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Anchorage Runfest Humpy's Marathon (prev. Big Wild Life Runs Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Anchorage Runfest Humpy's Marathon (prev. Big Wild Life Runs Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 3.1
Number of comments: 61 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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J. K. from Wisconsin
(8/29/2011)
 "Overall nice" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Anchorage Runfest Humpy's Marathon (prev. Big Wild Life Runs Ma
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Pros: 1)The marathon was run almost totally on a bike trail. Most of the course was fully treed and nice to stay cool and out of the sun. 2)The event was well organized. 3) The pasta feed was great and at a very reasonable price compared to local restaurant prices. Cons: 1)Walkers and bikers were on the trail at the same time as the runners. It seemed a bit dangerous with the bikers, because the trail had lots of curves and sometimes it was hard to see the bikers who were coming at me. Also, I had to go around many casual walkers who walked three abreast. 2)The Expo was one of the smallest I have seen. More effort needs to be put into finding more vendors to participate. 3) More work needs to be put into finding sponsors for the food/drink at the end of the race. It was almost non-existant. Great Harvest had some bread. There were a few slices of watermellon and small cups of pretzels. This was a real disappointment. | |
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K. O. from Seattle, WA
(8/24/2011)
 "Fast, scenic course" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Well organized and well worth running. We got lucky with the weather; race day was the 1 day it didn't rain. Temperature was between 50 and 60, partly cloudy, perfect running weather. Plenty of aid stations on a scenic course. I work in aerospace so I enjoyed running directly underneath two 747's landing at the airport. I also want to recommend the pasta feed. My experience with pasta feeds is not great so I didn't plan on going, but there seemed to be a lack of Italian restaurants in Anchorage so I bought a ticket, really worth it. Very good food, lots of it, in an upscale convention center banquet hall. And finally, the Moose's Tooth pub has really great pizza. Also about 20 microbrews on tap for those of you that like that sort of thing. (Like me.) | |
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S. D. from Westchester New York
(8/24/2011)
"Where's the Moose" (about: 2011)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Anchorage Runfest Humpy's Marathon (prev. Big Wild Life Runs Ma
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Okay, we got very lucky. After days of rain and fears that this race would rival my worst experiences with wind and rain, I woke up Sunday morning to realize they actually get sun in Alaska. The race organizers did a really good job. The expo was tiny and did not offer any last minute products to purchase and no discounted merchandise. The expo was disappointing and why there was not a booth at the expo for the Skinny Raven running store did not make sense. Thankfully, the running stores downtown were close by, so I walked over to get the normal last minute products I normally buy at the expo. The course was very nice on running trails around a lake and along the water. It was well shaded which was important because it actually got warm (after 5 days of rain and cold it actually was nice to see the sun). My big issue with the course was that both directions where out and backs so you saw the same things twice. As a visitor to the area it would of been nice to see some other parts of the city. Also the path was narrow and with people coming in both directions, bicycle riders and walkers it got crowded and you where trying to avoid people. The spectators where sparse but more then I expected considering where the race was held. Finally, post-race there was no food, or to be fair barely any. I do not know if it was because I ran the marathon and they ran out, but when I got to the food area there was little if anything and no water bottles to be found. Generally it was a nice experience but could use with some improvement. | |
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Stephen Brown from Palmer, Alaska
(9/27/2010)
"Great Local Race" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Anchorage Runfest Humpy's Marathon (prev. Big Wild Life Runs Ma
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you are going to run a marathon in Anchorage, choose this one. It's much smaller than the Mayor's Marathon in June with a much more interesting course. This course features two main "out and back" sections along beautiful coastline or lakes and streams. The last hill coming into downtown and the finish line are brutal, but that makes for good stories. If you are not from Alaska, don't miss this race's namesake bar (Humpy's), which is an Anchorage icon. The Midnight Sun IPA (8% alcohol) will quell any post-race pains you have! | |
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G. R. from Atlanta, GA
(8/20/2010)
"A breath of freash air..." (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Anchorage Runfest Humpy's Marathon (prev. Big Wild Life Runs Ma
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I agree with the other posters... I highly recommend this marathon. It's a small marathon, but you never feel like you are running alone. I really enjoyed the course and was fortunate to see a moose and her calf feeding near the 18-mile marker. Having Bart Yasso calling you out as you come down the home stretch was really cool and a really nice way to finish the race. Great finisher's medal and great-looking, long-sleeve, technical tee to boot. | |
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D. W. from Houston, TX
(8/19/2010)
"Excellent marathon in a beautiful setting" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Anchorage Runfest Humpy's Marathon (prev. Big Wild Life Runs Ma
