Mayors Marathon

The Mayor's Marathon was recommended to me by a coworker who used to live in Anchorage. I never thought I'd really do it, but my planned end-of-April marathon was cancelled and I chose a June date to take advantage of the ability to catch up for a previous delay in training. That second plan was the flat course in Winnipeg, Canada, as I wanted a PR, but a heat wave that was predicted (and arrived) that day made me switch to this race a handful of days before race day. I'm glad I did! The Anchorage weather was perfect, 50s, partly sunny. Anchorage is a longer flight, but once there, the packet pick-up and hotels are a short taxi ride away, no rental car needed for the race itself. I jogged from my hotel to where the buses drive you to the start line--the logistics were all well-done. The course starts on a coastal trail - beautiful! (The organizers sent bicyclists ahead to prevent a repeat of a bear causing a short delay that occured 2021.) The course isn't flat, in fact the start is the steepest, but it is downhill. What look like a big uphills (mile 5) on the elevation map weren't bad in steepness or length. I felt the later overpasses over major roads the most. I admit the ending hill is memorable, a couple of blocks of up-then-flatter-then-up-again, but CHARGE! you're at the end anyway. Most of miles 19+ are slightly downhill. The support stations were well staffed. Almost every turn was staffed (one was not, out past the University, and a few of us missed it briefly, as we missed what was clearly an arrow on the ground. Thanks to the runner who called us back!) The gravel portion for 2022 was past the University, two or three miles of forest with well-packed small gravel that didn't even need the trail shoes I wore, having read an earlier review about larger gravel (maybe the course was different?). Spectator areas were separated by miles, but eventually I knew the families of those runners leapfrogging with me. A couple of runners had to pause briefly for a mother moose and calf crossing the path, maybe around mile marker 12/23, but I just had a great view of the event occuring a hundred meters in front of me. The end of the marathon is shared with the half and shorter races, so the almost-lonely miles 21 and 22 are replaced with lots of people, but I only has to pass off the paved trail once, and there was plenty of room for that. The free post race food was first class, including cinnamon toast, coffee, grilled cheese sandwiches, and beer. I chatted with racers who were locals, but also many from out of state and out of country (England, Germany)--lots of people coming to bag an Alaska race, and this is a great one to choose. I hope to be back, and to bring my friends.

No pace groups. I aimed for even to negative split pacing, adjusted for effort. I wasn't able to speed up after the peak altitude about mile 19, but maybe next time. The marathon isn't a huge race (half was much larger), so not always lots of runners around, but just enough to keep it feeling like a race and not just a long solo training run.

Hotel prices were high, as I was looking at the last minute, and the Solstice festival (which is why this race is when it is) makes rooms scarce. I stayed at an extended stay hotel just part of a mile from the finish, and it was nice not to have to taxi/Uber/Lyft on race day, even if the neighborhood is only fair. Plenty of bathrooms at the start, bag check was run wonderfully quickly, so I had more than enough time by taking the bus arriving about 45 minutes before the start. When I do this race again, I'll plan to stay in Alaska for a week or more, and maybe rent a car to go see Denali, or the glaciers, all hours away. That said, the race is fun enough to make it worth going even just for the race, if your time is short.

By diverse I'm referring to the course itself. It starts on a paved road, moves to a gravel,rocky road followed by a mostly single track packed dirt/rocky trail and eventually a beautiful paved bike trail. It finishes on a short grassy portion in a park. Lots to look at throughout the race. I saw a bear at the side of the road around mile 6. Pretty fun and came at just the right time to cheer up the course

They don't have any gels on course so bring your own! Water and Gatorade at every water station. Stations places just right. One really bothersome issue is they use hard plastic cups and I had to walk through every water station to drink. Also they record the gun time and use that as official so if that matters to you, start near the front.

Staying downtown would be best but we stayed at the comfort Suites airport and took an Uber to the shuttle which worked out fine. All the logistics went smoothly. They have everything covered.

It is a very secluded, so there is not many spectators other than the aid/relay exchange stations. Having the half marathoners start an hour later than the full keep you from having to run through walkers at the finish, although everyone was walking up that hill.

The course is not easy. Miles ~7-14 are uphill on something they call a tank road. It is rough gravel (jagged 1-2 inch rocks). Hard to a spot that was well packed, so it beats up your feet pretty good. This is followed by a mile on a dirt, single track. When reach pavement again SLOW DOWN! Mile 16 is a steep downhill and you will burn out your quads if you let you go too hard. It is pretty flat the rest of the on the bike path until mile 26. At the point you merge with the half marathoners (who start an hour later) to join in the misery of an ungodly 100 foot ascent before running across a parking lot an finishing on the track.