Juneau, Alaska

Saturday, August 2, 2008

About the Marathon

This is a small town, USTAC-certified, out-and-back, sea level, moderately hilly, marathon run on the lightly traveled two-lane paved Douglas and North Douglas highways in Juneau Alaska. The course has been compared in difficulty to the course for the Boston Marathon. This Southeast Road Runners sponsored event is run the first Saturday in August. The scenic course offers views of mountains, glaciers, forests, and the ocean. The start/finish is at the new picnic shelter at Sandy Beach, Savikko Park, in Douglas. Most marathoners come from out-of-town and out-of-state. Custom etched-glass awards to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place men- and women-finishers in open and masters (40+) age divisions!* Finisher medal and T-shirt, complete results, and, if your lucky, an on-course photo for all marathoners.

About the Half Marathon

The Douglas Island Half Marathon follows the first half of the marathon route. Runners start later than the marathoners (see below), enjoy the same aid stations, and finish at Sandy Beach near the same time as the marathoners. Custom etched-glass awards to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place men- and women-finishers in open and masters (40+) age divisions! T-shirt and a BBQ picnic at the finish for all participants! Custom etched-glass awards to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place men- and women-finishers in open and masters (40+) age divisions!*

(*) Early starters do not compete for top-3 awards.

Post Race BBQ, Awards, and Dinner

A free BBQ is held at the Savikko Park shelter immediately following the races. The menu includes vegetarian and meat dishes (often fresh BBQ Alaska sockeye salmon), salads, carbs, and drinks. The shelter is adjacent to the start and finish area, as is also used as the Race Day Registrations and Packet Pick-Up. The BBQ is free to all runners and race volunteers; meals for non-participants (family members, etc) can be purchased at the BBQ for $5.

Awards presentation will occur at the BBQ (Savikko Park shelter) at roughly 11:30 AM.

A no-host pizza social will occur at 6 PM after the race at the downtown Bullwinkle's pizza parlor (318 Willoughby Ave). This provides a more relaxed opportunity for runners to meet and talk about travels, running, and other experiences.

Course Information

The Frank Maier Marathon and Half-Marathon routes are located on Douglas Island, immediately west of Juneau. A short bridge accessing Douglas Island is located just north (about 0.5 mile) of the heart of downtown Juneau. The half-marathon is most properly known as the Douglas Island Half Marathon Click here to access a course map. Each mile is marked and there are aid stations with water and lemon-lime sports drink at roughly every 2.25 miles. GU energy gels will be available at aid stations along the course. The marathon and half-marathon course is open, and supporting runners, till 12:00 noon on race day. Event timing normally continues till all runners are off the course.

Records    

Contact/Registration information

Race Information: Bob Marshall (Race Director) 3251 Nowell Ave. Juneau, Alaska 99801 Phone/Fax: 907-586-6200 e-mail: runjuneau@gci.net

Download a marathon or 1/2 marathon registration form in Adobe PDF format: Marathon or 1/2 marathon. Or register online with Active.com: Click here to register online! Entry fee for the Marathon is $35. Entry fee for the Half Marathon is $17 (early) or $20 (late/race-day).

Also check this link to our 2008 race calendar.

Race Day Registration and Packet Pick-Up

Race-day registration is available at the race starting area (at the Picnic Shelter at Sandy Beach, Savikko Park, Douglas) beginning at 5 AM. Click here to access a map of the Savikko Park area. Runners who wish to register on race day should do so well in advance of the starting times, recognizing that many people desire to register at this time (especially for the half-marathon) and the starting line is a fair walk (0.2 miles) from the picnic shelter. People who have pre-registered by Thursday July 31 may pick up their bibs, shirts, etc on Friday August 1, between 5 PM and 6:30 PM in the lobby of the Goldbelt Hotel (located downtown at 51 Egan Dr.), or they can pick up these materials at the Registration Table at Sandy Beach shelter on the day of the race.

Race Day

Race day activities, including race-day registration and packet pick-up (see above), the finish line, and the post-race BBQ and award ceremony occur at Savikko Park (click here for map of the Savikko Park area). Parking, restrooms, a covered shelter, and staging for each race occurs near the shelter. The start line for each race is located 0.2 miles north-west of the shelter. The finish line for each race is adjacent to the shelter.

Runners generally congregate near the shelter prior to their race, and begin a walk to the starting line about 15 minutes before their race starts.

Two start times are available for each race. Runners are strongly encouraged to select a start time that enables them to finish before noon, when the course closes (race aid-stations are abandoned). Start times for the Frank Maier Marathon are 7 AM (runners expecting to finish in less than 5 hrs) and 6 AM (runners expecting to finish in less than 6 hrs). Start times for the Douglas Island Half Marathon are 9 AM (runners expecting to finish in less than 3 hrs) and 8 AM (runners expecting to finish in less than 4 hrs). Runners who the select the early start MUST be present at the starting line at least 5 minutes prior to the race start, and show their bib to the race official for identification.

Food and water is available at the shelter. The BBQ begins at about 10:45 AM and continues until about 12:45 PM. Race registration officials will provide information and assist runners with special needs.

Race Results and Photos

Visitor Information