Flagstad has been runner-up three straight times in the storied race up and down the 3,022-foot peak in Seward. He loves the race that draws most of the state's best mountain runners and thousands of spectators -- "the Super Bowl of mountain running,'' Flagstad called it. But training eats into his family time.
Still, Mount Marathon beckons, at least once more.
As much as a four-day sea kayaking trip with his family over the Fourth of July weekend sounds like bliss to Flagstad, he will take another crack at the mountain Friday.
And he makes no secret he covets the title.
"I don't think there's any doubt about that,'' said Flagstad, the Norwegian transplant who coaches the UAA ski team. "I don't know how long I can stay that hungry.
"Life has changed -- having a kid, building a house.''
Training has changed too. Sometimes, Flagstad packs his son, Vebjorn, on his back when he goes hiking.
"He's been my training partner,'' Flagstad said. "That might be my secret weapon. Or not. We'll see.''
Indeed, questions aplenty surround the men's race this year. A handful of guys, Flagstad included, could stake claim to the title as King of the Mountain.
Six-time champion Brad Precosky, 41, who has won the last two races, is back. He said his fitness isn't quite as sharp as he would like. Still, his downhill running is superior and he has a history of uncorking big races on Mount Marathon.
Returning, too, is Brent Knight, 24, who has finished third each of the last two seasons and has acquired some of the experience and course knowledge so vital on Mount Marathon. That background could help save him from repeating a mistake he made on the downhill last year, when he was leading but chose a slower route and was passed by Precosky and Flagstad.
Also back is Sam Hill, 30, who led the race to the summit last year and finished fourth. Hill thrashed the fields recently in the Government Peak Climb and Robert Spurr Memorial Hill Climb, two uphill-only events. Now the question is whether Hill can generate a downhill -- his descent time last year ranked 41st in the field -- that even remotely matches his uphill ability.
"I could make a strong argument for any of the four,'' said race veteran Harlow Robinson, 14th overall last year and the fifth-fastest downhiller. "Brad's going to have a target on his back, and that's just how it is.''
Hill seems likely to be the target in front of the field on the way up the dirt, rock, shale and scree slope that has an average pitch of 38 degrees and is as steep as 60 degrees.
Last year, Hill reached the summit in 33:08 -- 28 seconds ahead of Knight, 1:53 ahead of Precosky and 1:54 ahead of Flagstad.
Those figures have prompted Flagstad, whose downhill of 11:24 was just 11 seconds slower than Precosky, to concentrate his training on his ascent.
"I've been focusing on what I need to get better at -- going uphill -- so that's what I've been improving,'' Flagstad said. "I should be a minute faster going up, which could be the difference.
"Last year's race really proved everything is possible. Sam and Brent had enormous leads, and when Brad and I were at the top, we thought for sure we (would finish) third and fourth. And we finished first and second.''
Precosky may not be at peak fitness, but he knows the mountain as well as any elite entrant and round-trip races -- up and down -- are his forte.
Besides, he has generated memorable runs in less-than-ideal circumstances before. In 2006, shin splits all but kept him from running in the two weeks before the race. Even in the days leading up to it, he was unsure he would compete. Yet he won his fifth title that year.
"I've been in that situation before when I wasn't that confident going into the race, and popped a good one,'' Precosky said. "You can't count on that, but you can hope. And in that situation, you can just relax and run.''
Tough conditions could also play to Precosky's strengths. The gut of the mountain, where runners descend from halfway down, is littered with snow and debris from spring snow slides. Tricky technical running is one of Precosky's fortes.
"If conditions are adverse, I'm in the game,'' Precosky said.
Knight, meanwhile, has to weigh his desire to do well at Mount Marathon against his nordic ski career, which is the most important thing in his athletic life.
He trained on the mountain about 10 days before race day and noted several especially dangerous areas, particularly in the gut.
"I had red flags going up all over the place,'' Knight said. "The mountain is bound to change, a lot of that snow will be gone, and the mountain will be different.
"I'm super concerned about safety. I'll go up as hard as I can, and I'll come down as fast and safely as I can. I want to win it as much as the next guy, but it's a fun race, too, and I want to finish it healthy.''
