Race story
On June 17, 2023, Anchorage made Run50 State 9 feel far from ordinary: no northern lights, but long summer daylight, Alaska mountains, coastal trails, wild scenery and a marathon that felt bigger than the city.
Preface
I really like a movie called "Into the Wild: Death in Alaska". It ranks at the top of almost all travel movie lists, with a score of 8.2 on IMDb and 8.5 on Douban.
The protagonist of the story is Christopher. He comes from a wealthy family, graduated from a prestigious school, and has a bright future. However, he donated all his savings to charity...
He changed his name, burned his cash, ID cards and driver's license, and wandered across the continent. No one saw Christopher again until his body was discovered.
At the age of 24, he walked through the vast wilderness and encountered galloping wild horses, ferocious wolves and the brilliant sunset.
In the end, he died of cold and hunger in an abandoned bus.
His story was written into the biography "Into the Wild", and the movie of the same name was also released in 2007, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award...
Christopher's story has aroused heated debate in American society, and there is still no conclusion...
I am not fascinated by the "existentia" deconstructed by the movie. After all, everyone can adopt any attitude towards life, whether it is materialism or cynicism, although not choosing is also a choice.
What really fascinates me is that following Christopher’s wanderings, I seem to have passed through all kinds of scenery: Lake Mead in Arizona, the vast farmland in South Dakota, the Grand Canyon of Colorado, the small town of Reno, Nevada, the desert in southern California...
Finally, he came to the dreamed Alaska and found an abandoned bus in Denali National Park...
To a certain extent, "Into the Wild" is like a real-life version of "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". Alaska is like a real-life version of Hyrule. It is pure, primitive, ruthless and vast. It is a place that can arouse instincts and ignite what Jack London calls "the call of the wild." Who wouldn’t want to take a look at such a vast land?
47 and I wanted to do it too, but it was a bit expensive, and Alaska was too far away, so we had to ask our boss for leave.
I don’t really like pure travel either. I always feel that it is something only old people do, unless there is something special, such as a horse race or a birthday celebration. But what if the horse race and birthday are on the same day? It can't be such a coincidence, right?
August 20 is the day of the second largest marathon in Anchorage (Anchorage RunFest). Coincidentally, it is also my 47th birthday! The appeal of traveling was perfect. Even so, I still hesitated for a while, but in the end we decided to go to Alaska and go to Into the Wild…
Alaska without Aurora
🐻Anchorage, Alaska
We landed in Anchorage, Alaska late at night. Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska, but it’s really hard to see “biggest”. The streets were also dusty, and as early as August there was some late autumn or early winter atmosphere in northern cities.
Locals like to say Anchorage is just 30 minutes from Alaska: sandwiched between 5,000-foot peaks and inlets teeming with salmon and whales. This northern New York is very different from all other cities.
It’s a city where bears roam the bike trails, moose graze in neighborhood gardens, locals fish salmon from running water in neighborhoods of hotels and office buildings, and two roads in and out of the city twist and turn into some of the world’s most majestic wilderness.
We didn’t plan to stay in Anchorage for too long, after all, the beauty of Alaska is not in the city. The next day, pick up the car and head north to Denali….
Driving towards Denali is extremely comfortable. There are very few cars on the road. In front of such a huge scenery, everything seems small and lonely.
In our collective consciousness, Alaska represents pristine wilderness. But this raw understanding is both fascinating and daunting. For many travelers, venturing deep into America's frontier is a daunting undertaking.
All this under the shadow of Mount Denali, which to the Adabascans was a giant. Mount Denali is the highest peak in North America and is considered a symbol of the state's wonder and pristineness, and in Alaska, such adjectives are everywhere.
But the wooden cabin next to Denali State Park is full of human touch. The owner of the wooden cabin just returned from hunting and told us the story of him and the bear. The entire wooden cabin camp is also full of bear traces.
On the first night in the wilderness, I didn’t see the aurora.
Heading south, Denali Viewpoint South offers views of poisonous mushrooms and wider glacial meltwater, and is a great place for a short hike.
Continuing south, the Museum of Alaska Transportation is definitely a treasure museum! This museum has indoor and outdoor parts, especially the outdoor part is a surprise. There are many vintage cars on display there, as well as Alaska trains and some airplanes.
The indoor part also houses a motorcycle that once traveled across the entire South American continent, and even the mud on the motorcycle is still there.
There is a beautiful Reflections Lake not far from the museum. It is named because the water is clear and can reflect the beautiful scenery of the surrounding mountains and sky.
The lake is very calm and creates beautiful reflections, making the whole scene look even more spectacular. While walking around the lake or admiring the lake view, you can enjoy reflections of snow-capped mountains, glaciers, forests and blue skies, making it a perfect place to feel peaceful and appreciate the beauty of nature.
Heading east along the Matanuska River, you can see the turbid glacier melt water up close.
The Matanuska River originates from the Matanuska Glacier. When walking along the river, you can enjoy the spectacular glaciers, majestic mountains and tranquil natural environment. It is said that the Matanuska River is one of the attractions not to be missed during your trip to Alaska.
Long Lake, not far from the Matanuska River, is also very refreshing. The lake is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, glaciers and dense forests, making people feel very peaceful.
The camp is in the Glacier View area. Our cabin is called Aurora, which means "Aurora". It is a very cozy cabin. Although it is deep in the mountains, the hardware facilities are very good. However, such a beautiful name (Aurora) did not bring us good luck.
The second night in the wilderness, there was still no aurora.
Returning to Anchorage, we saw the Matanuska Glacier again, with a different perspective and different light. There are many observation decks along the roadside suitable for taking pictures.
We also deliberately turned into a high school called Glacier View School. It might be summer vacation and there were no students, but the scenery was great.
