The 45th annual Equinox Marathon is a 26.2-mile series of moderate and relentless hills starting at the UAF Patty Center to the top of Ester Dome and back. This year, it had the second largest number of participants in the history of the race with more than 800 runners and walkers.
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner sports reporter, Mitias Saari, having placed second in the previous two years, got his first-time win with the time of 2 hours, 50 minutes, 23.8 seconds.
The marathon, sponsored by the Running Club North, was originally designed in 1963 by UAF cross-country skiers who wanted to run a challenging course, according to Steve Bainbridge, Equinox race director since 1995. "We've been running pretty much as it was originally designed for 45 years," Bainbridge said.
According to Bainbridge, in ‘60s, the marathon consisted of mainly walkers, and the community embraced the event, not so much as a race, but as a celebration of the fall. However, the Equinox later evolved into a sporting event. "The marathon got big in the ‘70s and it became more about running," Bainbridge said.
The relay, a three-member team splitting the course into three legs of 8.6, 8.4 and 9.2 miles, was added 18 years ago to increase the number of runners. "It brings people in who only want to do 8.5 miles instead of doing the whole thing," Bainbridge said.
Despite the spike in running and competition over the past decades, the race isn't only for the fierce and the serious. "If you've got your cell phone and you're on Henderson Road, 20 miles, you can call for a latte or a pizza and get stuff delivered for that last six miles," Bainbridge said. "It's all about instant gratification."
Bob Leitch, a retired 61-year-old from San Jose, has run the Equinox for the 13th time this year. "I've been walking almost 40 miles a week," Leitch said. "This year was my fastest time of 5 hours, 33 minutes and 9 seconds."
Steve Gage, a 62-year-old physician's assistant from Sitka and long-time friend of Leitch, has run the Equinox 10 times and claims that his favorite part of the marathon is, "The 22-mile beer stand rest stop."
Bainbridge promotes the marathon as a community event for all ages and paces. "Because the course is open for 10 hours, we are encouraging more walkers." This year's marathon had ages ranging from elementary school children to an 80-year-old.
