New race attracts familiar faces

PALMER — This weekend, Pioneer Peak finally got the attention of mountain runners looking for a new, potential annual race.

“It’s the iconic peak in the Mat-Su Valley, and we figured it was about time for a race up it,” co-director Matias Saari said.

Saari of Anchorage paired up with friend and fellow runner, Ben Marvin of Palmer, to host the inaugural Pioneer Ridge Climb at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Despite the mud, treacherous roots, some overgrown foliage and initial snow on the trail, the race drew 71 finishers from all over Alaska, led by Anchorage runners Brent Knight and Leslie Robbins.

“My two concerns were parking and weather,” Saari said, citing snowy sleet as an issue early that morning, as reported by Marvin.

Saari said the only reason they started the race at 11 instead of 9 a.m. was to give Anchorage residents more time to get to the race, and it was lucky they did. As far as the parking issue, the campground they had intended to use in addition to the very small lot at the start of the Pioneer Peak trail got flooded out. Fortunately, three of the race volunteers had vans to shuttle attendees from the pullout after the bridge on the Knik River to the race venue.

Knight, a familiar face at the annual Mount Marathon race and first-place finisher in the Climb this weekend, said he wasn’t planning to be competitive.

“The plan wasn’t actually to race. I figured I would at least hike it and enjoy the company, but as it started cooling down I started feeling good,” Knight said.

Knight’s low-key attitude was echoed by many of the racers, and conformed to the general feel of the event, which Saari described as “old school.” The race only cost $5 per entrant, compared with the typical $30-plus entry fees for races like the Government Peak Climb and the Robert Spurr Memorial Hill Climb at Bird Ridge. There was no pre-registration and no T-shirts were given at Pioneer Ridge, as is the case in other similar races. But for good company and some snacks at the bottom, runners found it worthwhile.

“I decided I was going to do it the morning of. I had never done the trail before so I wasn’t sure, but I thought it would be a nice hike-run,” said Alyson Kopsack, a soon to be a freshman at Colony High School.

But though it may have been a “hike-run” for many, Pioneer Peak is a force to be reckoned with. The elevation gain for the race came to 5,100 feet in 4.5 miles of trail that finished at the peak’s summit ridge.

“It’s not one to be underestimated. It’s pretty relentless,” Saari said.

Still, people just come out to have fun.

“This is what people do in their free time with their friends anyhow,” said longtime runner and second-place finisher Barney Griffith.

The Ridge Climb was not part of the Grand Prix series, which includes the races at Government Peak, Bird Ridge and Mount Marathon, but was sponsored by the Alaska Mountain Runners, along with Active Soles Performance Footwear in Palmer.

Pioneer Ridge Climb

Sunday, Palmer

Men’s individual results:

1) Brent Knight 1:15:04; 2) Barney Griffith 1:17:50; 3) Jonathan Harvey 1:21:08; 4) Luke Jager 1:21:31; 5) David Apperson 1:21:54; 6) Ian Moore 1:22:06; 7) Keegan Crow 1:26:27; 8) Dorian Gross 1:26:46; 9) John Weddleton 1:27:05; 10) Robert Whitney 1:28:34; 11) Lance Kopsack 1:31:45; 12) Alex Youngmun 1:32:13; 13) John Collins 1:35:12; 14) Scott Gage 1:35:22; 15) Conor Deal 1:36:29; 16) Michea Westbrook 1:37:18; 17) Ben Reynolds 1:37:50; 18) Storm Carl 1:38:54; 19) Mike Eder 1:41:01; 20) Keith Weinhold 1:48:57; 21) John Clark 1:49:28; 22) Bodhi Gross 1:49:40; 23) Ed Bennett 1:50:05; 24) Michael Connelly 1:50:11; 25) Micah Beckwith 1:52:15; 26) Sean Casey 1:52:39; 27) Tab Ballantine 1:53:33; 28) Dan Willman 1:54:58; 29) Cory Jones 1:55:09; 30) Brian Murphy 2:01:07; 31) David Retherford 2:02:00; 32) Robert Arnold 2:02:10; 33) Dane Crowley 2:02:40; 34) Lance Arnold 2:02:55; 35) Roman Gross 2:06:20; 36) Jose Gross 2:11:03; 37) Evan Steinhauser 2:13:19; 38) Tony Covarrubias 2:22:26; 39) Ali Papillon 2:26:38; 40) Alex Slivka 2:27:11; 41) Tim Conrad 2:33:11; 42) Martin Hansen 2:38:31; 43) Rob Gillam 2:38:43; 44) Matthew Kenney 2:52:11.

Women’s individual results:

1) Leslie Robbins 1:36:45; 2) Jen Jolliff 1:40:51; 3) Guerin Platte 1:46:49; 4) Jane Baldwin 1:47:46; 5) Claire Connelly 1:50:14; 6) Christine Bennett 1:50:53; 7) Trish Kopp 1:51:06; 8) Melanee Stiassny 1:51:11; 9) Alisa Kincaid 1:51:26; 10) Meghan Dooley 1:51:55; 11) Sara Falconer 1:53:00; 12) Tamra Kornfield 1:53:51; 13) Kimberly Riggs 1:54:34; 14) Susan Casey 1:54:54; 15) Annie Connelly 1:55:45; 16) Sarah Thomas 1:55:46; 17) Rachel Zafren 1:57:28; 18) Rachel Goldberger 2:01:11; 19) Jocelyn Kopsack 2:04:52; 20) Alyson Kopsack 2:05:08; 21) Tatjana Spaic 2:05:09; 22) Shawn McTaggert 2:09:48; 23) Kayla Rowe 2:20:30; 24) Elle Arnold 2:20:30; 25) Ingrid Gavalya 2:37:46; 26) Gwyneth Gavalya 2:38:05; 27) Leslie Dickson 3:02:45.