Palmer woman shatters Government Peak race record

GOVERNMENT PEAK — Palmer runner Christy Marvin is back on top of the Government Peak Climb leaderboard.

After summiting the 3,500-foot-tall peak on a hot and dusty Saturday afternoon, Marvin smiled with the knowledge that she had broken the women’s race record once again, taking back the title from former record holder Najeeby Quinn. Marvin crushed Quinn’s 2015 record finish time of 52 minutes, 21 seconds by almost two minutes, clocking a 50:36 finish this year.

“It feels good,” Marvin said at the peak on Saturday. “I thought I was fit enough to go under (the record), and it is always nice when the race plays out how you hope.”

While descending the mountain to encourage her oldest son, Coby, in his first solo race up the peak, Marvin said more training opportunities have been yielding faster times for many racers.

“The mountains have been clearing out earlier in the year so we’re able to train more before the early races,” she said.

Marvin said she’s hoping the extra training will allow her to not only have a good performance at the Bird Ridge run on June 19, but also see her “best race yet” at Mount Marathon on July 4.

The 35-year-old woman has conquered the internationally famous Seward race three times and won once, in 2013, but has yet to experience a good ascent and descent in the same race.

“I haven’t had a race yet where I’ve been able to pull it all together,” she said.

Marvin said she’s also hoping for a record finish in the 22.5-mile Crow Pass Crossing on July 23.

“Two years ago I was 20 seconds off the record, and I really feel capable of closing that gap,” she said.

Quinn was runner up to Marvin on Saturday with a time of 55:28, followed by Anchorage’s Penelope Ann Spencer at 56:37. Eagle River’s Sheryl Loan and Seward’s Denali (Foldager) Strabel rounded out the top 5.

On the men’s side of things on Saturday, University of Alaska Fairbanks student-athlete Alexander Eckert took the title with a time of 44:58, about a minute and a half off the record set by Jim Shine in last year’s race (43:28).

Eckert — who won the Crazy Lazy Race on March 26 and finished fourth in Kal’s Knoya Ridge Run on May 26 — said he didn’t go into the Government Peak Climb with a time goal, “just for the win.”

He said he was glad to get in a few mountain races before heading home to Germany on Tuesday.

“After this semester I wanted to just stay in Alaska a little bit longer and have fun with my friends,” Eckert said.

One of those friends was fellow UAF runner and Colony High School graduate Lyon Kopsack, who finished 10th in the men’s race, 11th overall (behind Marvin).

Second to Eckert was South Anchorage High School student Hamish Wolfe at 47:15, followed by three-time Mount Marathon champion Eric Strabel about a minute later. Palmer High graduate and Chugiak High School cross country coach Cody Priest and Anchorage’s Ben Ward rounded out the top 5.

Priest said the Government Peak race was “tough” and the weather a little hotter than he preferred, but that he finished a place higher than last year.

“I was happy,” he said.

More than 170 runners finished the race on Saturday.

For more information about other races in the Alaska Mountain Runners’ Grand Prix series, visit www.alaskamountainrunners.org.

Contact reporter Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.

Government Peak Climb

Saturday, Palmer

Women’s individual results:

1. C. Marvin, 50:36; 2. N. Quinn, 55:38; 3. P. Spencer, 56:37; 4. S. Loan, 56:53; 5. D. Strabel, 59:25; 6. L. Falley, 1:01:07; 7. C. Cook, 1:01:33; 8. S. McTaggart, 1:02:07; 9. A. McAnly, 1:03:16; 10. C. Haupert, 1:04:17; 11. P. Westbrook, 1:04:49; 12. W. Sailors, 1:06:12; 13. A. McDonough, 1:07:53; 14. T. Kopp, 1:08:32; 15. A. Connelly, 1:08:59; 16. A. Kopsack, 1:09:10; 17. J. Baldwin, 1:09:31; 18. C. Powers, 1:10:08; 19. L. Spinelli, 1:10:51; 20. K. Houser, 1:10:55; 21. M. Barnwell, 1:11:01; 22. H. Moon, 1:11:15; 23. L. Varys, 1:11:15; 24. C. Koso, 1:11:42; 25. T. Houser, 1:11:55; 26. L. Legate, 1:12:44; 27. H. Booher, 1:12:52; 28. L. Flynn, 1:14:08; 29. B. Virgin, 1:14:54; 30. M. Richards, 1:15:00; 31. K. Konrath, 1:15:24; 32. M. Stiassny, 1:16:38; 33. T. Spaic, 1:17:55; 34. A. DeSchweinitz, 1:18:18; 35. W. Andersen, 1:19:32; 36. K. Sind, 1:20:05; 37. L. McNaughton, 1:20:43; 38. S. Johnson, 1:21:06; 39. A. Steer, 1:21:15; 40. J. Block, 1:21:51; 41. K. Looney, 1:23:22; 42. J. Boer, 1:26:07; 43. M. Dickson, 1:26:16; 44. A. Agee, 1:26:44; 45. J. Baker, 1:26:59; 46. K. Jacobsen, 1:28:01; 47. L. Rao, 1:28:18; 48. C. Battah, 1:29:42; 49. S. Kennedy, 1:30:11; 50. B. Werner, 1:31:23; 51. R. McKenzie, 1:34:25; 52. K. Deering, 1:38:07; 53. I. Zink, 1:39:09; 54. A. Zink, 1:40:51; 55. I. Watsjold, 1:41:50; 56. S. Lee, 1:46:58; 57. M. Kemppel, 2:26:35.

