Alaska, but I’ve chosen to not join the lottery in recent years, knowing that I no longer fit in the category devoted to my sex assigned at birth,” Dohring said.

Dohring was the first participant in the non-binary division when Anchorage’s Mayor’s Marathon added that option in 2022, but their options as a non-binary racer in Alaska have been extremely limited.

“The point was never to win (at Mayors),” said Dohring, who teaches gender studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage and has long advocated for greater safety and acceptance of transgender people in Alaska. “I wanted to be seen. I wanted to belong, to feel accepted. I wanted to know I was just as worthy of being in community as anybody else, and that is still my desire.”

The new Non-binary Runner Policy was recently approved by both the Mount Marathon Race Committee and the Seward Chamber Board of Directors.

According to the Non-Binary Racing Database, more than 300 events in the United States now allow non-binary registration. Some of the world’s biggest events, such as the Chicago, New York, Boston, London and Berlin Marathons, have growing non-binary divisions. For instance, the Chicago Marathon had 70 non-binary entrants when it first offered the option in 2022 and the number rose to 242 a year later.

To view the full Non-Binary Policy, visit https://mountmarathon.com/non-binary-runner-policy/

The race committee welcomes constructive feedback; comments may be sent to race director Matias Saari at director@mountmarathon.com and/or race committee member Amy Haddow at akhaddow@gmail.com

 

2024 Logo Contest Open March 13-April 2!

of Commerce

Mount Marathon Race 2024 Logo Contest

In addition to their logo being used for all MMR 2024 promotional purposes, the winning designer will receive a $250 cash prize!

How to Enter the Contest

  • Contest opens March 13, 2024
  • Deadline for submissions is 11:59 P.M on Tuesday, April 2, 2024
  • Winners will be announced in early-April via email, mountmarathon.com, and the Seward Chamber of Commerce’s social media channels

For your entry to be reviewed by our selection committee, it must be:

  • Submitted directly to director@mountmarathon.com
  • Submitted in its original source file (a scalable, vector format such as .ai or .eps).
  • Submitted as a high resolution .pdf with 300 dpi or higher.

Logo Requirements

  • Theme: To best convey the unique nature of the Mount Marathon Race, the logo design must include a mountain theme.
  • Language: The design MUST include the following words or phrases:
    • Mount Marathon Race
    • 96th Running
    • Seward, Alaska
    • July 4, July 4th, or Fourth of July AND the year 2024
  • Color: The design may include a maximum of four colors. There are no limitations on the specific colors. The logo must look professional in color and black and white.
  • Integrity: Logos cannot contain copyrighted material. Logos must have been created and edited by the contestant(s). Logos may not include images or licensed images that have been previously published. Must be easily reproducible and scalable for large and small formatting.
  • Previous Winners: http://mmr.seward.com/results/trivia-facts/logo-history/

Contest Details

  • One winning logo design will be selected by the Mount Marathon Race Committee.
  • Contestants agree that the Seward Chamber of Commerce may publish their logo and name(s) and may use both for future advertising campaigns and/or marketing materials.
  • Contestants may only submit one logo per contest but are free to apply again in the future.
  • Contestants assign all ownership rights, including all intellectual property rights to the logo, to the Mount Marathon Race and Seward Chamber of Commerce.
  • The Mount Marathon Race Committee and Seward Chamber of Commerce may alter, modify or revise the winning logo as necessary for its intended use.
  • The Mount Marathon Race Committee reserves the right to not select a winner if, in its sole discretion, no suitable entries are received.

Prize

  •  The winning designer will receive $250 and bragging rights!

2024 Registration Open March 1-31

Registration for the 96th Mount Marathon Race will open at 7 a.m. Friday, March 1 and runs through midnight on Sunday, March 31!

There are two options for registration at the home page of this website: Priority Registration (big red button!) for those who qualify and Lottery Registration (big black button!) for first-timers and those without priority.

The cost to enter under priority registration remains $85 for adults and $35 for juniors.
The cost to enter the lottery remains $20 for adults and $15 for juniors (lottery winners will be invoiced the balance of the full registration fee in April).

The 2024 roster will apply the Top 50 Percent in Age Group Rule to the 2023 results. This rule aims to improve lottery odds and increase the number of lottery spots available.
Visit the race’s home page to access color-coded 2023 age-group results that show who finished in the top 50 percent of their age group.

Those who chose to defer in 2023 must still register and pay the entry fee to become a 2024 entrant.

Visit https://mountmarathon.com/racer-selection/ for all entry options and rules.

The defending champions are Christy Marvin (women); David Norris (men); Coby Marvin (boys) and Tania Boonstra (girls).

The race date is Thursday, July 4.

