As five-time champion and reigning king on storied Mount Marathon, Brad Precosky of Anchorage owns the remarkable resume and recent results to defend his crown Wednesday on the arduous, unforgiving slopes overlooking Resurrection Bay.
And when the 80th edition of the Fourth of July gem unfolds in Seward, he will be chasing history up and down the 3,022-foot peak.
A sixth victory would tie Precosky with race legends Sven Johanson (1954-59) and Ralph Hatch (1946-50, 1953) for the second-most victories in men's history, two shy of course record-holder Bill Spencer's eight titles.
Precosky, 40, will also seek to seize Clint McCool's 40-49 age group record (46 minutes, 33 seconds in 2005). Precosky has managed the mountain that fast or faster seven times, including last year's 45:42.
And with victories already this season in the uphill-only Government Peak Climb and Bob Spurr Memorial Hill Climb, Precosky, a rocketing downhill runner, tops the list of contenders.
"The bull's-eye is on one person, and that's Brad, and he's 2-0 this season,'' said McCool, 43, who finished fourth last year. "He's training a lot, and he's fired up about turning 40. He's got every intention of breaking my record.''
As Precosky pointed out, though, the field is loaded. Back is two-time runner-up Trond Flagstad, 37, who finished just 12 seconds back last year. Ditto for Brent Knight, 23, who bagged a third-place finish last year in his race debut, crossing just 20 seconds after Precosky.
Flagstad called Knight the young up-and-comer who, given his relative youth and inexperience, is poised to make great gains in coming years, perhaps even this year.
The rest of last year's top 10 return too, and no fewer than five talented wild cards will make their debuts.
"If you win this race, you've earned it,'' Precosky said. "The competition in this race is as tough as any race in Alaska. To me, that's special.''
On the women's side, three-time defending champion Cedar Bourgeois, 31, of Seward, is again the prohibitive favorite. Her average winning margin on her home mountain has been 4:18, and her 51:44 in 2005 stands as the fifth-fastest time in women's history.
Two-time Olympic nordic skier and three-time Mount Marathon runner-up Kikkan Randall, 24, is again positioned to contend. She took second last year.
Like Precosky, Bourgeois stands on the precipice of history.
A fourth straight win would tie her with course record-holder Nancy Pease (1989-1992) for second all-time in consecutive women's wins. Victory would also tie Bourgeois for third on the all-time women's winning list with Carmen (Young) Dunham (1982, 1986-88). Former Olympic skier Nina Kemppel won eight straight titles (1996-2003) and nine overall, and Pease won six overall.
But Bourgeois is not taking anything for granted.
"It's hard when people say, 'You have it in the bag,' " Bourgeois said. "I've said this a hundred times: I never feel that way myself. It's pressure, but I think I'm getting used to it.''
Whatever unfolds, glory will be up for grabs Wednesday.
Fittingly, given Alaska's rough-hewn history, the march up Mount Marathon began in either 1909 or 1911 -- accounts vary -- as a bar bet about whether it was possible to climb and descend the mountain in less than one hour. The first official race was run in 1915.
Seward is a town of fewer than 3,000 people, but thousands of spectators invade the town on Independence Day. Thousands of fans line the downtown streets where runners start and finish. Thousands more crowd the base of the mountain to watch runners tackle the beast on the way up and careen down its lower slopes on the descent. Hundreds more climb the mountain to cheer competitors.
Food vendors line side streets, and sidewalk traffic can be elbow-to-elbow. Local restaurants and watering holes become packed. Mount Marathon's races -- juniors, then women, then men -- serve as the centerpiece.
"Where do most people in Alaska go on the Fourth of July? Seward,'' said Knight, a nordic skier who grew up in Soldotna and now lives in Anchorage. "That's why this is the most prestigious race in Alaska. This is where Alaska proves who's the toughest, and people recognize that.
"Mount Marathon is one of those races you see as a kid and you're completely in awe because of the intensity of the race.''
Last year, the men staged a battle on the mountain that averages 38 degrees and features pitches as punishing as 60 degrees.
Fairbanks' Mike Kramer, 39, who finished sixth in his race debut on the roughly 3.5-mile course, led the charge to the turnaround rock at the summit. Four others -- Knight, Precosky, McCool and Flagstad -- followed within 13 seconds.
Precosky's wicked downhill speed -- his time of 11:05 on the descent was second-fastest in the field -- won him the day. Still, Flagstad was just 12 seconds back, which made for the closest finish since Spencer and three-time champion Sam Young tied in 1986.
And Precosky, Flagstad and Knight's 1-2-3 finish was the closest in the last 20 years too.
With Wednesday's stacked field, Precosky can see this year's finish being just as furious.
"It's going to come down to who is the most relaxed, who is the most focused, who wants it most,'' he said.