There is also a great roadside camp (Long Rifle Lodge) for glacier viewing.
Before officially returning to Anchorage, we went to the Alaska State Fair
While Alaska is best known for its snow-capped mountains, lush rainforests, and abundant wildlife, its indigenous culture is just as rich. Their worldview, language, singing and dancing traditions, and lifestyle are all influenced by this land.
Back in Anchorage, we celebrated 47’s birthday in advance. It was our tradition to have a sumptuous Korean meal to replenish our energy for the next day of city running. During the meal, the landlady played a happy birthday song to 47, which was very nice!
Anchorage Marathon
🐻Anchorage, Alaska
The Anchorage RunFest we participated in is the second largest marathon in Anchorage, second only to the Anchorage Mayor's Marathon in June. This race is designed to celebrate Alaska becoming the 49th state of the United States.
The race began in the 1990s and was originally called the Humpy’s Marathon. In the fall of 2015, it was renamed the Anchorage RunFest.
The race course is pretty good: stunning views of Turnagan Bay; stunning views of the Front Range at Chagach State Park; shady trails in the woods inland; and a start and finish in the city, and while it's mostly flat, the course also offers some nice uphill climbs.
The course begins and ends on 6th Avenue between F and G streets in downtown Anchorage, near Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse. The marathon start time is 8:30 a.m.
Not far from the starting point, parking is very convenient. In the race area in front of Humpy's, there were several pleasant "perks" on Sunday morning, such as hot coffee from Kaladi Brothers Coffee and fresh grilled cheese sandwiches from Franz Bakeries to the gathered runners.
I started in 47. The track was very direct, slightly undulating, and the scenery was spectacular.
Our marathoner's 26.2-mile route begins in downtown Anchorage, then heads west along Sixth Avenue, north to H Street, then straight to Christensen Drive, where it turns left onto Second Avenue to access the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.
It describes such a long section, but in reality it is only a fraction of a mile. However, on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, we will cycle through a 15-mile coastal path that passes through Westchester Lagoon, Earthquake Park, Postmark Drive and Point Woronzof. Then we will go about 100 yards at what locals call "the Blue Bridge" and then turn back and run north again to Westchester Lake. On this coastal path, you can see a panoramic view of Cook Inlet.
On the trail along the North Pacific, there will be some bands cheering everyone on. The lush high-latitude plants on the left hand side look very familiar, and feel very much like Heilongjiang, my hometown in the Northeast.
Westchester Lagoon is very beautiful in the morning, especially when the sun shines on the lake, giving it an ink painting-like beauty.
The supplies are not intensive, but they are definitely sufficient. The seaside trails are very shady. In August, Alaska has entered the midsummer season, so it will not feel too hot.
I also met two older 50-state runners on the way. Many people regard Alaska as the last stop of their 50-state plan. If you inform the race staff in advance that Alaska is your last state, they will prepare a completion certificate for you at the finish line. It is a great personal touch that you cannot find elsewhere.
Returning to Westchester Lake again, we need to turn right (east) onto the Chester Creek Trail, where we meet up with the half marathon runners again.
The next 10 miles are an out-and-back loop along the Chester Creek Trail, a greenspace trail system through downtown Anchorage and through the city to the forested East Chester Park and Goose Lake Park
This section of the track passes through stretches of coastal rainforest, covered with birch and spruce, and the ground is carpeted with devil sticks, emerald ferns and thick moss: cool, green, dark, shady and peaceful.
Be careful of elk and bear though, I didn't see them.
But 47 was very lucky to see a small black bear crossing the track and took photos and videos. I’m envious! I guess this is a running benefit only found in Alaska.
There was a final climb at mile 25, which was the most challenging hilly section of the race. 47 had already finished the race and came back to me specifically to take some great photos.
Finally, I took a symbolic jog back to the city from the trail. The end point was on 6th Street. It was very spacious and the orange finisher medal was beautiful.
Since the sponsor of this marathon is Humpy's Ale House, and Humpy is a type of salmon, at the request of the sponsor a few years ago, "Fishiner" was used instead of "Finisher" on the event medals. This may be a little confusing to non-Alaska residents, but it is really interesting. Before today, to be honest, I didn't notice this joke.
After the game, we walked around the surrounding markets. Although Alaska has a small population, Anchorage still has a bit of fireworks, worthy of its nickname of New York City in the north.
Overall, this race was well organized and the race route was picturesque. It was nice to go for a run and spend a weekend in Anchorage.
Although it does not mean conquering the wilderness, it is satisfying to light up a dream state with a full marathon.
Postscript
After all, I didn’t see the aurora in Alaska, but I don’t think I have any regrets, because this will definitely not be our last trip to Alaska. It’s good to have regrets, and we’ll come back next time.
A week later, on the weekend, Cindy and Jim invited 47 and me to their home to share our Alaska experience. So I quickly cut a video and showed it to them.
▲ Alaska Vlog @Arsenan
Cindy also took out videos and photos of her family’s trip to Alaska many years ago. They even took a boat out to sea! We also saw a large glacier, which was still blue!
It’s so beautiful. 47 and I decided that we must take our parents with us next time we go to Alaska. We can take a large cruise ship to see the glaciers. My parents will not be very tired. Occasionally, we can go ashore to see the local customs and customs. It’s exciting just thinking about it.
I’ve been to Alaska once, and suddenly I felt like it’s not that far away! Especially through this run, I also met Tina Torun, the local running ambassador. We often comment on each other on Facebook. Through her updates, I saw it snowed in Alaska, the aurora rose in the yard again, elk ran into her community again, and there were running activities in Alaska again...
It counts as watching the "Aurora Clouds" once in Facebook Moments, but next time, I will take my parents to see the real Aurora Aurora in Alaska!
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Words | Arsenan
Photos | Arsenan
Design | Arsenan