During a rare marathon in Kotzebue, waders, piggyback and sled dogs are part of the race plan

Six runners signed up and finished Saturday’s Cape Blossom Marathon in Kotzebue, and at the sound of it, six people won titles.

Hannah Atkinson, who ran and helped organize the race, won the piggyback division.

“It turned out to be very different from what I thought it was going to be,” Atkinson said. “Everyone ended up taking different courses. “

To spoil everything was – surprise, surprise – time.

Organizing a 26.2 mile race above the Arctic Circle in a location with limited roads would likely be a challenge at any time, but holding it a few days before the fall equinox almost guarantees problems.

And so it was that 10 mph northwesterly winds lashed the Chukchi Sea and sent waves crashing into Sadie Creek, a place marathoners had to cross twice, about Mile 11 and again at about Mile 24.

It’s not a long crossing, and sometimes the gravel on the beach closes the mouth of the creek and you can cross it on the gravel, Atkinson said.

But between a rainy summer and a windy day, Sadie Creek was deep and wild on race day.

“Waves were coming into the creek, and we figured we would cross it using waders,” Atkinson said. “We received a pair to use them during the race and we had a volunteer stationed there to help with the waders.”

Five of the six participants crossed the stream. Jesse Klejka from Bethel, the unofficial overall winner, did not.

“The leader got there before the volunteer, so he turned around and did a different marathon course,” said Atkinson. “One person crossed without waders. At one point, the volunteer took piggyback rides. It was a variety of different ways through it.

Atkinson used the chest waders to get out. The stream was about waist deep then, she said.

On her return trip a few hours later, the tide was rising and the creek was at chest height. The waders had gotten pretty soggy by this time, so volunteer Quinn Iten put Atkinson on her back and carried her through.

Atkinson finished in 6 hours and 21 minutes, according to his watch. Klejka, who ran a marathon despite her detour through Sadie Creek, finished in 3:48:44, according to her watch.

There were no official timetables. No entry fees. No price. Precious a few first aid stations.

The race was therefore only in Alaska, there were entry sheets for marathon runners (6 of them), half marathon runners (10 of them, including “Will Wiese” and “Will’s mom”) and the support of the 4 wheels (11 of them).

So this was only in Alaska, the recommended equipment included bear spray and an inReach device.

It was so unique in Alaska, sled dog puppies from a kennel on the beach followed runners throughout the day. “They ran a lot that day, and they were great companions,” said Atkinson. And yes, some of them crossed Sadie Creek.

It was so only in Alaska that it was accompanied by a land survey indicating that it was taking place on the lands of Iñupiaq. Cape Blossom, which juts out into the Kotzebue Strait 21 kilometers from the city, was originally called IgluÄ¡ruat, which means “old houses” and was named after the ancient beaver houses that have since been washed away.

“Willie Goodwin remembers seeing the beaver houses when he was young,” says the reconnaissance, sought after by Atkinson. “IgluÄ¡ruat is the highest feature of the landscape (and) is used to monitor seal and beluga hunts.”

Atkinson, 29, has lived in Kotzebue since the age of 14 and works for the National Park Service as a cultural anthropologist. She competes in shorter races in Kotzebue, where the Mosquito Haven Half Marathon is held, but has never heard of a full marathon until now.

The roads in Kotzebue are at a premium. Front Street is paved and is just over a mile long, Atkinson said. The road from Base Hill is unpaved, goes about 5 miles out of town towards Cape Blossom, and the hill descends to the beach. A 13 km road crosses the tundra.

People on 4 wheels sometimes camp at Cape Blossom, and Atkinson hiked the tundra to get there. Last summer she decided to run there via the beach.

“That’s when I realized there were 13 miles from town to Cape Blossom and I thought maybe I should make it a half marathon or a marathon,” said she declared.

Atkinson has helped organize the Kobuk 440 sled dog race in Kotzebue for the past three years, and the knowledge gained and the help of his friend James Austin helped make the marathon a reality.

Even though it didn’t go exactly as planned.

The day of the race brought rain, wind and temperatures in the thirties. In addition to the rough waters of Sadie Creek, runners had to contend with high deposits of grass, mud and water blocking the beach. Atkinson called them mud slumps.

“About a mile or two from Sadie Creek there was a slump of mud coming out of the tundra,” she said. “It sometimes happens on this part of the course. Last year you were able to get by on a 4 wheeler so I expected it to be easy to get through this area.

“This year there is a series of (places) where the tundra descends into the ocean. You had to climb up on those sagging piles, run around the beach a bit, and then there’s another one. There were four of them.

“Mud slumps circled around a group of people.”

Atkinson sailed them twice, and the second time it was so much harder that she found a mantra: “Don’t get stuck in the mud”.

“It was a lot worse the second time around,” she said. “I was really tired and the water was higher. You could still overcome them, but it seemed scarier and more difficult. These waves were rising higher and there was less beach in some places. “

Only two marathon runners made it through the mud slumps. The others designed new courses on the fly, and all of them covered 26 miles.

“What I thought was amazing,” Atkinson said. “Don’t make it go as planned, turn around and finish a marathon anyway. “

This story was updated with Jesse Klejka’s marathon time.