Mount Marathon blog: 26-year-old Alaskan wins women’s crown

2:55 p.m. - Anchorage mountain runner takes women’s title

One year after a mother in her 40s claimed the women’s title, the 2024 Mount Marathon title went to a 26-year-old.

Klaire Rhodes, of Anchorage, won the women’s Mount Marathon, which featured several hundred runners. The professional North Face runner was a blur on her roughly 3,000-foot descent of Mount Marathon and crossed the finish line in 49 minutes, 49 seconds, about 30 seconds ahead of fellow Alaskan Kendall Kramer.

Rhodes trailed Kramer briefly near the turnaround point, but the first-time champion overtook Kramer on the downhill.

“I was looking behind me scared the whole time,” Rhodes said in a post-race interview.

2 p.m. - Hundreds of women start up Mount Marathon

Hundreds of women are setting out from the starting line now that most of the men have successfully finished the race.

1:30 p.m. - 5 facts about the 5-time champ

Five facts about David Norris, the 2024 Mount Marathon men’s winner:

1. Norris claimed second place last month in a 6.7-mile mountain race at Brighton Resort in Utah, the first of six races that make up the Cirque Series.
2. A former competitor nicknamed Norris “the grinder” for his work ethic.
3. Norris has an Accounting degree from Montana State-Bozeman, where he was a standout skier.
4. Norris coaches with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
5. Norris attended Lathrop High School and initially joined the University of Alaska Fairbanks ski team.

1 p.m. - Top-5 men finishers — overall and Alaskan

Mount Marathon is a one-of-a-kind mountain race — the secret is out — with the Fourth of July event attracting Americans from dozens of states.

In fact, over 10% of contestants this year had a home address outside of Alaska. Some of the strongest male competitors came from Colorado, including winner and Fairbanks native David Norris. Below are this year’s top five men’s runners.

The first Alaskan finisher placed just outside of the top five. Eagle River’s Michael Earnhart finished seventh with a time of 45:34.

Less than a minute later, fellow Alaskans Lars Arneson and Lyon Kopsack finished the 5-kilometer endurance feat in ninth and 10th place, respectively. Just two seconds separated the Anchorage and Palmer harriers. Talk about a photo finish!

12:22 p.m. - Every winner of Mount Marathon in the last 20 years

Norris is not the only runner to have found prolonged Mount Marathon success of late. In the last 20 years, numerous men and women have won multiple titles, including Eric Strabel, Cedar Bourgeois and Hannah Lafleur.

11:55 a.m. - Norris wins another Mount Marathon

Alaskan David Norris, now of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, easily broke his own course record (41:26), crossing the finish line on Fourth Avenue in just 40 minutes, 37 seconds.

The now five-time champion finished the grueling climb and descent in 44:51 to win last year.

Second place went to past champion Max King, who had only appeared with Norris in one previous Mount Marathon.

11:05 a.m. - First wave of men on Mount Marathon course

The first wave of men are beginning their ascent of Mount Marathon for the 96th running of the signature holiday mountain race in Seward.

The men’s race followed the junior’s race, which saw a new girls winner in 14-year-old local Olive Jordan!

The boys junior race saw another Coby Marvin victory. Congrats, Coby!

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