Rule Changes for 2024 — Junior age minimum, Deferrals, Skip-A-Year

The Mount Marathon Race Committee has approved the following rule changes for 2024:

MINIMUM AGE FOR JUNIORS — The minimum age to participate has been increased to 9 years old (the previous minimum was 7).
In 2023, no 7-year-olds participated and the 8-year-old racers are now 9, so no juniors who raced in 2023 will be displaced due to this change.

DEFERRALS ELIMINATED — The general race deferral option has been eliminated starting in 2024.
Unlike most trail and mountain races, through 2023 the Mount Marathon Race had a very generous deferral system (unfortunately, some were not redeemed the following year). Because so many spots were being held to the following year, fewer lottery opportunities were available for new racers.
Injuries were the most common reason for deferral. The committee believes injuries are a part of training and racing, and no longer warrant a deferral.
Approved deferrals from 2023 are still valid; those who deferred must still register and pay to become an entrant in 2024.

ADDITION OF PREGNANCY ENTRY DEFERRAL — The only deferral now possible is for women due to pregnancy. Women can fill out a Pregnancy Deferral Form on the website from March 1-July 31 HERE

SKIP-A-YEAR TIMELINE — The Skip-A-Year rule timeline has been amended to March 1-July 3. (Previously the timeline was March 1-31). What this means it that every racer who has not yet redeemed their one-time Skip-A-Year — which holds their priority spot to the following year — can do so beyond the registration period but not after July 3. No reason or documentation is required for Skip-A-Year. However, once redeemed the racer is never eligible for another.
Those who select Skip-A-Year will do so by filling out a form on the race website instead of checking a box during registration.

Racer Email #2 – Schedules/Conditions/To the Top Contest

Mount Marathon racers — the 95th running is just 3 days away!

Please read the following important announcements.

  • SCHEDULE ON JULY 3 at Seward High School
    Bib pickup 5-8 p.m. – Juniors must be accompanied by parent
    Pasta Feed 5-8 p.m. – Fuel up for the big day!
    Auction & Raffle 6 p.m. – Watch the bidding war with prices up to $4,500!
    Safety meeting 6:45 p.m – First-timers must sign off that they’ve completed the full course in training (Parents must sign for juniors)
  • SCHEDULE ON JULY 4
    Juniors 9 a.m.
    Women 11 a.m.
    Mini Mount Marathon 11:08 a.m.
    Parade 1 p.m.
    Men 2 p.m.
    Awards Ceremony (AVTEC) 6 p.m.
  • VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT –  it’s not too late for you or your support team to volunteer for spots in town and on the mountain!  You can sign up at bib pickup or HERE
  • COURSE CONDITIONS –  It’s been a soggy few weeks and if that trend continues the lower half of the course could be quite slick. Pick your routes carefully. The race will be held rain or shine, but race organizers reserve the right to make course adjustments as needed.
  • TO THE TOP CONTEST –  Guess the times for the fastest man and woman to Race Point (top of the climb) and win cash! Tickets are $5 HERE or at bib pickup.

Stay tuned for a final race message on July 3 and good luck dialing in your preparations!

The Mount Marathon Race Committee &
Matias Saari, Race Director

-Featured image by Mick Dees

2023 LIVESTREAM Links, Info & Article!

The 2023 races are being Livestreamed for the 2nd straight year by Jensen Hall Creative/Tudor Road Studios! Help spread the word to friend, family and armchair fans around the globe. See links below for each race.

This year’s expanded production has no fewer than 17 personnel — announcers Holly Brooks and Andrew Kastning, directors, camera operators (in town and on the mountain), drone operators, an engineer, an audio expert and more!

In addition to live broadcast of the races, a separate “Finish Cam” will show all racers as they cross the finish line.

All video streams are available through the Mount Marathon Race YouTube Channel HERE. Those unable to watch on race day can view the races anytime in the future as they’ll also be archived there.

Those in Seward on race day can watch the Livestream on a 12-foot screen at the Race Headquarters in the Flamingo Lounge parking lot!

Here are the times and links for each stream (all times AK time):

July 3, 6:45 p.m. – Livestream Preview Show HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hUxT_YfkOg
July 4, 9:00 a.m. – Juniors Livestream (no announcers) HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lqg3uKBT0w
July 4, 10:50 a.m. – Women’s Livestream HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8bfWamsoeo
July 4, 11:30 a.m. – Women’s Finish Line Feed HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykiATCdb5cs
July 4, 1:50 p.m. – Men’s Livestream HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JVIE9_Te_k
July 4, 2:30 p.m. – Men’s Finish Line Feed HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYQNn1vxaxA

 

******
Also, here is an article in the 2023 Race Guide about this year’s Livestream written by Doyle Woody.

By DOYLE WOODY

Production stalwarts Scott Jensen and Shirley Sakaye will deliver a livestream broadcast of the Mount Marathon Race for the second straight year, and pulling off their best performance on race day requires preparation and execution akin to the runners whose journeys they will document.

