"Pizza, beer, refreshments, live DJ, & sweet prizes" reads the brochure. A First Friday art walk? An open house? Something happening at Mad Myrna's?
Nope, this is the description for the Twilight 12K run, listed in the Anchorage Runner's Calendar on June 3.
Many Southcentral Alaska races such as the Twilight 12K — which with its companion Skinny Mini 6-K attracted 2,108 participants last summer despite registration fees that top out at $55 — have grown in popularity while more and more new races crop up. That leaves stalwart Alaska racers with more options than ever while the bar of entry for new racers or would-be runners feels lower and less scary.
As many Southcentral runners map out their training plans for summer, participate in winter races or consider a 5-K for the first time, technology and shifting interests may explain why some Anchorage-area footraces have become so popular.
According to Mark Iverson and Erin Phillips of Skinny Raven Sports, improvements in timing were a big factor.
"We got a timing system in 2011, primarily because we wanted to add a couple races to our own repertoire, and it became cost effective for us to time our own races," Iverson said. "It grew every year since then."
In 2010, prior to buying timing equipment, Skinny Raven was coordinating a grand total of one race, the Twilight 12-K. By 2015, the number of races Skinny Raven either fully coordinated or supported grew to 66, including mountain-bike races and triathlons.
Improvements in race-timing technology helped too.
Getting chippy
Many runners remember racing with a little chip that needed to be returned at the end of the race. These chips were costly, and retrieving them was logistically challenging for race organizers. Now, cheap chips are embedded in racing bibs and provide real-time data, not only to race organizers but to friends and family following via automated text messages and social media. Because the chips are disposable, there's no need to return the bib.
"The same company owns software and hardware, so from registration to results, it's all one package," Iverson said. This system is the same used at the prestigious New York Marathon.
Many summer weekends, Skinny Raven works multiple events. Still, there is an interest in new events, and Iverson and Phillips are regularly approached by Alaskans interested in starting a new race and seeking advice.
"Our first answer is you've gotta have a date and a venue," Iverson said. This sounds simple, except it takes some time for new events to gain traction.
"One of the big things is getting the word out, especially now." Phillips said. "It was easier 5-10 years ago when there was a less-dense calendar. If you flip through the runners' calendar, every page has events every weekend. It takes a little while for almost any race to get off the ground."
Running for a cause
There's also the philanthropic aspect of some events that can boost community participation in such races as the upcoming Walk for Warmth (now including a timed 5-K), the Heart Run, the Alaska Run for Women and many more. Iverson was impressed how popular last year's inaugural Jeff Dusenbury Sweat Fest race was right off the bat.
"(Jeff) was very well known and well loved in the community," he said. "(It's this) reach and passion that makes people passionate about coming out."
Additionally, climate change seems to be making it possible for more runners to race year-round.
"It used to be there was a shorter running season, and once the municipality did the Tuesday Night Races," that was it for races after summer was over, said Gregory Dixon, president of the Anchorage Running Club. "But now there's just more going on year-round."
Anyone with a runner friend on social media knows there have been more "experiential" races in recent years, from the Color Run to Her Tern Half Marathon. Some of these take place in the winter, including the flashy Northern Lights Resolution 5-K on New Year's Eve that offers wearable LEDs for racers and the upcoming Valentine's Chocolate Run on Feb. 14 featuring — you guessed it — chocolate for all runners.
Of course, running outside in the winter darkness can still feel hard, even if it's warmer than normal. To counter that, the Anchorage Running Club offers members a Wednesday night, hour-long training session at the indoor, 50-degree Dome. It's not uncommon to have as many as 50 runners show up.
"A lot of people take up running not for the competition but for the social aspect," Dixon said.
Recreational runner Pete Mauro agrees. "It is such a great feeling for me to talk to people I don't know, encourage them and watch them accomplish something on a Saturday morning while most of Anchorage is still in bed," he wrote in an email.
Most of the racers at smaller events are locals. Outsiders tend to show up more often for half or full marathons, especially the Mayor's Marathon or the Anchorage RunFest (formerly the Big Wild Life Runs). Race fees range from $7 for a single Tuesday Night Race to $60 for early-registration Alaskans signing up for the Mayor's Marathon to $105-plus for the Her Tern Half Marathon.
Runner Ed Hills said by email he doesn't see climbing fees as a barrier: "I sign up for runs and that keeps me out on the streets training so I look at it as a substitute for a gym membership."
Some races, especially the Tuesday Night Race series in Anchorage, have become so popular it's often difficult to find a parking spot. Last season, the Sept. 22 race attracted 1,092 participants, the most in any Tuesday Night Race, according to Margaret Timmerman of the city's Parks and Recreation department.
But Dixon notes there are still plenty of low-key Anchorage races left to choose from. The Anchorage municipality publishes an annual Runners Calendar.
For would-be runners, Iverson notes a turn towards healthy lifestyle and fun events.
"The Run for Women, Mud Run, Color Run — you see a lot of people at the more casual races who are more intimidated by the more race-races." he said. "They're looking to get out and have a fun activity without the pressure of the high-end racing. I think that crowd has grown a lot (with people) that want to come out for community and participation, and do something fun and active."
Alli Harvey lives, works and plays in Anchorage.