Getting In · Iconic road race
Mount Marathon Race
Three miles. Three thousand feet up. Then a descent so steep and loose that people essentially fall down the mountain on purpose. Mount Marathon has been run in Seward, Alaska on the Fourth of July since 1915, and half the town turns out.
- Distance
- 3.1 milesUp and down
- Vertical
- ~3,022 ft
- First run
- 1915
- Winning time
- ~41 minutes
- Field
- ~350 per race
- Date
- July 4, every year
The race is short and completely absurd. From downtown Seward you run a few blocks, hit the mountain, and climb 3,000 feet in about a mile and a half on a route that includes a cliff section people use their hands on. Then you turn around and descend on scree and snow at a speed that regularly produces blood. Finishers come off the mountain covered in dirt and cuts, down a paved street, into a town that has been drinking since morning.
It's one of the oldest footraces in America, it's genuinely dangerous, and the community around it in Seward is fierce. Bibs are treated as an heirloom.
How to get in
- LotteryThe lottery
The primary entry route for the adult men's and women's races, run in the winter. Fields are small, roughly 350 per race, and demand from both Alaskans and outsiders is high.
- ApplicationThe bib auction
Mount Marathon's most famous quirk: a limited number of entries are auctioned to the highest bidders, with proceeds supporting the race. Bibs have gone for well into four figures. If you want certainty and you have the budget, this is the door.
- Time qualifierEarned and returning entries
Prior finishers who meet time standards retain entry, which is how the race maintains its core field of local veterans.
Questions runners actually ask
How do most people get into Mount Marathon?
A winter lottery for the limited adult fields, with additional entries sold at auction. Prior finishers meeting time standards retain their spots.
How dangerous is it?
Genuinely. The descent is steep loose scree with cliff bands nearby, and injuries are common every year. Practise the descent line before race day if you possibly can.
Go to the source
Entry rules, dates, standards, fees, and odds change every single year, and the interesting races change them the most. Use this guide to build the plan; use the official site to confirm the details before you book anything.
If this is your kind of thing
Need the races in between? The hard part of a bucket list year is everything else on the calendar: the qualifier, the tune-up, the long run with a bib on.