There are two ways to earn a One-Time Earned Race Spot:
1) Win an Alaska Mountain Runners Grand Prix race or
2) Finish in the top 10 of the previous year’s Mount Marathon Race.
Racers who earn a spot must still pay the full entry fee to redeem their earned spot.
Alaska Mountain Runners Grand Prix Race Winners
The Mount Marathon Race is part of the nine-race Alaska Mountain Runners Grand Prix. Adult winners of the following Grand Prix races may apply for a one-time invitation to the Mount Marathon Race.
- Crazy Lazy
- Kal’s Knoya Ridge Run (The Full Monty or longest race run)
- Government Peak Climb (The Up-and-Down race only)
- Juneau Ridge Race
- Robert Spurr Memorial Hill Climb (Bird Ridge)
- Matanuska Peak Challenge
- Cirque Series Alyeska (Pro Division)
- Veins of Gold
The current race year’s adult male and female winners of Crazy Lazy, Kal’s Knoya Ridge Run, Government Peak Climb, Juneau Ridge Race, and Robert Spurr Memorial Hill Climb (Bird Ridge) may request a one-year invitation for either the current year or the following year.
Winners of these races, which occur in May and June outside the Mount Marathon registration period, must email director@mountmarathon.com for registration instructions if they wish to race in the current year.
Winners of races that occur after July 4 — the Matanuska Peak Challenge, Cirque Series Alyeska and Veins of Gold — can apply for a one-year invitation only to the following year’s Mount Marathon Race.
Visit the Alaska Mountain Runners calendar for more information about these events.
Top 10 MMR Finishers
If a runner who has gained a one-year bib (through Petition, Earned Race Spot, Sponsor or Committee’s Choice) places in the top 10 in the men’s, women’s or nonbinary races at Mount Marathon, they may apply for another one-year invitation to the next Mount Marathon Race.
Application Instructions
During the race registration period, a Grand Prix race winner or a Top-10 finisher must:
- Apply for the lottery using the two-step lottery process in Step 1) Register for the Lottery Group and pay the lottery entry fee. Step 2) (You MUST complete this stop to actually be entered in the lottery) Preauthorize payment for the remainder of your full race fee; your credit card will only be charged IF you win the lottery.
- ALSO fill out the online One-Time Earned Race Spot Form (it is posted at the bottom of this page) during the registration period of March 1-31.
- Promptly follow up if you do not receive notice of receipt for your online form.
- Those who win the lottery become a priority racer and their credit card will automatically be charged $80 to complete their registration balance; using their Earned Race Spot thus becomes unnecessary.
- Those who lose the lottery remain a one-time Earned Race Spot winner and their credit card will be automatically charged $80 to complete your registration balance.
- For Grand Prix races that occur outside the registration period, the winner must email director@mountmarathon.com for registration instructions.
- Earned Race Spot entrants are encouraged, but not required, to select a volunteer opportunity on our SignUp Genius list or have a friend or family member volunteer in their place.
- Unless an Earned Race Spot runner wins the Mount Marathon Race, the runner cannot gain priority status through this process and must return to the lottery pool for future Mount Marathon Races. They are NOT eligible to qualify through the Top 50 Percent Age Group Rule.