Mount Marathon: 26-year-old women’s champ leaves old guard in her dust

SEWARD, Alaska (KTUU) - A pair of Alaskans took the lead on several Mount Marathon favorites early in the women’s race Thursday afternoon in Seward.

At the time, there were several miles left for past champions like Christy Marvin to catch 26-year-old Klaire Rhodes and 22-year-old Kendall Kramer. But the Alaskan duo’s outstanding speed held off the rest of the competition for the remainder of the 96th Mount Marathon on a cloudy afternoon.

Rhodes, of Anchorage, took first place with her 49 minutes, 49 seconds, performance, over three minutes faster than her former personal-best time of more than 53 minutes from the 2022 Mount Marathon.

“Oh my gosh, it was a whirlwind,” a smiling Rhodes said in a post-race interview. In her five previous Mount Marathons, Rhodes never finished higher than fifth.

Rhodes trailed Kramer briefly near the turnaround point, but the first-time champion overtook Kramer on the downhill.

“She took a slightly different way down and I went down the snow and got in front of her,” Rhodes said. “I was looking behind me scared the whole time — but always a blast.

“I’m so glad she was there to push me. I think we got the best out of each other.”

It was an exciting finish for spectators who have grown used to seeing perennial frontrunners Christy Marvin (fifth), Meg Inokuma (third), Denali Strabel (fifth) and Hannah Lafleur (fourth) duel it out.

Marvin won the race in 2013, 2016 and 2023. Lafleur is a two-time champion with wins in 2019 and 2021.

“I was just trusting and thanking God for the opportunity to be out there with those ladies,” said a fifth-place Marvin, who had to cross-train this summer due to injury.

“I knew it was going to be a fast day, a fast race, and it’s just fun to be a part of and I have a really hard time sitting out. I knew that I had to grant my body a little grace.”

In the men’s race, Alaskan David Norris, now of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, easily broke his own course record (41:26), crossing the finish line on Fourth Avenue in just 40 minutes, 37 seconds.

The now five-time champion finished the grueling climb and descent in 44:51 to win last year.

Second place went to past champion Max King, who had only appeared with Norris in one previous Mount Marathon.

Norris is not the only runner to have found prolonged Mount Marathon success of late. In the last 20 years, numerous men have won multiple titles, including King, Brad Precosky and Eric Strabel.

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