On Saturday, August 6, Course Co-Chief Ben Nelson led work party on the Equinox Marathon course.  The work party had been organized by Carol Kaynor.

The prize money schedule for record-breaking performances has been revised.  Any man breaking Stan Justice' record or woman breaking Susan Faulkner's record will earn $500 in prize money.  Only one person of each sex can win the prize (in the case where more than one person breaks the record).  A relay team that breaks the record set last year will win $300, $100 per team member.

Who do you think is going to win the 2011 Equinox Marathon?

At its most recent meeting, the Equinox Marathon Advisory Committee voted unanimously to adopt a policy whereby past Equinox Marathon champions would receive free entry to the Marathon in perpetuity.

Held in conjunction with the Equinox Marathon, the Equinox Kid's Marathon allows you (a kid in grade K through 6) to run a marathon, 1 mile at a time. The goal is for you to improve your fitness and have fun at the same time.

Click here for a downloadable Equinox Kids Marathon entry form in PDF format

Once your registration form has been received, we will mail you some toe tokens. Your mom, dad, or helping adult will give you a toe token for every 5 miles that you complete. We have included a suggested schedule for completing your miles. The last 1.2 miles of your marathon will be completed on the day of the Equinox Marathon.

Have an adult help you find a route that is 0.5-1 mile long, and is safe for you to run/walk. High school tracks are excellent places to run (4 laps=1 mile), or find a route in your neighborhood. Get your friends to join you. Get your mom and dad to join you. Fitness is for everybody!

You may pick up your bib number at the regular Equinox Marathon bib pickups or near the starting area on race day (8-8:45 a.m.).

The Kid's Marathon will start at 9:00 a.m. at UAF Patty Center. Volunteers will be on hand to ensure a safe event, and your parents and older siblings are welcome to run with you. There will be no times recorded as this is a non-competitive event--everyone who participates is a winner. At the finish line, you can pick up your special Finisher's T-shirt and goodies, refuel with some healthy snacks, and be proud of your accomplishment!

Sample Timeline

The goal of the Kid's Marathon is to help you incorporate fitness into your daily routine. The program begins with two weeks of 0.5 mile per day, and allows for two "rest" days per week. You can run and/or walk your miles. Remember to stretch after your runs, drink plenty of water every day, and get plenty of sleep. Questions? Call Tracey Martinson at 474-8353.

After August 21 you may click here for a downloadable entry form (PDF) for the 2013 Equinox Marathon, Equinox Ultramarathon, and Equinox Marathon Relay.  Hard copy entry forms will be available after August 21 at Beaver Sports and Equinox Physical Therapy.

Life members can register online for the marathon, relay or ultramarathon, as long as online registration is open (through 5pm on the Wednesday prior to the race).  Go to the online registration page and check the box for life member, then complete the registration form.  You will be asked to provide your date of birth in order to confirm your status.  Be sure to hit the "Submit" or "Enter" button to make sure your entry goes through.

If you are entering the ultramarathon, you will be asked to pay an additional fee equal to the difference between the standard marathon entry fee and the standard ultramarathon entry fee.  There is no charge to enter the marathon or relay.  We request that life members enter online early, and come to early bib pickup on Thursday and Friday to get their bibs before race day, thus avoiding race morning confusion AND letting the marathon volunteers focus on ensuring a quality race production on race day.

There will be two in-person bib pickup sessions, both at the Pump House Restaurant on Chena Pump Road, running from 5PM to 8PM.

The runners listed below have demonstrated their commitment to the Equinox Marathon by purchasing a life membership.  A life membership entitles the purchaser to free entry in the Equinox Marathon as long as they desire to compete.  Life memberships are not transferable.  We have one new life membership so far in 2011 - Gary Holton.  Thanks, Gary!

Below is the registration and race events schedule for this year's Equinox events. 

The 2011 Equinox Marathon, the 49th, as well as the Ultramarathon and Relay will be held on the customary and traditional date - the Saturday prior to the autumnal equinox.  This year that is September 17.  The race will start at 8:00AM, and, as is customary, all finishers of all events will be timed until 6:00PM.

The awards banquet for the 2011 Equinox Marathon, Ultramarathon and Relay will be held at the Wood Center Ballroom on the UAF Campus.

Susan Kramer and John Estle, two long-time member of the Fairbanks running community, have been selected by the Running Club North Board of Directors to direct the Equinox Marathon for the next three years (2011-12-13).

One of our goals this year is to make the Equinox event early bib pickup experience easier, faster and more convenient for all participants - and volunteers. 

Yes, the rumors are true - the Equinox Ultramarathon will be longer this year.  Ultramarathoners this year will traverse a course of approximately 40 miles.  We are still fine-tuning the final route to get the distance just right, and the course and terrain of a quality deserving to be part of the Equinox event family.

There are three ways to enter the Equinox events:  online, hard-copy dropoff, and at bib pickup.