Juneau Marathon & Half Marathon
Douglas, AK
- Marathon, Half Marathon
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Juneau Marathon & Half Marathon will start and finish at Savikko Park in Douglas (across Gastineau Channel from Juneau proper). 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 … MORE
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Beautiful, scenic route
Rainy day for a marathon but still a beautiful, out and back course. Small town race with no chip time or mats to record your overall finish. The race director … MORE
Rainy day for a marathon but still a beautiful, out and back course. Small town race with no chip time or mats to record your overall finish.
The race director was very pleasant and seemed to really love the sport. Had some questions prior to arriving and he responded via email in a very timely fashion.
Beautiful Scenery
This is one of the best small races I have done. 63 Full marathoners, and 180 half marathoners. Possibly some of the local residents stayed home as it poured for … MORE
This is one of the best small races I have done. 63 Full marathoners, and 180 half marathoners. Possibly some of the local residents stayed home as it poured for the entire race. But that is out of anyone’s control. The race course runs along the shoulder of Douglas Highway for pretty much the entire race, with Juneau Harbor on one side, and the woods of Douglas Island on the other side. Plenty of aid stations manned by the high school track team. All the volunteers were cheering, happy, and helpfull despite standing in the rain for hours. No real traffic issues as the only street crossing is as you exit then return to Savikko Park. The after party had really nice food. Lots of cold cut sandwiches, delicious garlic pickles, pickle juice, cookies, soda, and hot beverages. I brought my own beer. 😉 The race director walked around talking to as many runners as possible, and wanted production feedback.
Gorgeous Glacier Views
Very simple packet pickup with decent race shirt Plenty of aid stations along the way Views almost the entire on an out and back course; no chip timing Lots of … MORE
Very simple packet pickup with decent race shirt
Plenty of aid stations along the way
Views almost the entire on an out and back course; no chip timing
Lots of great food at end even for back of pack
Decent medal
Amazingly beautiful and well run
Low key and really well produced. Highly recommend! The scenery is simply amazing and the RD and volunteers do a great job. Aid station about every 2.5 miles and had … MORE
Low key and really well produced. Highly recommend! The scenery is simply amazing and the RD and volunteers do a great job. Aid station about every 2.5 miles and had cold water, Gatorade and several flavors of gu. And the finish, there was a really nice spread of food…sandwiches, snacks, etc. A few very minor hills, but mostly flat and fast. The course runs out 13.1 miles around the west and north side of Douglas Island and back. Once you clear the tree line, there are breathtaking views of water and snow capped mountains. I had a hotel that was walking distance from the airport that was about as cheap as they come in Juneau (Super 8 for $250). Uber can be a little unreliable. I did the early start to make a flight out and pre-reserved it. At the end of the race, Uber said no cars available for about 15 minutes and then a driver popped up and arrived 20 minutes later. The RD is very involved, communicates well, and runs a great marathon. Enjoy!
Small, simple race
Small out-and-back race. Don't expect too many bells and whistles, but it was well-run and a nice, peaceful 26.2. I had a great time and loved the course—you can even … MORE
Small out-and-back race. Don’t expect too many bells and whistles, but it was well-run and a nice, peaceful 26.2. I had a great time and loved the course—you can even see the glacier on your run!
Beautiful , low key marathon
Gorgeous out-and-back course. The weather in 2021 was immaculate, 75 degree high and sunny (can't guarantee the weather will always be this nice... they get a lot of rain up … MORE
Gorgeous out-and-back course. The weather in 2021 was immaculate, 75 degree high and sunny (can’t guarantee the weather will always be this nice… they get a lot of rain up here!). This is a “low key” marathon… the entire course is run on Douglas island, across from Juneau’s downtown. If you’re used to large crowds cheering you on, this race will not have that (although the people I did see on the course gave some BIG cheers! The locals here are very friendly).
My one critique – the start and finish area was very sparse, just “start / finish” spray painted on the ground next to the timing clock. I finished the race, then walked over and picked up my medal from a box in the back of a pick-up truck. I was one of the last people on the course, so maybe they had packed up and left at that point, but it was a little lackluster. If you’re looking for a big finish line celebration (like for your first marathon), this might not be the race for you.
That said, Dave the race Director was SUPER helpful – he stayed in constant contacts with emails leading up to the race which was helpful with the on-going COVID situation. All the volunteers were amazing, the water stations were well stocked (water / gatorade / some had pretzels and other “snack” type things) and there were enough stations out on the course. There were multiple early starts (6am walkers / 7am slow pokes like me 🙂 ) for the marathon which was helpful. Everyone was super friendly and helpful. The swag was nice – a cool t-shirt and nice medal. The course itself was truly breathtaking, especially towards the northern part of Douglas island where you can see the Mendenhall glacier across the water. If you’re looking for an Alaska marathon for your journey on the 50 states, I would recommend checking this one out!
A Nice Taste of Alaska
This was a small, low-key marathon with a home-town feel. The course was a 13.1 mile out and back along the edge of Douglas Island, across the inlet from Juneau. … MORE
This was a small, low-key marathon with a home-town feel. The course was a 13.1 mile out and back along the edge of Douglas Island, across the inlet from Juneau. Most of the course bordered the steep, forested slopes of the island, but the last few miles of the out and back were right along the shores of the inlet with panoramic views of the Mendenhall Glacier as well as small waterfalls. I saw numerous bald eagles, ravens, fishing vessels, and huge cruise liners. The race director allowed 1 or 2 hr early starts, which would be a good idea for slower runners if you want to partake of the post-race grilled salmon. The medal was small, but of a nice design.