Juneau Marathon & Half Marathon - Live!
formerly known as the Frank Maier Marathon & Douglas Island Half Marathon
Saturday, July 31st, 2021
Please see this Registration link for the fine print.
FINAL PRE-RACE UPDATE - JULY 23, 2021: I hope your training has gone well and for out-of-towners, your travels well, too.
We are still moving forward with conducting a live event. We all know that COVID cases have been going up recently. The Juneau area is not immune to this. Be advised that the City and Borough of Juneau is upgauging the local COVID alert level to MODERATE today. That said, I listened to their briefing earlier this week and the word of the day was to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. Part of their message was that those who are not vaccinated are at greater risk. That is all I am going to say about that. As previously stated, we will not be checking for vaccination cards or policing mask-wearing/social distancing (with the notable exception of Friday packet pickup at Centennial Hall, where masking and distancing will be required while you are in the building). The club is responsible for putting on a safe event and we are doing everything possible to do so - and - it is a shared responsibility. Please help us in that regard.
PACKET PICK-UP AND LATE REGISTRATION:
Thursday, July 29, Nugget Alaskan Outfitter in the Mendenhall Mall, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm. We will have a PayPal reader available so you can pay that way if you don't have cash or a check.
Friday, July 30, Centennial Hall (use side entrance), 101 Egan Drive, 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm. There is an ATM at Centennial Hall in case you forget cash and don't have a check. No PayPal reader on Friday, sorry.
Saturday, July 31, at the Savikko Park shelter starting at 5:30 am - RATES GO UP - REGISTER NOW. CASH OR CHECK ONLY ON RACE DAY.
RACE DAY REGISTRATION FOR EACH EVENT WILL BE CUT OFF TEN MINUTES BEFORE THE GUN GOES OFF - NO EXCEPTIONS.
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6 AM WALKER START - REGISTRATION ENDS AT 5:50 AM
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7 AM EARLY MARATHON START - REGISTRATION ENDS AT 6:50 AM
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8 AM MARATHON START - REGISTRATION ENDS AT 7:50 AM
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9 AM HALF-MARATHON START - REGISTRATION ENDS AT 8:50 AM
There will be three aid stations for half-marathoners and an additional two for marathoners. As these are out-and-back-courses, you will hit them twice. Aid station volunteers will be wearing masks and gloves and will not be handing out cups of water and Gatorade (I know I said we would be using bottled water, but this has changed). Please walk through the aid stations to get your beverage of choice, and dispose of the cup as close to the aid station as you can. Volunteers will be picking up the empty cups.
Food and beverage will be available at Savikko Park once you finish. Please enjoy, and re-don your masks/maintain social distance while at the finish line area.
Award ceremony will start at noon at the shelter.
If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me at dave1013@gmail.com or (907) 209-7995.
July 17, 2021 update: The location for Friday registration and packet pickup has been changed. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Juneau Arts and Culture Center (JACC) has been used as a temporary shelter over the past winter. It is in the process of being returned to its normal operation. JACC management believed that the transition would be complete by July 30, but I was told yesterday that it will not be. Therefore, Friday registration and packet pick-up will be held at Centennial Hall, which is across the parking lot from the JACC. We will be located in the meeting room lobby. You will enter Centennial Hall through what I refer to as the "side entrance". Juneau residents who received COVID vaccinations at Centennial Hall will remember that the "side entrance" is where you exited following your 10-minute wait period. I will post a picture later to help you locate it. There will be Centennial Hall employees posted to help get you to the right place. Times are the same - only the location has changed.
Thursday registration and packet pickup is still at Nugget Alaskan Outfitters.
Also - we can only accept cash or checks (made out to JTRR) to pay for race registration. Please bring a check or sufficient funds with you if you want to register on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Better yet - register here online and avoid that situation. Masks are required at Friday packet pickup and registration.
July 10, 2021 update: As we approach race day, here is some more important information.
1. Though no changes are contemplated, we are keeping an eye on the delta variant of COVID-19. At this time, the precautions previously explained are expected to suffice. We will have masks and hand sanitizer available at Savikko Park for your convenience.
2. In order to avoid unnecessary chaos that severely hamstrung results processing in past events, registration for each event will be cut off 10 minutes before the gun goes off. In other words, if you want to run in the early start marathon and have not registered prior to race day, registration for that event will cease at 6:50 am - NO EXCEPTIONS. In this case, you can register for the normal start marathon at 8 am. The half starts at 9 AM, with no early start for the half.
