Soldotna’s Megan Youngren posted a time of 3 hours, 7 minutes and 43 seconds out-running the field in the Women’s Anchorage Marathon on Saturday.
The 26-mile race featured running through Anchorage city streets, city trails, and in 2021 the women’s race featured one obstacle–a black bear mom and a pair of black bear cubs.
According to race director Ian Marks, they didn’t realize two bear cubs were in a tree above the trail, and that’s why the mama bear stuck around the course for so long. Eventually, the bears moved along and the race was able to get back to their normal route.
According to a post-race interview by Alaska’s Sports Source, Youngren was the second runner to spot the bears on the course and was held-up along with other women in the top-25 on the trails near Goose Lake. Racers farther back in the race were re-directed by the Anchorage Police Department and Alaska State Troopers after being halted for 30 to 40 minutes, according to Marks. The race continued through Bi-Centennial Park before returning to Wester Chester Lagoon and the finish at the Park Strip.
Youngren posted the fastest time of 3:07.43 followed by Christine Meyer of Brooklyn, NY (3:11.41), and Kendra Paskvan of Anchorage was third (3:18.30).
Other Top Female Peninsula Finishers: 329th Jeanette Nienaber of Seward, 5:49:42; 377th Jennifer Thomsen of Kenai, 7:06:42 and 385th Megan Mitchell of Soldotna, 7:36:17.
Men’s Marathon Results
Benjamin Kopecky of St. Louis, Missouri raced to the 2021 Men’s Anchorage Mayor’s Marathon title with a time of 2 hours, 40 minutes and 03 seconds. Kopecky took the lead in the final half-mile of the race, passing second-place finisher Christopher Osiensky of Pocatello, Idaho. Nic Aubert of Los Angeles, Calif, was third in 2:46.29.
Other Top Male Peninsula Finishers: 92nd Paul Story of Homer, 3:58:51 and 121st Don Connelly of Soldotna, 4:09:35.
Half Marathon Results
The Anchorage Mayor’s Half-Marathon started and finished at the Park Strip with racers running along the Coastal Trail.
Corbyn John of Anchorage topped the field in a time of 1:13.36; Nolan Gerlach of Vacaville, Calif. was second in 1:16.52. Jacob Marshall of Copper Center, Alaska third in 1:24.22.
Anchorage’s Anna Dalton topped the women’s half marathon field with a first-place time of 1:21.59. Dalton’s time placed her third overall in the combined time, half marathon.
Other Top Male Peninsula Finishers: 11th Soldotna’s Lee Frey ,1:29:57; 96th Kenai’s Aaron Bates, 52:08; 109th Seward’s Daniel Meuninck, 1:53:52 and 306th Soldotna’s Ron Bates 2:15:53.
Other Top Female Peninsula Finishers: 156th Frieda Tuttle of Nikiski, 1:58:54; 445th Jesse Hughes, 2:32:28; 521st Danielle Akana of Kenai, 2:46:11; 634th Soldotna’s Loralee Donaldson, 3:20:28 and 682nd Kenai’s Nancy Lafferty, 4:05:30.
Link to overall race results: Click Here!
Photo Courtesy of Anchorage Mayor’s Marathon Facebook post