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is my second time running a marathon in Anchorage, with the first being 14 years ago in the other race in town. Humpy's is a great race because of a great course, great organization, and great volunteers. It also isn't full of the purple sea of Team in Training (like Mayor's). The pasta dinner was free and very good. I've had other free pasta dinners where I would have preferred to pay for better food and others that were expensive and were not worth the money. This one was really good and had plenty of food. Packet pickup was easy but there was no "expo" as such, so we walked to Skinny Raven, a very good running store in town. The course is pretty flat - mostly out-and-backs on a paved bike trail. Very pretty and never boring. There was one hill at about mile 6, then again at about mile 12, and then miles 16 to 20 composed a gradual uphill until you turned around and came back down. Very tough but short hill in the last mile. Great volunteers, including local track and cross-country teams pointing us in the right direction and handing out water and Gatorade. Although it was a BYOG (GU), I saw gel at a couple of stops plus pretzels and M&Ms at others. I didn't need a porta-can, but they were a little sparse. Of course, we were in the woods for much of the race. I enjoyed the out-and-backs because I got to see a lot of fellow 50-Staters and Maniacs. This is a great destination marathon. Try to combine it with some vacation time - cruise, fishing, train to Denali, etc. | |
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S. M. from western North Carolina, Brevard
(8/18/2010)
"everybody should run this race" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Anchorage Runfest Humpy's Marathon (prev. Big Wild Life Runs Ma
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have been to ANC several times fishing but this is the first since i began running almost 6 months ago. A great city filled with some of the most friendly people ANYwhere. Race organization was very good, and I was able to meet and greet four members of the race committee. I also met and talked at length with Jeff Galloway and his wife Barbara - as well as Bart Yasso at the pasta feed. Nice touch having Bart at the finish line calling out the names of the finishers. Bart and the RD did a great job also MC'ing the 1K run for the little kids; nothing but superlatives for the entire city, organizing committee, volunteers, medical support teams, mayor, and Humpy's Alehouse. You ALL did a GREAT JOB. THANKS!! | |
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A. M. from Seattle, WA
(8/17/2010)
 "The one I'll talk about when I'm 80" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Anchorage Runfest Humpy's Marathon (prev. Big Wild Life Runs Ma
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I fell on the course around mile 16 and ended up finishing in tears and with my arm in a makeshift sling. I slipped on one of the wet wood bridges and went down fairly hard. I finished, and the volunteers helped me splint my arm with cardboard and duct tape. I can't wait to see the pictures! | |
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G. B. from Colorado
(8/16/2010)
"What fun! Beautiful course. Loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Anchorage Runfest Humpy's Marathon (prev. Big Wild Life Runs Ma
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Well worth the trip from Colorado. I'd say 90% of the run is on well paved trails next to the water or beautiful forest. Even had a moose 20 feet from the trail. Very flat except for a little hill at mile 26, but there was a great-looking cop at the top of the hill flashing a bright smile. Perfect, cool temperature (about 60 degrees), but very humid. No mosquitos. If you are going to be on the course awhile, definitely bring your own treats. This marathon is truly fabulous if you like small races. Awesome, long-sleeve, wicking t-shirt. | |
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Just a runner from the nyc area
(9/24/2009)
"Worth the trip from the East Coast" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Anchorage Runfest Humpy's Marathon (prev. Big Wild Life Runs Ma
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 If you enjoy friendly, small, well-organized races in stunning settings, this marathon is for you. Much of the course was along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which was lovely. My only disappointment was that I didn't meet any moose on the course. I'd never been to Alaska, so what better excuse to go than to run a marathon? I currently live in the NYC area, so I loved the wonderful, clean, crisp air! Breathing that in alone made the trip worthwhile. My only suggestion: Please provide more aid stations along the way - especially in the last 8 miles or so, when we need them the most. I started hitting the wall just before mile 18, and was looking forward to the next aid station. Unfortunately, Mile 18 only had water. I needed more than that, at least Gatorade. The next aid station after that was just after mile 21 (more than 3 miles later) and by then I was about to fall over and was seriously doubting I would finish. When I finally reached the next aid station, I was thrilled that one of the volunteers was thoughtful enough to provide banana bread and M&Ms. I consumed as much of these as I could and I have no doubt that if this angel had not appeared just in the nick of time, I would not have been able to continue - let alone finish the marathon. So whoever you are, thank you! Bart Yasso from Runner's World Magazine was at the finish. As we ran across the finish line, he announced our names and hometowns, and had a little factoid about where we were from, which was a nice touch. Humpy's was terrific, definitely worth the trip from NJ. I highly recommend this marathon. P.s. After the race, I rented a car and visited Turnagain Arm, Denali, Mount McKinley, Talkeetna, Seward, Whittier, Homer... what a stunning state. I will be back next year. |
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