Hannah Lafleur of Seward and David Norris of Fairbanks were named Alaska Athlete of the Week co-winners after impressive victories at the 93rd Mount Marathon race. Defending champion Lafleur (she won in 2019, there was no race last year) pulled away from a strong field on the strength of an 11:44 downhill time, the 4th fastest recorded downhill in… Read more »
Scott Patterson of Anchorage shattered his own record at the 8th Kesugi Ridge Traverse to earn Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Alaska Athlete of the Week honors. The 28-year-old Olympic skier completed the rugged 30-mile course from Little Coal Creek to Byers Lake in Denali State Park in 4 hours, 19 minutes and 39 seconds, knocking more… Read more »
Scott Patterson shattered his record at the 8th Kesugi Ridge Traverse on Saturday while Christy Marvin celebrated her birthday with another victory in one of the first trail races to be held during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patterson, a 28-year-old Olympic skier from Anchorage, completed the rugged 30-mile course from Little Coal Creek to Byers Lake… Read more »
For more than 3 ½ days, Sam Hooper of Denali Park hiked alone on ATV trails, along caribou routes, over tundra and through marshes and swamps. When he wasn’t hiking, he packrafted various creeks and rivers and portaged around rapids when necessary. The former Denali National Park backcountry ranger struggled with nausea most of the… Read more »
Lyon Kopsack rekindled a family tradition and Christy Marvin joined the 6-winner club on Saturday as Palmer runners dominated the 32nd Matanuska Peak Challenge in their hometown on Saturday. Kopsack, 24, became the first Palmer man to win since his father Lance in 1998. With a time of 2:59:57, Kopsack snuck in as the third… Read more »
Christy Marvin’s return to the Ozarks Highland Trail in Arkansas was a resounding success. Marvin, of Palmer, hiked most of 218-mile trail in seven days with her mother, Beth Virgin, in 2017. When they heard about a new ultramarathon there called the Razorback Running Revival, they figured it would be a fun and different way… Read more »
In just a few hours, Patrick Schmidt and Shauna Severson went from virtual unknowns to King and Queen of the Mountain. The unheralded runners each came from behind to win the Matanuska Peak Challenge, an event widely regarded as the toughest mountain race in Alaska. The race near Palmer climbs from the base of Lazy… Read more »
While in Sweden for a Nordic ski camp, Kendall Kramer jumped in a mountain running race. The skiing and running teenage phenom from Fairbanks placed second in the 13.5-kilometer Ulvang Kvartsmaraton on August 3 in Are, Sweden. She finished the course in 1 hour, 12 minutes and 34 minutes and was bested only by Norwegian… Read more »
Michael Connelly of Chugiak is a world championship bronze medalist. Representing Team USA, Connelly, 17, placed third in the Vertical Kilometer event at the International Skyrunning Federation Youth World Championships in Fonte Cerreto, Italy. Connelly posted a time of 42 minutes, 22 seconds, trailing only runners from Andorra and Spain in the Youth A Division… Read more »
Anchorage mountain runner Lars Arneson shattered the 12 Peaks Challenge by completing the self-supported link-up of the 5,000 foot peaks in Chugach Mountains Front Range in 14 hours and 41 minutes. His effort the record held by Adam Jensen and Matt Shryock by more than 3 hours (17:43 on 7/20/18). “I was definitely on a mission,”… Read more »
