Mount Marathon Race - Run3 Mile

I started right up front. I didn't have aspirations of doing well overall, but I knew I could keep up with the group on the roads and wanted to hit the mountain in the front pack to avoid the mayhem. The gun went off and we started fast. I was holding around 6:00/mi pace and was not running away from the group at all. Although this was just the warmup for climbing to come it woul have been considered seriously hilly section in any other race and these guys were flying. I was impressed. We came up to the base of the mountain and the crowd was amazing. Tons of people including friends/family cheering and yelling.

There are three ways to start the climb. The first is 'the cliffs'. Nearly vertical rock wall that is the most direct but the most dangerous. That's the route I took with Sean years ago and vowed never to go that way again. The second is 'the roots'. It's also nearly vertical but it's a dirt wall covered in trees and roots that you can climb like a jungle gym. The last and newest way is a set of switchbacks past those. I had never been on the switchbacks but with all the rain I was concerned with the roots. I am a decent trail runner and fairly poor climber so I thought the 3rd choice would be safest and even if not the fastest, wouldn't cost me much time. That turned out to be a mistake though. I hit the mountain in the top 30 and no one else went to the switchbacks. It was still extremely steep and the rain turned them into long slick muddy sliding boards. It was hands and knees, leaping from branch to branch pulling myself up. I finally popped out where the trails met back up and merged into the pack on the next section.

The next part is a long climb through tree cover on braided dirt trail. There are indentations from all the hikers creating a set of makeshift stairs. You just settle in and start making your way up. Making passes are difficult so it was better to set a solid pace an use this section to get your heart rate back below 99%. Once you clear the tree line, you pass the kids race turn around stake, and start the final section on the exposed rock.

This section is made up of loose rock that is still considerably steep. You can finally stand if needed, but are still using your hands quite a bit. The entire mountain section is around 2,800ft of climbing in a mile so it averages around 50%. Just brutal. This is also the section where there is a concern for runaway rocks from people above. Luckily there were very few except for one golf ball sized chunk that came rocketing down on us. People yell "rock!" and the guy in front of me snagged it out of mid air like a ninja and placed it down softly without breaking stride. It was insane.

I made a few passes on this section an began to push it but it seems to go on forever. There are consecutive ridges that give you the impression you are not that far, to only realize when you crest it there is another and another. The view is astounding if you actually turn to take it in sample. You can also hear the announcer and music clear as if you were down the block. Very surreal. It finally ends though and you climb up over the final ridge. The climbing is over!

You round a rock and a water stop and start the way right back down. It took me 50min to make it 1.75mi to the turn. Now I was time to fly. The way down is adjacent to the climb anf actually crosses over in the middle like a figure 8. The first section is a steep snow field and reason enough to make it through the suffering on the way up. You slide on your ass in uncontrollably until digging your feet in at the end before launching back onto the rocks. If that didn't bring a smile to your face and make you wonder WTF you were doing up on this mountain, you were not alive.

After the snow you jump/run/skid/slide down a gravelly skree slope most of the way back. It's fun and terrifying and painful all at the same time. It's also the reason I couldn't walk right for SIX days after the race. Several people came by me on this section so I probably lost any spots I gained on the way up. I ducked back onto the switchbacks, and although still muddy and messy, they were easier and faster since I could slide down instead of up. I popped out to the crowd at the base and pushed it down the streets as fast as I could manage. The crowds at the finish were amazing and it felt so good to get across that line. 50 minutes up, 20 minutes down.


I am estimating I lost at least 50 and as many as 100 spots by taking the switchbacks. I hit the mountain in the top 30, passed as many as passed me, and finished 129.
I don't totally regret it though. It was the safe play for my first time and I was alive (and barely bleeding) at the finish so I think I made the right call.

Two people were not so lucky. One was taken to the hospital in a coma I believe and another man was never found. They last saw him just below the top, but he never made it down. They searched for days and never found a trace. Awful story.

Met up with all my friends and family and then went to pick up my tshirt. I ended up riding a mountain bike back to camp to shake out my legs. Felt good.
Followed that up with another amazing 4 days of camping hiking, drinking, boating, and general Alaska adventure!!!



Experience climbing.


Lifetime experience. (I won't say "once in a" since I qualified for next year's entry!)