Knight, who trains and competes with Alaska Pacific University's nordic ski team, said he is more fit than ever. And he hopes his year of experience on Mount Marathon will serve him well against Precosky, Flagstad and company.
"This year, I feel more relaxed, knowing I can compete and knowing I have the ability to beat Brad and Trond,'' Knight said. "It all comes down to what happens on race day.
"Brad definitely earned his spot as the top guy so far. He's earned the status as top dog.
"On the same note, I think Trond is getting more and more fed up with Brad beating him, and he's definitely fit enough to win. It takes an extremely tough dude to beat those guys.''
Flagstad said his goal this year is to beat his 2005 personal record of 45:52 and simply see where that lands him at the finish line. Victory would be great, he said, but he doesn't want to get obsessed about it.
"I want to be faster; I'm not as worried about my result,'' Flagstad said. "If I get second and run a PR, I'll be happy.''
While 14 men finished within five minutes of Precosky last year, only Randall finished within five minutes of Bourgeois.
Even so, Bourgeois said she is focused on running her race while posting a fast time to cement her place in race history. She said her fitness and confidence are high after winning the Bob Spurr Memorial Hill Climb last month.
"I'm feeling pretty good after Bird Ridge, for sure,'' Bourgeois said. "To do a (personal record) at Bird Ridge helps. People have been asking me, 'Are you ready?'
"I've been saying, 'I could use another month.' But just in the last week, I'm like, 'Let's do this.' ''
Like Knight, who also is in the midst of rigorous offseason ski training, Randall said her fitness is at an all-time high. Still, she hasn't done specific mountain-running training. Yet Randall hopes to give Bourgeois, who she calls the "hands-down favorite,'' some competition.
"It's always possible,'' Randall said. "Different strategies play out on the mountain. My strategy is to use my fitness and put myself in position and see what happens. You never know.''
Find Doyle Woody's blog online at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
OUT OF THE MIX: Injuries and other priorities will keep some of the stronger female competitors from giving Cedar Bourgeois any trouble.
TOP CONTENDERS: Check out a list of top 10 contenders for 2007 in the men's and women's races -- and don't count out the wild cards.
FASTEST TIMES: Will any of this year's competitors break into the elite top 10?
Page C-4
COURSE: An interactive graphic shows the course with five-time champ Brad Precosky talking about race perils.
AUDIO SLIDE SHOW: Defending women's champion Cedar Bourgeois is seen winning for the third time in her hometown.
VIDEO: Recap some of this year's July 4 action starting Thursday.
WANT MORE? Stories and photos can be found online.
adn.com/mountmarathon
If you go...
Considering a trip to Seward to celebrate July 4 and watch the 80th running of Mount Marathon on Wednesday?
• CROWDS: Typically, thousands of people turn out for the races. Because the holiday this year lands on a Wednesday, making the prospect of a long weekend more difficult, the crowds may be a little thinner. Vendors are plentiful.
• DRIVE TIME: Allow 3 hours each way.
• WHERE TO STAY: Seward's Chamber of Commerce warns that lodging, including local campgrounds, fills up early. Call ahead. It may be difficult to find something this late. A list of campgrounds, hotels, motels as well as bed and breakfast locations can be found online at www.seward.com
• RACE TIMES: 9:30 a.m. for juniors, 11:15 a.m. for women, 3 p.m. for men.
• RUNNERS: Fields are limited to about 350 runners in the men's and women's races and about 200 runners in the juniors division. There is no race day registration.
• BIB AUCTION: Ten men's and women's race bibs are auctioned off the night before the race. Last year, John Browne of Anchorage paid $1,170 for one. The average bid for a men's bib was $871; the average for a women's bib was $110.50. The auction takes place 7 p.m. Tuesday, before the mandatory safety meeting at Seward High School, 2001 Swetmann Ave.
• BAD WEATHER: The race goes on no matter the weather -- and runners have faced rain, fog, wind, snow patches and heat into the mid-80s.
• RACE HEADQUARTERS: Corner of Washington Street and Fifth Avenue.
• WAVES: To reduce congestion and increase runner safety, the men's and women's races go off in two waves, spaced 5 minutes apart.
• WHAT TO BRING: Good binoculars, rain gear, heavy duty climbing shoes if you're headed up the mountain.
• WHERE TO WATCH: Hundreds of fans gather near the mountain's base and stay to watch the perilous descent of the cliff near the base. Others watch along Jefferson Avenue and Lowell Canyon Road, between the mountain and the finish line. Most years, fans are four- and five-deep along Fourth Avenue to watch the final sprint to the finish line. A few hardy fans climb the trail well before the races and watch on the mountain, 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.
• OTHER EVENTS: Fireworks go off 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, a military band performs before the men's race and there is a holiday parade scheduled between the men's and women's races.
SOURCES: Seward Chamber of Commerce, Daily News archives
