Matias Saari, MMR Director

2026 Mount Marathon Logo Contest Opens!

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Mount Marathon Race 2026 Logo Contest

In addition to their logo being used for all MMR 2026 promotional purposes, the winning designer will receive a $250 cash prize!

How to Enter the Contest

  • Contest opens March 7, 2026
  • Deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, 2026
  • Winners will be announced in early April via e-mail, mountmarathon.com, and the Seward Chamber of Commerce’s social media channels

For your entry to be reviewed by our selection committee, it must be:

  • Submitted directly to director@mountmarathon.com
  • Submitted in its original source file (a scalable, vector format such as .ai or .eps).
  • Submitted as a high resolution .pdf with 300 dpi or higher.

Logo Requirements

  • Theme: To best convey the unique nature of the Mount Marathon Race, the logo design must include a mountain theme.
  • Language: The design MUST include the following words or phrases:
    • Mount Marathon Race
    • 98th Running
    • Seward, Alaska
    • July 4, July 4th, or Fourth of July AND the year 2026
  • Color: The design may include a maximum of four colors. There are no limitations on the specific colors. The logo must look professional in color and black-and-white.
  • Integrity: Logos cannot contain copyrighted material. Logos must have been created and edited by the contestant(s). Logos may not include images or licensed images that have been previously published. Must be easily reproduced and scalable for large and small formatting.
  • Previous Winners can be viewed here: https://mountmarathon.com/logo-history/

Contest Details

  • One winning logo design will be selected by the Mount Marathon Race Committee.
  • Contestants agree that the Seward Chamber of Commerce may publish their logo and name(s) and may use both for future advertising campaigns and/or marketing materials.
  • Contestants may only submit one logo per contest but are free to apply again in the future.
  • Contestants assign all ownership rights, including all intellectual property rights to the logo, to the Mount Marathon Race and Seward Chamber of Commerce.
  • The Mount Marathon Race Committee and Seward Chamber of Commerce may work with the artist to revise the winning logo as necessary for its intended use.
  • The Mount Marathon Race Committee reserves the right to not select a winner if, in its sole discretion, no suitable entries are received.

Prize

  •  The winning designer will receive $250, a minimum of one race shirt and one volunteer shirt, and bragging rights!

2026 Registration Opens Sunday March 1!

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The 2026 Mount Marathon Race registration opens at 8 a.m. on Sunday March 1 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31!

There are two registration options: One for those who have Priority Status  and one for those who must enter the lottery.

If you are unsure of your status, scan the priority list or use the search function HERE to see if you have Priority Status.

You can also view these 2025 age group results (WOMEN & MEN) which show who placed in the Top 50 Percent of their Age Group for priority qualification (those who raced on one-year bibs are NOT eligible for priority).

To see if you qualify for 10-year status  view your full race record HERE.

Instructions for PRIORITY REGISTRATION

  • If you HAVE Priority status (even if you did not race in 2025) you will receive an email at 8 a.m. on March 1 with a link inviting you to register. The entry fee remains $100 for adults and $50 for juniors.
  • SKIP-A-YEAR and Pregnancy Deferrals — If you used your one-time Skip-A-Year in 2025 or received a pregnancy deferral, you have priority in 2026 but still must register and pay the entry fee to become an entrant.

Instruction for LOTTERY REGISTRATION

  • If you do NOT have Priority Status, you must enter the Lottery. On March 1 at 8 a.m., you can begin the lottery process HERE. Lottery registration remains open through March 31.
  • The lottery process involves two mandatory steps.
    Step 1) Join the Lottery Group (adults $20, juniors $15).
    Step 2) (You MUST complete this step or you will not be entered in the lottery) Register for the lottery and preauthorize payment for your race entry; your credit card will only be charged IF you win the lottery.
  • The cost to enter the lottery remains $20 for adults and $15 for juniors. WINNERS of the lottery — which will be conducted in early April — will then automatically be charged $80 for adults or $35 for juniors to complete their full registration fee.
  • Read more about the lottery process and lottery ODDS from 2022-25 HERE

The 98th running of the Mount Marathon Race will be Saturday, July 4 in Seward.

2026 Changes: Skip-A-Year Eliminated, Race From the Base & Team Competition Added

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The Mount Marathon Race Committee and race organizers have made the following changes for the 2026 season:

1) The Skip-A-Year option has been eliminated for the 2026 race.

Skip-A-Year, the no-questions-asked deferral that runners could use once in their racing lifetime, has been eliminated beginning in 2026.

Approved Skip-A-Years from 2025 will still be honored and those individuals will receive a priority invitation on March 1 for 2026 registration.

The Mount Marathon Race Committee voted to eliminate Skip-A-Year as it was deemed too great a benefit for priority racers at the expense of lottery hopefuls. Lottery odds are therefore expected to rise beginning in 2027 given that more than 50 additional lottery spots will be available compared to when Skip-A-Year was in effect.

This rule change has no impact on racer’s eligibility for 10-Year Status.

In 2026 and beyond, entrants with extenuating circumstances who are unable to race may still petition the race committee the following year and make their case for why they should be granted a bib.

