Once in a Lifetime Run in ALASKA!

Well, I actually hope that someday I will go back again to visit Alaska and run this marathon!  This was my first time visiting Alaska, and it was AMAZING!  And the marathon was just as awesome, with some pretty incredible views.

This is one of the few marathon trips where I truly became a tourist and visited sights and went on a tour and it was just incredible.  I arrived in Anchorage on Friday evening, and was so excited that I never really even noticed the 4-hr time difference.  I landed, settled in at my hotel, and was soon headed out to explore.  On Saturday morning I ran the Anchorage Mile, which is the shortest distance I've ever run for an official time, but it was a great way to start off the weekend.  And the medals for this one-mile run were quite impressive!

The Anchorage Mile

I spent the rest of Saturday sightseeing, and made it to the famous Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria for dinner, which was definitely worth the trip.  It was a great way to do a little carb loading for the marathon on Sunday.  I eventually made it back to my hotel, headed to bed, and soon it was race morning!

The Start Line!

This was a very special day for me to run, as it was my Grandfather's (Pop's) birthday, and my Pop is one of my stroke heroes that I run in memory of.  I spent many miles thinking of memories of my Gram and Pop, who have inspired me so much to complete this 50 States Challenge.  It was also a special day because Tedy's Team was running the Falmouth Road Race on the same day, and so even though we were many many many miles away, we were still all running together for our cause of fighting stroke.

Usually the National Anthem is played before a marathon start, but today not only did we stand for the singing of the National Anthem, but also the singing of the Alaska State Song, which I had never heard before.  After spending the previous days learning about the history of Alaska, it was a very moving start to the race.

Just before the singing of the National Anthem and Alaska State Song

Soon we were off!  We headed out of the streets and onto the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.  It was a rainy day, and initially I was feeling a little bit sluggish.  But I started thinking about my Gram and Pop, and a joke that I remember my Pop telling when I was little popped into my head...  and soon I was lost in thought and gaining energy.  It didn't take long to see my most favorite view from the course, which we were able to see twice on one of the out-and-back portions of the course:

Another runner came up from behind me at one point and we started to chat after he read the back of my singlet and saw that I was running my 19th state.  We passed back and forth a few times, and each time he would refer to me as "19," which I thought was a fun nickname for the day.

I really wanted to see a moose along the way, and looked high and low through the trees with no luck.  While I didn't get to see a moose, I did see a few more great views from the trail:

The miles went by quickly and soon I was at 20 miles and then counting down to the finish.  I managed to keep a pretty consistent pace even in the higher miles when I sometimes start to slow down.  I think that sometimes the rain actually makes me go faster because I'm looking foward to getting out of it.  It was also a really nice cool break from the hot and humid weather in Atlanta, and the views were stunning.  I also knew that my Gram and Pop were giving me energy to make it to the finish line.  The miles continued to go by quickly and soon I had reached the end!

A mismark on the course led this to be a little bit less than a full marathon distance, but I figure if I add in the Anchorage Mile, I covered 26.2 miles in Alaska!

It really was an amazing day and I would love to return to run this marathon again some day.  I was so incredibly proud to be running Alaska as part of Tedy's Team on my Pop's birthday. 

I had another day and a half to continue exploring Anchorage, and tried to see all that I could.  I was sad to say goodbye when it was time to leave, but it was one of the most amazing trips I have taken as part of my 50 States journey.

And the journey continues in October for a double marathon weekend for State #'s 20 & 21 in DesMoines, Iowa and Kansas City Missouri!

Marathon Highlights:
The trail has amazing views and the potential to see wildlife
Great race support and energy!
Great medal and race shirt
Great race all around

#1 Song that got me through a tough spot:
Eye of the Tiger - Survivor