2026 Spirit of the Equinox finalists announced
The Spirit of the Equinox Committee is pleased to announce the following finalists for the 2026 Spirit of the Equinox: Arthur Hussey and Janet Daley (jointly), Roxane Rigo, and Christopher Swingley. The 2026 recipient(s) will be announced at the post-Equinox banquet and awards ceremony being held on Saturday, September 19 at 6:00pm at the UAF Student Recreation Center. To learn more about this prestigious running award, its history, and its selection criteria, visit the Spirit of the Equinox page on the Equinox Marathon website.
Janet Daley and Arthur Hussey:
Drawn by the supportive Fairbanks running community, the Equinox Marathon, and the exercise, Janet and Arthur have jumped into running in big ways and small, leading to a lot of miles and many, many pairs of shoes. Their dedication to runners of all ages and skills have led to positions on the Running Club North board (Arthur) and the Alaska International Senior Games board (Janet), and volunteering at local high school track meets, summer interval training, and countless races throughout the year. There are very few events where they are not either running or volunteering and are always there with smiles and encouragement. They take to heart the meaning of the word “Equinox” as a balance between being supported and giving support to others. When they are not in Fairbanks, they are often travelling the globe experiencing the international running community or flying to their cabin in the Brooks Range. But they say they will continue to participate in the often unforgiving events in Fairbanks like the winter Dawn to Dusk, all the summer runs, the weekly Fahrenheit Be Darned runs, and of course, the Equinox.
Roxane Rigo:
A quick spotlight on Roxane Rigo, a familiar face in our community. If you drive along Farmer’s Loop, you may have seen a brightly-shirted blonde woman picking up trash along the road—that is Roxane taking care of her part of town. She can walk faster than many of us can run, though you may also spot her running in a race. You can also find her sweeping a course with her husband, Jeff. Together, they have been helping the race directors for several years with the pre-Equinox training runs, Steve’s Equinox Training (SET). Roxane prefers working behind the scenes-without fanfare-to help make her community successful. Fun fact: Roxane currently has 29 Equinox finishes, placing her 10th for Most Races Finished!
Christopher Swingley:
Chris Swingley moved to Alaska in 1994 and ran his first Equinox Marathon in 2013. He has run the Equinox relay twice and finished the marathon eight times. He took over maintaining Equinox historical statistics after John Estle retired several years ago. Chris built his own database for local race results, which he helped adapt and populate for Running Club North. He has been the meet director for Region VI high school track and field since 2023 and regularly runs or volunteers in local running events. You may also have chased Chris as Beethoven for the past three Beat Beethoven 5Ks. When he’s not running or gathering race statistics, he works in IT for a local environmental consulting company, enjoys backpacking, reading, and winter fat biking. Chris also maintains a popular website that presents temperature data for weather stations in the area.