2) Team Competition Added

Mount Marathon will once again have a team competition beginning in 2026.

Teams may include individuals from all race divisions: women, men, boys, girls, Golden Racer and non-binary. Each team can have as many members as they wish with the top five performances counting toward their team score. Scoring will match cross country running (1 point for first place, 2 for 2nd place, etc …) with the lowest team score winning.

Prizes will be given for the top team, the best team name, the team with the most members, and more.

Team registration will open once the 2026 roster is published in early April and additional registration details will be publicized then.

3) Race From the Base for ages 7-10 Added

A new event, Race From the Base, will debut in 2026 for 7-to-10-year-olds.

The event will start around 9:10 a.m. once all participants in the boys’ and girls’ races have cleared the Upper Lowell Canyon Road gate.

The Race From the Base will then run downhill about 2/3 of a mile from the gate to the finish line on Fourth Avenue.

Ribbons will be given to the top 6 boys and girls but times will not be recorded.

The event is designed to give 7- and 8-year-olds an opportunity to compete after the minimum age for juniors was raised to 9 in 2024. It will also provide an option for 9- and 10-year-olds who lose the junior lottery or are not yet ready for the full junior event.

Registration and bib distribution will be on race day only from 8-9 a.m. at the picnic table near the Lowell Canyon Road gate.

A pending page on the Mount Marathon website will provide additional details.

2025 MMR Photos/Video/Articles — all free!

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Congratulations Mount Marathoners!
We’ve compiled a bunch of media links that recognize your accomplishments at the 97th Mount Marathon Race:


PHOTOS – all offer free digital downloads! 
– Mick Dees – Official MMR Photographer – Album HERE!
– Brikru Photography – Albums HERE!
– Anna Engel (Nordic Insights) – Album HERE
– Eric Youngblood – Scroll down HERE
* These photographers are giving you photos; please credit the photographer when using on social media or elsewhere.

VIDEOS
– Brady Rufner compilation HERE (3 min+)
– Robert Arnold Mt. Marathon Highlights HERE (23 min+)

LIVESTREAM/TV
– Our LIVESTREAM was the best yet! 30,000 views & counting! Links HERE (Watch the races or check out the separate Finish Cam anytime!)
– Alaska’s News Source KTUU Ch. 2 coverage HERE (*they will also rebroadcast our Livestream Saturday, July 12 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. – anyone can watch on regular TV without streaming!)

ARTICLES (some require subscription)
– Anchorage Daily News HERE (photos & articles)
– Alaska Sports Report HERE (scroll down for race stories)
– Peninsula Clarion HERE
– Nordic Insights HERE
– The Seward Folly HERE

SOCIAL MEDIA
– MMR Facebook HERE
– MMR Facebook Runners Group HERE (post photo album links here if we missed any!)
– MMR Instagram – @mountmarathonrace

2025 Racer Email #4 – FINAL INFO!

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Racers of the 97th Mount Marathon Race — Final Info!

Please read the important information below!

  • July 3 SCHEDULE, Seward High School, 2100 Swetman Ave.
    5-8 p.m. — Bib Pickup – Bring ID; Juniors must be accompanied by parent
    5-8 p.m. — Pasta Feed, $15 – benefits the Seward HS athletic booster club
    6 p.m. — Auction & Raffle – 14 total auction spots awarded and 1 raffle spot drawn
    6:45 p.m. — Safety meeting – First-timers must sign off that they’ve completed the full course in training (Parents must sign for juniors); bib pick-up for first-timers immediately after.
  • July 4 Race START TIMES
    Juniors — 9 a.m. (boys and girls start together)
    Women — Wave 1 at 11:05 a.m., Wave 2 at 11:08 a.m., Wave 3 at 11:11 a.m.
    Men  — Wave 1 at 2:05 p.m., Wave 2 at 2:08 p.m., Wave 3 at 2:11 p.m.

NOTE: As usual, VETERAN racers may pick up their bibs on Race Day July 4 beginning at 8 a.m. at Race Headquarters in the Flamingo Lounge parking lot, 208 Fourth Ave.; bring ID.

