Instead, the race gives you a finisher shirt after you cross the finish line. Tip: This race does NOT provide race-shirts at the expo. Definitely worth a stop as it doesn’t feel nearly as touristy as most shops in the downtown area.Īfter we got our race packets we breathed a huge sigh of relief – with this long of a flight we were a little nervous that a delay could cause havoc, but with packets safely in hand we decided to continue our exploration of Anchorage. #Healthnut bread in alaska fullKobuck’s was a cool little stop for us – not only did they have old fashioned donuts in their bakery, but this little store was chock full of knick-knacks and really interesting gifts. We had a little time to kill so we decided to walk around downtown Anchorage for a bit. Tip: If you split a sandwich they provide each person with homemade chips and a pickle slice for no additional charge! The cranberry spread was interesting, we couldn’t quite put our finger on the spice, maybe nutmeg or cinnamon, but either way it reminded us of Thanksgiving. Freshly carved turkey and even fresher baked bread. It may not have been November, but don’t tell that the day after Thanksgiving sandwich served up at Brown Bag. The flight to Anchorage is pretty long, so when we arrived we were hungry for a bite to eat. When a race unexpectedly turns into a trail run and you don’t need a gel because you’ve ingested so many mosquitos it’s harder to forget. Highlight: When a race goes totally according to plan it’s easier to forget. The final hill was tough, but we could taste the finish and we didn’t travel all that way not to complete our goal so we kicked with what we had left and finished smiling. To my surprise Kristin was super upbeat (she later told me it was because we were nearly done with the race), but I was happy to be running together. We’ve run together enough for me to know she needed some space, so I obliged until the last water station where I stopped for a nice long gulp and met up with Kristin to run the last mile together. We ran the next few miles apart, but the funny thing was at every water station I would turn around and sure enough see Kristin about 30 seconds behind me. This race was becoming a physical and mental battle. We were both hurting, but Kristin was hurting a bit more and told me to go on. Eventually we found our way to an adjoining bike path and were headed back towards the city. No complaints on the views of the forest they were great, but the unexpected trail adventure really sapped our energy. #Healthnut bread in alaska plusIt was more like a mile plus of technical trail running (single file with tricky footing, steep ascents and even steeper descents). Huh? The woods? As this detour was not on the course map we figured it was just a short hop, skip and jump to a road eagerly waiting for runners. Just after the 10K mark (6.2 miles for you non-metric minded folks) the race turned off the roads and into the woods. After seeing a few planes take off and land as we continued onto the restricted airport road (I may not be selling it well, the back roads were really scenic and seeing the hustle and bustle of the airport up close was pretty cool). Around this time a fellow runner struck up a conversation with us and it really helped to distract us from what was quickly becoming a fairly tough race. McKinley and the Denali mountain range in the distance were worth the price of admission. Around mile 5 there was a pretty steep and winding climb, but the views of Mt. Luckily, within the next mile we turned on to a service road near the airport and the worst of the mosquitos was behind us. The swarms of mosquitos almost sucked us dry in the 5 seconds we were stopped. After passing mile 3 with still no course water stops in sight we decided to stop by the side of the road and take a swig from the water bottle I had decided to carry. The swarms were so thick that we were forced to run with our mouths shut (imagine trying to run while holding your breath and you’ll have the idea). Then without warning we were spitting out mosquitos. As the course leveled out, it dumped us onto a very scenic bike path that ran parallel to Cook Inlet. Most people we talked to that had visited Alaska described Anchorage as flat, but we learned quickly that these rumors were false as we surged down a pretty decent hill inside of mile 1. Race Recap: One word: mosquitos, but we’ll get to that.
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