As the Kenai River Marathon comes to a close, there a few runners that showed that this race was something personal.
Courtney Kreft, a teacher from Virginia, takes the term cross country to a whole other level. She has traveled all over the country to complete in every state.
Alaska was going to be her 50th half marathon race.
Kreft served in the army for 21 years, and then needed a way to care for herself after retirement. Luckily for her, running was just the thing she needed.
“I love to travel so It’s a great way to see the states and the running community is a great community..so it worked out great!”
For first place half marathon winner Samantha Wilson from Anchorage, she had a great time, also while managing to get a personal record time.
“It was nice. It was, it was nice, pretty flat rolling hills and the weather was great. So that that always helps.”
And as for Marathon Winner Julianne Dickerson from Anchorage, she finds it nostalgic to be racing, and winning, in Kenai.
“We moved to Kenai in 1990 when I was two, and so, like, I learned to run on these trails, I learned to bike on these trails, I learned to drive on these trails, like I grew up here. I picked up running later in life and so I underestimated how nostalgic it was going to be to come back and do this one.”
Dickerson finished with a time of 3 hours and 7 minutes, which is a personal record.