Every racer who finished in the top nine last year is registered for Friday's race. A couple of guys with darkhorse potential are Matias Saari, 37, of Fairbanks, who finished seventh in his debut last year, and former junior champion Rory Egelus, 21, who last year finished ninth and blitzed the fastest downhill (11:04) of the day.
Saari recently spent some time in Austria visiting relatives and training in the foothills of the Alps. He debuted in 47:57 last year, and that experience should serve him well Friday.
"I'm more confident going in,'' Saari said. "I was apprehensive last year because I'd taken a few tumbles (leading up to the race). I was nervous, too.
"This year, I feel a lot more comfortable and relaxed.''
Egelus' time of 48:38 last year was a personal best by 83 seconds.
Though contenders are easy to peg, handicapping who will be king is not.
"You can pretty much say who is going to be in the top five or the top 10,'' said veteran Barney Griffith, 50, who will make an assault on the 50-59 age-group record. "But you can't really say who's going to win it.''
Find Doyle Woody's blog online at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
Top 10 All-Time Fastest Men's Times
Racer, Time, Year, Finish Place
1) Bill Spencer 43:23 1981 1st
2) Toby Schwoerer 43:39 2004 1st
3) Bill Spencer 44:11 1974 1st
4) tie, Bill Spencer 44:25 1976 1st
4) Jonathan Chaffee 44:25 1968 1st
6) Jonathan Chaffee 44:28 1967 1st
7) Bill Spencer 44:37 1975 1st
8) Sam Young 44:49 1985 1st
9) Tom Besh 44:59 1977 1st
10) Brad Precosky 45:07 2001 1st
2007 Men's Race Stats
Top 5 Overall
1) Brad Precosky, 46:14
2) Trond Flagstad, 46:26
3) Brent Knight, 46:49
4) Sam Hill, 46:59
5) Jens Beck, 47:31
Top 5 Fastest Uphill Times
1) Sam Hill, 33:08
2) Brent Knight, 33:36
3) Brad Precosky, 35:01
4) Trond Flagstad, 35:02
5) Mike Kramer, 35:23
Top 5 Fastest Downhill Times
1) Rory Egelus, 11:04
2) Brad Precosky, 11:13
3) Trond Flagstad, 11:24
4) Kory Kowallis, 11:30
5) Harlow Robinson, 11:49
If you go
Considering a trip to Seward to watch Friday's 81st running of Mount Marathon?
• CROWDS: Typically, thousands of people turn out. Expect even more for a race heading into a holiday weekend. Vendors are plentiful.
• DRIVE TIME: Allow three hours each way from Anchorage.
• RACE TIMES: 9:30 a.m. for juniors, 11:15 a.m. for women, 3 p.m. for men. No race-day registration. Awards ceremony, 6 p.m., AVTEC gymnasium, 519 Fourth Ave.
• WEATHER: Forecast is for cloudy skies with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the upper 50s to mid 60s.
• RACE HEADQUARTERS: Corner of Washington Street and Fourth Avenue, also the location of finish line.
• WHAT TO BRING: Binoculars, rain gear, heavy-duty climbing shoes if you plan to go up the mountain.
• WHERE TO WATCH: Hundreds of fans gather near the base of the mountain to watch runners scramble up the cliff face and then stick around to watch them descend. Others watch along Jefferson Avenue and Lowell Canyon Road between the mountain and the finish line. Most years, fans are five deep along Fourth Avenue to watch the final sprint. Some fans climb part-way up the mountain well before the races, being careful to be well off the trail.
• PARKING/CONGESTION: Traffic and parking can pose a challenge on race day. Fourth Avenue and some cross streets downtown are closed and blocked off beginning at 5 a.m. Traffic into Seward is also very busy, particularly after 10 a.m. You'll have better luck if you arrive before the junior race starts at 9:30 a.m.
• RELATED EVENTS FRIDAY: Waterfront Fireworks, 12:01 a.m. Friday; Mini Mount Marathon Race, 2-6 year-olds, Fourth and Adams, 11:30 a.m.; Parade, "Alaska's Road to Statehood,'' downtown, 1:30 p.m. For full list of weekend events, check www.seward.com
SOURCES: Seward Chamber of Commerce, Daily News archives
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