  • BIB PICKUP RACER BAG ITEMS — Includes artistic can of water from Kuuk Water, coozie from Summit View Lodge, drink mix packet from Coca-Cola Alaska, a Mount Marathon trading card (new!), 2 Mount Marathon stickers, hot & cold packs (limited number) from Pioneer Peak Orthopedic and coupons from Flamingo Lounge (free cup of chowder near finish line!), Resurrection Medical Care (vitamin IV) and Advanced Physical Therapy!
  • ROSTERS
    See our updated rosters HERE
    Participant Tracking — Go HERE
    Live Results — Go HERE July 4
  • SPECTATORS and FINISH PEN
    Spectator Info HERE. Please let your supporters know that for safety reasons the pen is for Racers and Officials ONLY and this will be enforced.
  • SHOWERS
    Showers are available FOR RACERS ONLY from 1-5 p.m. July 4 at the AVTEC Student Center, 519 4th Ave.
  • AWARDS CEREMONY at AVTEC (with Door Prize drawing for all!)
    6 p.m. AVTEC Gymnasium, 519 4th Ave, Seward AK 99664
  • FINISH PEN PODIUM AWARDS
    Brief Top 5 overall awards on the grandstand just north of the finish line for Juniors at 10 a.m., Women at 12:15 p.m. and Men at 3:05 p.m.
  • PARKING
    Parking may be easiest to find a few blocks from the race course. Note that Fourth Avenue from Washington to Jefferson Streets will be CLOSED beginning at 2 p.m. July 3 for course set-up.
  • NO DRONES OR DOGS
    Flying drones along all race trails and throughout downtown Seward is prohibited. Also please keep dogs off the race course and in the crowded downtown area.
  • LIVESTREAM BROADCAST & JUMBOTRON
    The Livestream Broadcast will be cool! Find all links HERE. There will also be separate Finish Line Feeds showing all finishers. And new this year is a giant Jumbotron near the finish line showing the Livestream!Have a memorable experience,
    The Mount Marathon Race Committee

2025 Mount Marathon — JUNIORS’ PREVIEW

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Juniors: Flagstad seeks first win, Jordan out with illness

By MATIAS SAARI
Mount Marathon Race Director

Vebjorn Flagstad has won plenty of major running and skiing races, but one title has thus far eluded him: the Mount Marathon Junior Boys race.

Flagstad, the runner-up the last two years, seeks to change that in his last junior race before aging up to the men’s event in 2026.

“I am definitely hungry for a win,” said Flagstad, whose father Trond still owns family bragging rights with two wins in the men’s race.

Vebjorn Flagstad at the base of mountain in 2024. Photo by Brikru Photography.

Flagstad, now 17, ran an exceptionally fast time of 25 minutes, 52 seconds in 2024 while wearing a red USA singlet. The only problem: Palmer’s Coby Marvin, holder of the second-fastest time in junior history, was also entered. Unlike 2023, when Marvin got a big gap on the climb to the junior turnaround pole, Flagstad hung close to Marvin the entire way last year but still finished five seconds behind.

Marvin won’t be a factor this year: he’s 18 years old now and making his men’s race debut.

“Not having Coby (in 2025) will make it interesting since I will most likely have to lead and pace myself,” said Flagstad, who focused on track training this spring and won a state championship in the 3200-meter run.

If any returning racers are going to challenge Flagstad, they’ll likely have to speed up several minutes from their 2024 races.

Also entered are Cedar Ruckel of Indian (third in 28:22 last year), Blaze Rubeo of Wasilla (fourth in 28:24 last year) and Raven Spangler of Palmer (fourth in 2023).

One top newcomer is Nathan Vanderlugt, a talented Nordic skier and mountain runner now living at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks. Vanderlugt raised some eyebrows at the 2024 Bird Ridge Hill Climb when he placed 10th overall as a 15-year-old ahead of many seasoned Mount Marathon adult racers.

Missing from the roster is Robbie Annett, who was fifth last year. He accomplished a rare feat at the 2025 state high school Division 2 championships by taking the 800-, 1600- and 3200-meter races.

Junior boys compete together in one large wave of about 300 runs starting at 9 a.m. on July 4 in downtown Seward.

In the junior girls race, it’s a good thing for hometown girl Olive Jordan that the race isn’t only uphill.

Junior boys and girls compete together. Photo by Mick Dees

Last year Jordan, then 14 years old, reached the turnaround point in fifth place with a seemingly large deficit of 68 seconds. But Jordan rocketed down the mountain in 8 minutes, 41 seconds to take the win in 33:59, which was 23 seconds clear of Palmer’s Wren Spangler.

“I was surprised (about coming back to win), but I do have the local advantage,” Jordan said. “So I have a pretty fast downhill and my town cheering me on. … One reason I’m fast at the downhill is I do downhill skiing which is sort of the same, and helps me not be scared of falling or going too fast.”

Being from Seward can be beneficial but also has a drawback for Jordan. “It does make me super nervous,” she said. “I feel like I have a lot of pressure but it’s also a race I do for fun!”

(UPDATE June 27) The above section was written before Jordan announced she will not race due to illness (pneumonia).

With all but Jordan returning from the top 12 runners in 2024, who will win is anybody’s guess.

The tiny, blond-haired Spangler is a crowd favorite. As an 11-year-old in 2023 she took third. Spangler climbed to runner-up in 2024 so perhaps she’s now ready for the top step of the podium, even though she has five years of junior eligibility remaining.

Tania Boonstra of Kenai, the 2023 girls champion, will race for the last time as a junior alongside Hannah Bodkin, the Eagle River native who led at midway last year.

And don’t sleep on another 17-year-old, the 2022 champion Rosie Conway of Anchorage. After three straight top-3 finishes from 2021-23, Conway had a down year (for her) by taking seventh last year. But she has regained good form in 2025 and won the 1600-meter run at the Alaska Division 1 track and field championship in May.

“This year is going to be very competitive,” Jordan said. “I know some girls really want that first-place spot because it’s their last year or they were close to first (in the past).”