‘Rain, Wind, Cold Hands, and Blue Lips’

Seven Locals Finish 10th Girdwood Marathon

By Brian Pautzke

TNews Contributor

Cheers to the “Magnificent Seven” on the 10-year anniversary of the Girdwood Trail Marathon.  

Hip, hip… hooray!  Hip, hip… hooray!  

Hip, hip, ah, mine are too sore to cheer.  

Congratulations to the seven Girdwoodian distance runners holding court on our own backyard race. While we have a couple of special distance runners that didn’t run, the seven who did represented the town well. All Girdwood runners finished under 4 hours and 45 minutes.  

Led by the Girdwood Grizzlies middle school teachers Lauren Fritz (2nd place among women, 9th overall) and Soren Wuerth (12th overall), and, eventually, myself (19th overall), the K-8 school has a heck of a distance track record.  

Between Wuerth and myself was the bodacious Bailey Matthys and epic Emily Pearson (14th, and 15th overall respectively). Following closely behind myself was John Hellen (21st) and Rachel Peterson (24th). Out of the 63 finishers, the seven Girdwood runners fell within the top 24. That demands a toast (shout-out Girdwood Brewing Co. for donations made to the trail race).

In “out of towner” news, two fellas were “running” what seemed to us a different sport all-together. Lars Arneson and Scott Paterson both ran sub-three-hour races to secure 1st and 2nd place. Shauna Severson from Eagle River earned top spot for the women’s division. Great job!

This year rain was promised, but, at 8:55 a.m., not a drop was falling.  

Decisions were made in those minutes prior to the start of the race. Fateful decisions. I reviewed my notes and decided that it was really warm inside the Daylodge and that that warmth was indicative of balmy temperatures for the race. A short sleeve shirt with no back up was the right decision. 

By the time the racers made it to the 5K loop (15-20 minutes into the race) the rain and wind had started in earnest.  With little coverage on the 5K loop, runners got soaked. Most were prepared for rain and continued on in comfort. 

I continued on in a discomfort that would not cease until I was secured in blankets and a poofy coat on my recliner. My hands couldn’t open the plastic zip lock bag, and couldn’t twist off the cap to my water bottle. I will make some new notes in my notes. My coworker Lauren had such blue lips at the end I incorrectly assumed she was munching on blueberries. 

Tin and aluminum are the materials for 10th anniversaries as they represent the toughness and flexibility required to be married for so long—fitting descriptions of characteristics required to complete the Girdwood Trail Marathon for those 10 years.

You do not need to be the fastest or the fittest to complete this particular challenge. Many people have the ability to do the race for 10 years in a row, but I am the one tooting the aluminum horn.

If I wasn’t wrapped in blankets at home, I would have hobbled up and received my accolade. As a mid level runner, coming in first is not an option and as the race has grown, top-ten finishes are harder to come by. So, what keeps the fire burning?

The simple act of challenging ourselves and points of pride that we can take for ourselves, be they recognized by the broader society or not. 

I have run all the Girdwood Trail Marathons and hope to secure a “Fred Moore” status (famed Seward resident and Mt. Marathon royalty). I know I have a ways to go but it feels good to have another one under the belt. 

Speaking of belts, maybe an aluminum belt buckle is in order as people start joining the 10-year club.  

Congratulations to all the runners who challenged themselves to one of the toughest marathon distance races going.