Mount Marathon News

Learn from the Experts — Safety Tours Set for June 20 & 27!

 

WHAT: 2026 Safety Tours led by veteran Mount Marathon runners
WHEN:
TOUR #1 – Saturday June 20, 2026 from 11:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m. (lower mountain tour); this tour does NOT fulfill the first-timer requirement of completing the entire course before race day.
TOUR #2 – Saturday June 27, 2026  from 11:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m. (lower mountain tour); this tour does NOT fulfill the first-timer requirement of completing the entire course before race day.
NOTE: there will NOT be a full-mountain tour with Timberline Training this year.

WHERE: Meet at the picnic table near the gate on upper Lowell Canyon Road no later than 11:45 a.m. The tours starts at 12 p.m.
WHY: The tours will focus on helping participants travel safely up and down the bottom third of Mount Marathon. The cliff and roots routes, along with the creek (also known as The Gut) and a portion of scree running will be covered. Participants will be divided into small groups. Each group will hike at the pace of the slowest participant.
WHO: Anyone is welcome, but first-timers at the 2026 race or future newcomers would benefit most.
HOW MUCH: Free! No pre-registration required. Participants must sign waiver. Junior participants must have a parent or guardian sign their waiver.
WHAT TO BRING: Suitable trail shoes, water, gloves
VOLUNTEER TOUR LEADERS NEEDED: If you have run at least five Mount Marathon Races and believe you would be a good tour leader, please contact race committee member Mike Heatwole at akheatwole@gmail.com
INFO: Contact Matias Saari at director@mountmarathon.com

Volunteer Signup Has Launched!

Want to give back to the Mount Marathon Race in a meaningful way? Sign up to volunteer!

Volunteer positions for the Mount Marathon Race are now posted at SignUp Genius; thank you in advance for helping us put on a great race!

For more information about volunteering, visit: https://mountmarathon.com/volunteer/

To go directly to the Signup Genius listings, click HERE

More than 300 volunteers are needed in a wide variety of positions July 3-4 in town and on the mountain — thank you for your support!

Volunteers get our gratitude and a t-shirt with the 2026 logo design. Volunteering is also a great way for supporters (and racers) to contribute to the event. Please help spread the word!

2026 Bib & Wave Assignments Announced

Bib and wave assignments are now viewable by clicking on the roster links (men/women/boys/girls/nonbinary/Golden Men/Golden Women) at https://mountmarathon.com/2026-race-roster/

The website rosters are arranged by bib number, not by alphabetical order. Those who simply want to learn their bib number can search their name at RunSignup Participant Lookup here: https://runsignup.com/Race/RegistrationLookup/?raceId=114671

For men and women, waves were assigned as follows:

Wave 1 — Bibs 1-129, men and women
Wave 2 — Bibs 201-321, men; bibs 201-327, women
Wave 3 — Bibs 401-533, men; bibs 401-532 women

Juniors boys and girls will run together in a one combined wave, with girls assigned bibs 1-150 and boys assigned bibs 201-349.

The coveted Bib #1 has been assigned to defending champions David Norris (men), Klaire Rhodes (women) and Calista Zuber (girls) along with Blaze Rubeo (boys, 2nd place in 2025).

For detailed information about the wave and bib seeding processes, visit https://mountmarathon.com/waves-and-bib-seeding/
That page includes a Wave Change Request Form (deadline Sunday, May 24) for those who believe their assignment is incorrect and wish to contest it.

MMR RV & Tent Camping Available at Seward High School

Need a place to park your RV or pitch your tent for the Mount Marathon Race & Fourth of July Festival?
You’re in luck as Seward High School is again offering family-friendly accommodations from June 29-July 5! The cost is $40/night for tents and $80/night for RVs, with a two-night minimum.
Details and reservation links here:

Abigail Mayer wins 2026 Logo Contest!

Abigail Mayer is the winner of the 2026 Mount Marathon Race logo contest!

The logo will be printed on the 2026 racer and volunteer t-shirts, stickers, patches and other promotional efforts.

