2017 Crow Pass Crossing suspended

WASILLA — Less than a week after a 16-year-old Anchorage runner was attacked by a black bear and killed while competing in the Robert Spurr Memorial Hill Climb at Bird Ridge, another popular mountain running event has been suspended this season.

UAA associate athletics director Micheal Friess announced Friday that the Crow Pass Crossing will not go on as scheduled. The annual 24-mile mountain race across Crow Pass from Girdwood to Eagle River, originally scheduled for July 22, has been suspended for 2017.

“This one-year pause will help ensure we can add the resources necessary to respond swiftly to incidents on the trail,” Friess said in a press release issued by the university, which has hosted the event for three decades. “We have always gone above and beyond to ensure that participating athletes are qualified and that they understand and embrace the risks associated with the race.”

Patrick Cooper, of Anchorage, was mauled by a black bear while competing in the junior race at Bird Ridge on June 18.

According to UAA’s release, event organizers will meet with members of the mountain-running community and wildlife experts to help coordinate future plans for the race.

Those who have already registered for the 2017 race either receive a refund or donate their registration fee to the Eagle River Nature Center and Healthy Futures, in honor of Cooper.