As stated in Note 5 below, online registration will close on July 28. So those who wait until race day to register will need to keep the cutoff in mind.
3. If you are a competitive marathon runner looking to vie for an award, be advised that YOU MUST START AT 8 AM. Participants in the 7 am early start event or 6 am walker event will not be eligible for place awards.
4. As previously referenced, this year's event will be conducted in a manner to reduce exposure to COVID. We will have food and beverage available for finishers following the event. The award ceremony will take place at noon at Savikko Park.
5. Online registration will close at 11:59 pm Alaska Daylight Time on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.
6. There will be more updates as we get closer to race day. I will be emailing registrants on file every time there is an update.
For questions concerning the Juneau Marathon please contact: David Epstein at dave1013@gmail.com
Amenities
Finisher medal and a premium cotton T-shirt.
Course Description
This USATF-certified, out and back marathon and half marathon is run at sea level on the lightly traveled, two-lane Douglas Highway in Juneau, Alaska. The scenic course offers views of mountains, glaciers, forests, and the ocean. The start/finish is near the picnic shelter at Sandy Beach, in Douglas, which is about 4 miles away from cruise ship docks in Downtown Juneau. Please see the Boston Marathon site for information about qualifying for the 2021 Boston Marthon.
Race Day
The marathon and half marathon are located on Douglas Island, immediately west of Juneau.
A short bridge accesses Douglas just north (about 0.5 mile) of downtown Juneau.
The official marathon start time is 8 AM; Half at 9 AM.
Visitor Information
Here are some helpful links for those interested in visiting Juneau for the full marathon or the half marathon:
Flying into/out of Juneau
Ferry into/out of Juneau
Weather
National Weather Service Juneau
City and Borough of Juneau
Information for Visitors to Juneau
Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau
Convention and visitors bureau
History and Records
History of the race: The Juneau Parks and Recreation department sponsored marathons in Juneau from 1971 through 1988. Juneau architect and marathon enthusiast Frank Maier consistently participated in every marathon between 1980 and 1988. The current version of the Juneau Marathon began in 1992, about a year and half after a fishing accident claimed Frank Maier. As a tribute to Frank, the Southeast Road Runner Club named the Juneau marathon as "The Frank Maier Marathon", and is the sole organizer for this annual marathon event.
Lists of records for each Juneau Trail and Road Runner Race can be seen in "Top Performances" on our Races results pages.
Marathon Records
Women's Open----------------Shannon Gress, , Juneau, AK, 2:51:33 (2014)
Women's Masters------------Mary Hanna, 48, Maple Valley, WA, 3:25:04 (2010)
Women's Wheelchair-------Holly Koester, 48, Cleveland, OH, 3:27:17 (2008)
Men's Open---------------------Shawn Miller, 23, Juneau, AK, 2:31:30 (2003)
Men's Masters-----------------Scott Watts, 46, Auke Bay, AK, 2:44:44 (2012)
Men's Wheelchair------------Seth McBride, 24, Juneau, AK, 2:27:21 (2007)
Half Marathon Records
Women's Open------------------Merry Ellefson, 39, Juneau, AK, 1:25:19 (2001)
Women's Masters--------------Merry Ellefson, 45, Juneau, AK, 1:27:26 (2007)
Men's Open-----------------------Shawn Miller, 25, Juneau, AK, 1:09:33 (2005)
Men's Masters-------------------Guy Thibodeau, 42, Juneau, AK, 1:14:16 (1993)
Men's Wheelchair--------------Seth McBride, 23, Juneau, AK, 1:37:19 (2006)
Marathon Course Map
Course Profile
First Mile: Gently Uphill (gain 75 feet)
Mile 4: Short Hill (gain 75 feet, lose 75 feet)
Mile 9: Gentle Hills (gain 75 feet, lose 75 feet)
Mile 12.5: Steeper Hill (gain 150 feet)
Mile 13: Steeper Hill (gain 150 feet)
Mile 17: Gentle Hills (gain 75 feet, lose 75 feet)
Mile 22: Short Hill (gain 75 feet, lose 75 feet)
Miles 25.2-26: Gentle Downhill (lose 75 feet)
Half Marathon Course Map
Course Profile
First Mile: Gentle Uphill (gain 75 feet)
Mile 4 - Short Hill (gain 75 feet, lose 75 feet)
Mile 6.1 to Mile 9 - Short Hill (gain 75 feet, lose 75 feet)
Miles 12.2 to 13 - Gentle Downhill (lose 75 feet)