Mayer, an Anchorage native, said the grittiness of Alaska and the Mount Marathon Race inspired her design.

“Alaska is a gritty, beautiful place that you have to see and experience firsthand to really understand,” Mayer said. “I wanted the design for the logo to reflect that and feel like it had physically been carved out of the mountain, in the same way that the Mount Marathon race and everyone who participates gets to be a part of the mountain itself.”

Mayer, who won $250 for her winning design, used a block print technique to achieve her desire effect.

“To get that ‘gritty,’ mountain hewn look, I physically created several linocut prints of the design with variations by carving the mirror image out of a rubber block and using printer’s ink to produce the design on paper,” Mayer said.  “Once the prints dried, I scanned copies for digital editing and combined elements from each until I was happy with the final product.”

Mayer has personal connection to Mount Marathon as her father, Stephen, will be participating for the 10th time in 2026 while her brother, Matthew, will make his debut in the men’s division. She has never raced Mount Marathon but has spectated many times.

“It’s become a family affair for us and I’m excited to get to be a part of it in a new way this year, with the logo,” she said.

Mayer studied graphic design for two years at Abilene Christian University and now works at an advertising/public relations firm in Austin, Texas.

The 2026 racer shirt will have Mayer’s all-white logo on a black shirt while the volunteer shirt, which aims for great visibility, will be white-on-red.

The Mount Marathon Race Committee, which selected the winner, thanks all 25 artists who took part in the annual contest this year.

Mark the Date: Online Auction Set for Tuesday, April 28

The Online Auction

3 men’s and 3 women’s race slots will be available in a live online auction via Zoom on April 28, 2026.
There is no auction for the juniors race.
The Online Auction gives Alaskans or out-of-staters additional planning time (compared to the July 3 auction) because they lock in a spot more than two months before race day.
In 2025, the winning online auction bids ranged from $900-$1,200 for women and $1,800-$2,000 for men. Online auction bibs have gone for as high as $3,000 in the past.
Proceeds from the auction are used to help fund the Mount Marathon Race.

2026 Details

When: Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Zoom site will open at 5 p.m. and auction will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Number of available spots: 3 men’s PRIORITY spots and 3 women’s PRIORITY spots
Minimum bid: $200 for men and $200 for women
Minimum bid increments: $100
Zoom Link: Click HERE

Auction rules and instructions:

  • Each participant must be set up to join a Zoom meeting (those lacking the technology or knowledge should join a friend’s or family member’s account).
  • Participants are RECOMMENDED to join on a desktop computer or laptop with an Internet plan as opposed to a mobile phone that uses a data plan. The auction is better viewed on a computer. Also, being perfectly synched with the auctioneer’s voice for bidding purposes is more likely achieved on a computer.
  • The Zoom site will open at 5 p.m. on April 28, 2026 (30 minutes before the auction starts) to allow participants time for testing their technology.
  • The actual auction will start at 5:30 p.m. The three women’s bibs will be auctioned first followed immediately by the three men’s bibs.
  • The Seward Chamber of Commerce is NOT responsible for anyone whose bids fail to come through promptly due to connectivity issues or other technological problems.
  • Gallery View will enable participants to see the auctioneer and other contestants.
  • Participants will be muted by the auctioneer.
  • All bidding must be done through the chat function (test the chat when you join by posting your name and location).
  • If the person who intends to race is unable to attend the live auction, another person may bid for them.
  • If you win an auction spot, stay on the Zoom! A Seward Chamber employee will direct message you for a phone number and then will call for payment information by credit card. 
  • Auction winners will be emailed a registration link via RunSignup to get necessary information and sign the waiver. Once this is submitted, auction winners will be added to the 2026 roster.
  • Auction winners will be Priority entrants in 2026, meaning they can keep priority status for the following year if they qualify through the Top 50 Percent in Age Group Rule.
  • The race director will determine auction winners’ bib and wave assignments based on their credentials.
  • Those who fail to win an online auction spot have a final chance for entry at the in-person auction at 6 p.m. July 3 at Seward High School. 7 men’s and 7 women’s spots will be auctioned then.