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Anchorage RunFest 2023

Arts and Entertainment

July 17, 2023

From: Anchorage RunFest

Schedule:

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Healthy Heroes Warmup – 9:30 AM
Kids’ 2K – 10:00 AM

One of the goals of Anchorage RunFest and Healthy Futures Alaska is to create an opportunity for kids to be active through play and exercise, and to teach them healthy life skills that will stick with them into adulthood. 2021 is the ninth year the Kids’ 2K is held on its own day.

Field Limit

Although the event is free, all participants must register and receive their bibs before the start of the race. Parents must register their children online prior to race day-there will be no in person registration. Donations are welcome to help defray the costs of putting on this event. Parents are welcome to run with their kids but need not register. Children must be 12 years of age or younger to participate.

Start/Finish

The Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital Kids’ 2K (about 1.2 miles) is a no-pressure fun run held on and immediately adjacent to the Delaney Parkstrip’s uninterrupted grassy block between E and I Streets (one block south of the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center). The start area is on 9th Avenue at its intersection with G Street. The finish is on the Park Strip grass (near F Street). The pre-race warm-up led by Anchorage’s Healthy Heroes (local elite athletes) starts at 9:30 AM and the fun run begins at 10:00 AM. Our Healthy Heroes guide the runners around the course.

11:00 AM -  Military Mile

We are awarding top male and female finishers $50 cash.

Anchorage RunFest will host its sixth Military Mile in 2022. Military members register for the Military Mile choosing the branch of service in which they serve(d). Entry for military personnel (current or past) running the Military Mile is FREE thanks to the generous sponsorship of the VFW Post 9785. Note: Because the Military Mile and Anchorage Mile are separate events, you are not allowed to run the Anchorage Mile instead if you registered for the Military Mile.

The purpose of the Military Mile is two-fold. We wish to honor those who serve, or have served, our country by giving them their own race-within-a-race and we want to help foster pride in their respective branches. The times of the top four finishers from each branch of service will be added together. The branch with the lowest cumulative time of these top finishers will win this year’s Military Mile, an honor that is hotly contested year after year.

The winning branch will have the honor of displaying The Military Mile trophy for one year. It will then return to the RunFest for the following year’s champions.

The Military Mile begins in downtown Anchorage on the south side of the Delaney Park Strip at the intersection of West 10th Avenue and G Street. Runners will complete one and a half loops of the following course:

Head east (towards the mountains) until reaching E Street. Turn left on E Street (north) and left again (west) on West 9th Street. Continue along the edge of the Delaney Park Strip till reaching I Street. Take another left turn (south). Turn left (east) again at West 10th Avenue. Cross the starting line. This is one loop.

The second half loop ends at the intersection of G Street and West 9th Avenue — on the north side of the Delaney Park Strip

Field Limit

The Military Mile field is limited to the first 200 entrants.

Start/Finish

The Military Mile will start on 10th Avenue between H Street and I Streets. The finish is at the intersection of 9th Avenue and G Street. See the schedule below for heat start times.

11:25 AM -  Anchorage Mile

We are awarding top male and female finishers $50 cash.

This event gives sprinters a unique opportunity to compete in.

There are 3 heats for this event.

Note: Because the Military Mile and Anchorage Mile are separate events, you are not allowed to run the Anchorage Mile instead if you registered for the Military Mile.

The Anchorage Mile begins in downtown Anchorage on the south side of the Delaney Park Strip at the intersection of West 10th Avenue and G Street. Runners will complete one and a half loops of the following course:

Head east (towards the mountains) until reaching E Street. Turn left on E Street (north) and left again (west) on West 9th Street. Continue along the edge of the Delaney Park Strip till reaching I Street. Take another left turn (south). Turn left (east) again at West 10th Avenue. Cross the starting line. This is one loop.

The second half loop ends at the intersection of G Street and West 9th Avenue — on the north side of the Delaney Park Strip.
Heats

The race will consist of three heats.

11:25 AM: females (For runners anticipating needing 12 minutes or less to finish)
11:45 AM: males (For runners anticipating needing 12 minutes or less to finish)
12:05 PM: Community Mile – males and females – all paces and abilities

Field Limit

The Anchorage Mile field is limited to the first 500 entrants.