Jensen, the livestream’s technical producer, and Sakaye, the director, have spent months spit-balling ideas. They’ve planned for best-case and worst-case scenarios. They’ve reviewed last year’s broadcast. That work matches the months of specific training most Mount Marathon runners log prior to the starter’s gun firing on the Fourth of July.

Jensen and Sakaye intend to spend the last few days before July 4 setting up equipment, conducting technical tests, organizing staff and volunteers, and finalizing a game plan. That’s like a runner’s pre-race checklist for tapering – reducing mileage to refresh the legs while also dialing in nutrition, hydration and sleep – to generate peak performance for the grind up the 3,022-foot peak and the harrowing descent.

And like a longtime racer who possesses experiences both good and bad on which to draw, Jensen and Sakaye will use decades of broadcast experience to adjust on the fly and push perceived limits right to the edge, but not over it. (Presumably, the technical equivalent of a runner bonking/faceplanting is a livestream that goes dark.)

Sounds like a lot.

“I’m not sure why we do this?” Jensen said with a laugh.

“You know what?’’ Sakaye added. “I think we’re kind of adrenaline junkies. It’s actually really fun.’’

Jensen, part owner of Tudor Road Studios, which will produce the livestream, and Sakaye have known each other since they were teenagers working at KTUU Channel 2 in the basement of the Fourth Avenue Theatre in 1992. Jensen has been a print and video journalist in Anchorage for decades. Sakaye was a longtime director at KTVA Channel 11. Both have covered Mount Marathon extensively, and they’ve done so live – both KTUU and KTVA produced live race broadcasts in the past.

But gone are the expensive TV broadcasts that used satellite trucks, cables up and down the mountain and even helicopters for aerial footage. The new model for mountain and trail running events is livestream broadcasting and Mount Marathon was eager to get in on the action.

After a bare-bones trial run in 2022, this year’s livestream — with financial help from primary sponsor Hilcorp Alaska — will feature more comprehensive coverage of the action. The will also be a separate “finish line cam” where fans can see all racers cross the line, not just the most competitive.

Both the livestream and the finish cam will be viewable on YouTube Live and Facebook Live with links posted on Mount Marathon’s website.

Mount Marathon race director Matias Saari said he wants the livestream to not only chronicle the races and the athletes, but also highlight the town of Seward and the spectacle of a unique sports event.

“We’re going to grow this thing and make it better every year,’’ Saari said. “My hopes are to have a broadcast that’s professional, so people throughout Alaska and beyond can watch and enjoy.’’

Jensen said this year’s production will include two cameras on the crowded streets of downtown Seward, a camera at mid-mountain and another on the summit, and footage provided by drones. Several volunteer runners, using iPhones on gimbal holders, will also follow racers to create additional footage on the mountain.

Anyone who has tried to make a cell phone call or send a text on race day in Seward – the population of about 3,000 swells to three or four times that, minimum, on race day – knows that can feel like an impossible dream. Jensen said one of Mount Marathon’s corporate partners, GCI, has furnished significant technological help that should make for an efficient production.

Former World Cup and U.S. Olympic Nordic skier Holly Brooks, a two-time Mount Marathon champion who last year shared livestream announcing duties and has broadcast several editions of the race, will be among those behind the mic. She’s a walking encyclopedia of Alaska mountain running, and has proved capable of illuminating both the big picture and the smaller, colorful details of Mount Marathon and its athletes.

“As far as knowledge, she’s incredible, and a big asset,’’ Jensen said.

Brooks said she appreciated that Jensen and Sakaye last year gave her and co-host Lex Treinen ample leeway.

“What I really appreciated is I felt they weren’t micro-managing,’’ Brooks said. “Give me a feed, and I have no lack of things to talk about. We want to do play-by-play, but also tell stories, touch on weather and conditions and training, talk about the pros and the locals. There are so many things to talk about.’’

Jensen said he believes the livestream will be a winner.

“I am confident we’ll be victorious,’’ he said.

A little drama from the races, of course, wouldn’t hurt. Take the 2014 women’s race, for instance. Brooks led Christy Marvin (another two-time champ) by a whopping 1 minute, 55 seconds as she rounded the rock at the summit and began her descent. Victory seemed assured. Brooks slowed, though, and Marvin ate into Brooks’ lead before Brooks crossed the line a winner by a scant two seconds.

“Sport is unpredictable,’’ Brooks said, “and that’s why we love it.’’