Today Matt and I ran alongside almost a thousand other people in the 49th annual Equinox Marathon.
This Fairbanks tradition occurs every September and is one of the toughest marathons in the United States. A cumulative gain in elevation of 3,285 feet is a lot to contend with if you’re just aiming to finish (like me) much less trying to win.
The race is divided into three types of entries, three-member relay teams, each running a third of the total 26.2 miles, marathoners who register as individuals to complete the entire 26.2, and the certifiably insane ultramarathoners who run 40 miles as individuals.
Here I am at the turnaround point, which is the end of the “Out-and-Back” atop Ester Dome.
Angels from heaven (disguised as Lathrop Cross Country Team members) were waiting there with manna for us in the form of orange slices and Oreo cookies. Over 13 miles down and only half way there!
Here’s Matt following the nice and easy yellow brick road just after coming down the notorious “Chute,” an über-steep gully filled with big loose rocks.
It’s an ankle twister waiting to happen, and you better hope you don’t go down, because there’s no stopping until the bottom if you do!
Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the marathon, and fittingly enough it will be held on September 22nd, which will be the actual day of the autumnal equinox in the year 2012.
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