Pick up a 2023 Mount Marathon Race Guide at the Seward Chamber or in Anchorage at Skinny Raven or Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking (AMH) or click the image for an electronic version. 

Mount Marathon First-time Racers (and junior parents) — please read this important information!

• CURRENT CONDITIONS – Recent rain in Seward has made the lower half of the mountain extremely slippery. Practicing the mountain in those conditions can be frustrating but is excellent training if race day is similar. Note that conditions can change daily or even hourly: it might be raining the night of July 3 and the course could still dry out by July 4, or vice-versa. The race will still be held rain or shine!
• COURSE RECON REQUIREMENT — The race is in 10 days! Just a reminder that first-timers must complete the ENTIRE course in training — and sign a statement at bib pickup that they have done so — before they can collect their bib on July 3. If the first-timer is a junior, a parent or guardian must sign the statement.
• SAFETY MEETING FOR FIRST-TIMERS — All first-timers must attend the safety meeting at 6:45 p.m. July 3 at the Seward High School gymnasium. First-time juniors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
• COURSE KNOWLEDGE: Get prepared in person and by watching these short VIDEOS from the mountain and this excellent SAFETY VIDEO.
• NOT A ROOKIE?: If you received this message but are not a first-time racer, please email director@mountmarathon.com to be classified correctly.
• LIVESTREAM and FINISH CAM — The races will be broadcast via Livestream, and there will also be a separate Finish Cam! Links available at our YouTube Channel HERE and www.mountmarathon.com  … share with your family and friends!

Stay tuned for upcoming messages and best wishes for your final preparations!
The Mount Marathon Race Committee &
Matias Saari, Race Director

Please read the following important announcements.

1) SAFETY TOURS are scheduled at 12 p.m. on Saturday June 17 and June 24! They are a great way to learn how to negotiate the lower half of the mountain. Details here:

2023 Safety Tours June 17 and June 24

2) VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT is ongoing for spots in town and on the mountain! Please consider volunteering or having someone in your support crew do so. Sign up here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c45aca62eabfbc43-mount#/

3) We will LIVESTREAM BROADCAST the women’s and men’s race on YouTube Live and Facebook Live with additional cameras and personnel this year. Plus we’ll be running a separate Finish Cam for all 3 races!
Spread the word and check out our YouTube Channel HERE (with 2022 Livestreams) and Facebook page HERE

4) The PASTA FEED is returning to bib pickup on July 3! Details to come on MMR website. Proceeds benefit the Seward High School Athletic Booster Club.

5) COURSE INFO: The mountain is constantly changing; currently be aware of snow covering the creek that will rot out sooner than later! Do your homework in person and by watching these short VIDEOS from the mountain.

6) Remember, FIRST-TIME RACERS must complete the ENTIRE course in training before bib pickup and sign a statement they have done so.

Stay tuned for upcoming messages and best wishes for your training!
The Mount Marathon Race Committee &
Matias Saari, Race Director

Mount Marathon Junior racers and parents — please read this important information!

1) CUT-OFF TIMES
Junior racers must achieve these cutoff times or be turned around by a volunteer and escorted to the finish to meet their parents:
– 8 minutes to the trailhead gate by the picnic benches on Lowell Canyon Road (this was lowered in 2023 from 10 minutes by the race committee); juniors should practice the road section to learn this pace!
– 30 minutes to Squirrels’ Inn (all juniors must take a route that passes through there)
– 90 minutes to the finish to requalify for the following year.

2) SAFETY TOURS are scheduled at 12 p.m. on Saturday June 17 and June 24! They are a great way to learn the lower third of the mountain. Details here:
https://mountmarathon.com/news/safety-tours-offered-june-17-and-june-24/

3) COURSE RECON REQUIREMENT FOR FIRST-TIMERS — Parents of Juniors must sign a statement on July 3 that they have completed the entire course in training (the safety tour is not sufficient)

4) SAFETY MEETING FOR FIRST-TIMERS — First-time juniors AND their parents must attend the safety meeting at 6:45 p.m. July 3 at the Seward High School gymnasium.

5) COURSE KNOWLEDGE: The more you know about the course, the better prepared you will be. Do your homework in person and by watching these short VIDEOS from the mountain and this excellent SAFETY VIDEO.

Stay tuned for upcoming messages and best wishes for your training!
The Mount Marathon Race Committee &
Matias Saari, Race Director

What: Mini Mount Marathon
Where: Corner of 4th and Adams St., Seward
When: Friday, July 4 from 10:45-11:30 a.m.
Entry Fee: Free!
Bib Pickup: 10:45 a.m. only on July 4 at corner of 4th & Adams St.

A tradition of more than 30 years, the adorable Mini Mount Marathon races are back for 2-6 year-olds!

There is NO registration fee, and race bibs are available at the First National Bank parking lot on the Northwest corner of 4th & Adams Street ONLY on the Fourth of July beginning at 10:45 a.m.

The first kids race will be the 6-year-old girls, then the 6-year-old boys and downward to 5-, 4-, 3- and 2-year-olds. Races will start promptly at 11:08 a.m. immediately after the 3rd wave of the women’s start.

Kids finish outside the Seward fire station and for security reasons will only be released to a parent or family member. Parents are expected to be at the finish line to pick up their child and ensure that the next race starts promptly.

Petro Marine Services of Seward is the long-time sponsor of the event.
The event is organized by Skip and Kim Reierson.

For more information, contact the Seward Chamber of Commerce at events@seward.com