Skinny Raven Half & 10K
Anchorage, AK
- Half Marathon, 10K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Skinny Raven Half & 10K partners with Brooks Running for a mid-summer event for everyone! Beginning and ending at the Rose Garden on the scenic Anchorage Park Strip, enjoy some of Anchorage’s most popular trails, enjoy Double Shovel Cider at the end, and you’ll be sure to have fun chasing … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Jul 19):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 65 | 68 | 63 | 61 | 69 |
| L (°F) | 57 | 50 | 56 | 51 | 62 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Run Happy Hill with beautiful views
Travel: My group made an adventure out of this race by starting with a one-way Alaskan cruise. We then took a train from Seward to Anchorage. With the race not … MORE
Travel: My group made an adventure out of this race by starting with a one-way Alaskan cruise. We then took a train from Seward to Anchorage. With the race not starting until 9 (or 8 for the half marathon runners expecting to finish in about 3 hours), an extra day at the hotel might be needed, depending on the hotel’s checkout time.
Expo/packet pickup: There was packet pickup on Saturday at Skinny Raven Sports store, with freebies, popcorn and a party atmosphere. Race day packet pickup was also available.
Race parking: Race communication indicated there was ample parking near the start/finish but my hotel was essentially across the street, so I did not really pay attention to parking.
Course: Courses for both the 10k and half were out and back, with just one slight variation on the return. The course started on streets before getting on the Coastal Trail (a paved greenway) shortly before the one-mile mark. Miles 6-8 were on a road alongside the airport and then runners returned to the paved trail. The only congestion I encountered on the trail was when I reached the turnaround point for the 10k runners around mile 10, especially with bicyclists also on the trail. The final 3/4 mile was a return to the streets. Just before the finish line, there was a steep but mercifully short incline, with volunteers running alongside, encouraging runners up the hill. With the volunteer running with me, saying “pump those arms”, I got up the hill easier than I would have on my own. The experience was really great! I believe they refer to it as “Run Happy Hill”. Other than that particular hill, the rest of the course had mild inclines/declines.
Course scenery: Most of the course had views of mountains and waterways. As this was my first visit to Alaska, I took over 30 pictures along the course, mostly on the out-bound half of the race.
Course support: I felt there was a sufficient number of aid stations, with water and electrolytes. Gels were offered at the turnaround aid station, and possibly another one, but I didn’t take any. There was at least one porta potty in at least two locations, so runners had 4 opportunities to use them, if needed. There were not a lot of spectators along the course, but there were some.
Post-race: As runners finished the race, they received their medal and a long-stemmed rose. Food included a chicken ranch club wrap, chips and grapes/blueberries. There was a beer garden, but the line was so long and slow-moving, I did not go in or get any beer. I’m not even sure if the beer was free for race finishers.
Swag: In addition to the finishers medal and rose, there was a soft, long sleeve tech shirt. One of the freebies at packet pickup was a pair of sunglasses that changed color in the sun.
Final impression: I enjoyed this race and was pleased with my choice for Alaska on my 50 state half marathon quest. I would definitely run this race again.
Fun run in Anchorage
A nice local half marathon (and 10k) in Anchorage. The course is beautiful: all paved, and just a little hilly to make it fun. The temperature was 55-60F, not bad … MORE
A nice local half marathon (and 10k) in Anchorage. The course is beautiful: all paved, and just a little hilly to make it fun. The temperature was 55-60F, not bad for July. Food was provided after the race, plus there were a couple of vendor booths and some fun activities at the start/finish line. The swag is good: a long sleeve top, beer glass, medal. Alaska is a great place to visit!
Great race to ✅ off a state
Great small race, production was really good, and aid stations and post race grub were on point. The course runs along the Cook Inlet on a bike path then heads … MORE
Great small race, production was really good, and aid stations and post race grub were on point. The course runs along the Cook Inlet on a bike path then heads out toward the airport. That section of course is surprisingly hilly as were other spots along the path. Scenery was good along the path, not so much along the airport road. This is state 48 for me so I’ve seen a lot at this pt so i’d give this a solid 4 stars
Peaceful race along a coastal trail
My own performance notwithstanding (lol), this was a great race. I usually do larger races, but this was a very nice, well-organized smaller race put on by a local running … MORE
My own performance notwithstanding (lol), this was a great race. I usually do larger races, but this was a very nice, well-organized smaller race put on by a local running store. The cider at the finish line (and the take-home glassware) were a nice touch. The paved trail was in good condition and the scenery was beautiful. I even appreciated going past the airport at the turnaround.
Raven about dem hills...
I stayed at the Four Points which was a nice warm up jog to the race start/finish. Also close to the Skinny Raven Sports store if you need supplies. The … MORE
I stayed at the Four Points which was a nice warm up jog to the race start/finish. Also close to the Skinny Raven Sports store if you need supplies. The expo/bib pick up was on Saturday but if you couldn’t go then you could still pick up your bib the morning of which worked for me. Plus there were Brooks vendors there (they were letting people demo shoes during the race!!) Swag was a soft long sleeve tech shirt which I love! Oh and they let runners that needed more time start about an hour earlier.
Now the course is an out and back…and it starts with a steep drop which means it ends with a steep climb!! The scenery was beautiful and it was cool watching planes fly at you and take off next to you. The not cool part were the nonstop hills! And since you’re running on a trail it was narrow and had to be shared with other cyclists and runners. And the second to last water station was out of water, but otherwise it was a fantastic race and I still very much enjoyed it!! Anchorage is just lovely!!
Great Race
decent prerace communication, easy pack pick up and despite the rain that persisted great pre-race vibes! Post race party and swag was good. MORE
decent prerace communication, easy pack pick up and despite the rain that persisted great pre-race vibes! Post race party and swag was good.
Nice course, set up well, and enjoyable!
I enjoyed the mostly local, closed course with decent scenery. You run 8 miles on the Coastal Trail along the sound and the beginning and end along neighborhood streets with … MORE
I enjoyed the mostly local, closed course with decent scenery. You run 8 miles on the Coastal Trail along the sound and the beginning and end along neighborhood streets with good police presence the middle is on a road the parallels the airport. Many rolling hills, water stops were great. Loved they had Skratch.
Medal was decent. Shirt was good and the food after top 3 for me. The cider in the garden was a nice add on with a pint glass included.
I stayed in Anchorage. Hotels are very expensive but many are walking distance to the start <1 mile. The later start 9am. Made it a little challenging to finish and get back to the hotel for noon checkout. There was a decent amount of parking near the start as well. Could of used a few more porta potties at the start. Did not see any along the race course!
Another great Anchorage run
First off, the website said "sunshine and fun times"... Lies! It was rainy! But I'll give them a pass. Weather temp was still pretty decent. -Route had a bit of … MORE
First off, the website said “sunshine and fun times”… Lies! It was rainy! But I’ll give them a pass. Weather temp was still pretty decent.
-Route had a bit of an incline and ended on a hill (seems like all the Anchorage runs do). But it is Alaska. run started and ended in the same place, so that’s nice.
Swag consistes of the typical medal and short sleeve tech shirt. Also maurten gel was available at packet pickup.
Post race included a beer glass and Double Shovel cider. Also available was a box lunch.