Annual 5K race promotes Troth Yeddha’ legacy

August 29, 2018

UAF News

UAF photo by JR Ancheta. Runners start the 2017 Troth Yeddha' Race for the Park.
UAF photo by JR Ancheta. Runners start the 2017 Troth Yeddha' Race for the Park.


The Seventh Annual Troth Yeddha’ Run for the Park will start at noon Saturday, Sept. 8.

The 5K race raises awareness about Troth Yeddha’ Park at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and celebrates Alaska Native history, culture and traditions.

The race will start at the park, located between the UA Museum of the North and the Reichardt Building on the Fairbanks campus.

For generations, Alaska Natives gathered at Troth Yeddha' — the hill on which the Fairbanks campus sits — to share traditional knowledge and harvest the wild potatoes that grew nearby. The name, from an Athabascan dialect, means "wild potato ridge."

“The Race for the Park helps us make strides for the Troth Yeddha’ legacy as we carry on a similar traditional use of the hill, a place for positive thought and working together,” said Sandra Kowalski, UAF's director of indigenous programs.

The UAF College of Rural and Community Development and Running Club North host the event.

Registration is $25. All proceeds will be donated to the UA Foundation's Troth Yeddha' Park Fund. University students can register for free with UA ID. Registration is available online through Eventbrite or in person from 11-11:30 a.m. at the park on race day.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Izzy Martinez, 474-5860, ihmartinez@alaska.edu or Amanda Lash, 474-6417, alash2@alaska.edu