Alaska’s peaks offer runners physical challenge with the added benefit of amazing scenery. The journey itself becomes the greatest reward. Mountain runners have their choice of great events in and around Anchorage.
The Crow Pass Crossing, held each July, is a 24-mile cross-country run with an elevation gain of 3,888 feet, a quarter-mile crossing of glacier-fed Eagle River, and an excellent chance for wildlife viewing (black or brown bear, moose and bald eagles) in addition to breathtaking scenery.
The just-right route for runners too tame for Crow Pass but too wild for urbane marathons is the Bob Spurr Memorial Hill Climb held in June. The climb is a one-way, three-mile ascent of 3,400-foot Bird Ridge south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway. It's classified as a good race for most fit runners seeking a moderate challenge.
Berry pickers can sit back and relax in blueberry paradise while mountain runners scramble up and down the slopes of Mount Alyeska at the Alyeska Classic Mountain Run. Beginning from the Alyeska Tramway, the 2,000-foot, 2-K uphill only climb finishes at the top with a courtesy tram ride down.
The Bob Spurr Memorial Hill Climb and the Alyeska Mountain Classic Run are part of the six-event Alaska Mountain Running Grand Prix series. The other Grand Prix races are: Government Peak Hill Climb, Mount Marathon, Kal's Knoya Ridge Run and the Matanuska Peak Challenge. Register and find details at www.alaskamountainrunners.org.
Alaska Mountain Runners is a non-profit organization located in Anchorage, dedicated to the promotion and development of mountain running throughout the state.