Start/Finish

The Anchorage Mile will start on 10th Avenue between H Street and I Streets. The finish will be at the intersection of 9th Avenue and G Street. See the schedule below for heat start times.

Sunday August 20, 2023

8:00am - 3:30pm - United Physical Therapy 49K Ultra

The 49K Ultra (or 30.44860 miles for the metrically challenged) course begins in the heart of downtown Anchorage. Runners head west on 6th Avenue, north on H Street, then straight ahead on Christensen Drive to 2nd Avenue where the course turns left to join the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. They run past Westchester Lagoon, Earthquake Park, Postmark Drive and Point Woronzof. Their first turnaround point is approximately 1/4 mile below the top of the Kincaid hill, the toughest hill of this race, by the chalet. Returning to Westchester Lagoon, runners bear right (east) on the Chester Creek Trail. From the Chester Creek turnaround (the roundabout at the base of the hill beyond, or east of, the bridge to East High School) runners return to the lagoon and head back to the finish line in downtown Anchorage.

Note that there are five up-hills of significance

Earthquake Park at Mile 4
Point Woronzof at approximately Mile 5.5
Kincaid Park at Mile 10.5
Near Goose Lake at approximately Mile 23.5
Christensen hill at approximately Mile 29.5

Field Limit

The 49K field is limited to the first 150 entrants.

Start/Finish

The ultramarathon starts and finishes on 6th Avenue between F and G Street adjacent to the Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse in downtown Anchorage. Start time is 8:00 AM.

8:30AM - 3:30PM - Humpy's Marathon

The 26.2 mile course begins in the heart of downtown Anchorage. Runners head west on 6th Avenue, north on H Street, then straight ahead on Christensen Drive to 2nd Avenue where the course turns left to join the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. They run past Westchester Lagoon, Earthquake Park, Postmark Drive and Point Woronzof. Runners turn around about 100 yards beyond a point formerly known by locals as “the Blue Bridge.” They run back north to Westchester Lagoon where they veer right (east) on the Chester Creek Trail. From the Chester Creek turnaround (the roundabout at the base of the hill beyond, or east of, the bridge to East High School) runners return to the lagoon and head back to the finish line in downtown Anchorage.

Start/Finish

The Marathon starts and finishes on 6th Avenue between F and G Street adjacent to the Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse in downtown Anchorage. Marathon start time is 8:30 AM. Marathon Walkers begin at 8:00am.

8:45 AM - The half marathon

The half marathon is the Anchorage RunFest’s most popular race, a cool and scenic half marathon to remember.

The 13.1 mile course begins in the heart of downtown Anchorage. Runners head west on 6th Avenue, north on H Street, then straight ahead on Christensen Drive to 2nd Avenue where the course turns left to join the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. The course bears east at Westchester Lagoon and continues on the Chester Creek Trail to the turnaround (the roundabout at the base of the hill beyond, or east of, the bridge to East High School) where runners will loop back toward Westchester Lagoon and downtown Anchorage.

Field Limit

The half marathon field is limited to the first 1500 entrants.

Start/Finish

The half marathon starts and finishes on 6th Avenue between F and G Street adjacent to Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse in downtown Anchorage.

The course closes at 3:30 PM. Runners must cross the finish line by 3:30 PM to be an official finisher. Runners must reach Valley of the Moon Park aid station at mile 27 by 2:30 PM.

9:15AM - Anchorage Runfest

The 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) out and back course begins in the heart of downtown Anchorage. Runners begin by heading west on 6th Avenue. They turn right (north) on H Street, then take Christenson Drive down till it meets 2nd Avenue. Runners then head west on 2nd Avenue and onto the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail till the turnaround point.

Field Limit

The 5K field is limited to the first 1200 entrants.

Start/Finish

The 5K starts and finishes on 6th Avenue between F and G Street adjacent to Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse in downtown Anchorage.

Time Cut-off

The course closes at 3:30 PM. Runners must cross the finish line by 3:30 PM to be considered official finishers.

Date: Aug 19 - 20, 2023

Location: Various in Venues - Anchorage, AK 99501

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