Men’s individual results:

1. A. Eckert, 44:58; 2. H. Wolfe, 47:15; 3. E. Strabel, 48:11; 4. C. Priest, 48:16; 5. B. Ward, 48:27; 6. L. Jager, 48:55; 7. J. Ross, 49:53; 8. M. Monterusso, 50:18; 9. W. Stoll, 50:52; 10. L. Kopsack, 51:29; 11. A. Alonso, 51:31; 12. R. Johanson, 51:42; 13. B. Griffeth, 51:55; 14. C. Taylor, 52:37; 15. A. Stavich, 54:24; 16. L. Cvancara, 54:35; 17. N. Herz, 54:52; 18. P. Brewer, 55:17; 19. P. Wolfe, 55:18; 20. D. Spencer, 55:40; 21. C. Kirk, 55:46; 22. B. Rinner, 55:50; 23. N. Normandin, 55:48; 24. R. Ring-Jarvi, 56:58; 25. G. Block, 57:41; 26. D. Apperson, 57:47; 27. B. Benter, 57:51 28. A. Dickson, 57:53; 29. M. Brady, 58:20; 30. Z. McMullen, 58:51; 31. A. Papillon, 58:56; 32. D. Brokaw, 59:15; 33. L. Rosier, 59:19; 34. C. Smith, 59:25; 35. T. Slatonbarker, 59:40; 36. K. Crow, 1:00:02; 37. J. Levin, 1:00:09; 38. J. Mullen, 1:01:17; 39. B. Bross, 1:01:25; 40. J. Weddleton, 1:01:27; 41. D. Gross, 1:01:35; 42. P. McEananey, 1:02:02; 43. F. Nakada, 1:02:10; 44. E. Cason, 1:02:30; 45. M. Szweda, 1:02:34; 46. J. Kincaid, 1:02:40; 47. J. Hlasny, 1:02:43; 48. A. Meyerhofer, 1:02:42; 49. J. Mitchell, 1:02:49; 50. J. McDonough, 1:03:21; 51. S. Gilles, 1:03:23; 52. L. Kopsack, 1:03:25; 53. M. Quimby, 1:03:31; 54. R. Bandy, 1:04:41; 55. M. Connelly, 1:04:44; 56. D. Nottingham, 1:04:49; 57. S. Deering, 1:05:15; 58. D. Virgin, 1:05:17; 59. K. Legate, 1:05:25; 60. R. Gross, 1:06:02; 61. K. Meyers, 1:06:46; 62. T. Hovden, 1:06:53; 63. B. Benko, 1:07:42; 64. R. Hansen, 1:08:20; 65. J. Weaver, 1:08:50; 66. M. Waliszek, 1:09:21; 67. D. Rebischke, 1:09:32; 68. T. Harrington, 1:09:32; 69. J. Clark, 1:10:33; 70. S. Hull, 1:10:56; 71. J. Naylor, 1:11:10; 72. C. Marvin, 1:11:21; 73. S. Mayer, 1:11:34; 74. M. Kolendo, 1:12:04; 75. W. Van Sickle, 1:12:12; 77. J. Mardambek, 1:12:39; 78. B. Stoecker, 1:12:40; 79. K. Carpenter, 1:13:09; 80. L. Arnold, 1:13:33; 81. A. Kay, 1:13:41; 82. T. Paprocki, 1:13:49; 83. P. Hlasny, 1:14:10; 84. S. Jones, 1:14:13; 85. J. Davis, 1:14:24; 86. J. Jaminet, 1:14:29; 87 J. Williams, 1:14:48; 88. T. Nenahlo, 1:15:46; 89. J. Hughes, 1:16:17; 90. M. Westbrook, 1:16:21; 91. M. Hansen, 1:17:42; 92. R. Ring-Jarvi, 1:17:47; 93. D. Ruzicka, 1:17:51; 94. D. Crowley, 1:18:20; 95. E. Stromberg, 1:18:39; 96. A. Hsieh, 1:18:59; 97. D. Willman, 1:19:12; 98. A. Christie, 1:19:19; 99 M. Lindeke, 1:19:35; 100. B. Spencer, 1:20:00; 101. C. Posthumus, 1:20:37; 102. T. Collins, 1:20:46; 103. T. Ballantine, 1:21:06; 104. B. English, 1:21:10; 105. R. Kemppel, 1:21:36; 106. M. Jacobsen, 1:22:12; 107. K. Cook, 1:22:56; 108. K. Burnett, 1:23:06; 109. A. Slivka, 1:23:56; 110. J. Walling, 1:25:25; 111. J. Miller, 1:26:04; 112. C. Burnett, 1:26:24; 113. P. McAnally, 1:27:11; 114. C. Bowman, 1:27:43; 115. E. Steinhauser, 1:27:56; 116. T. Himsworth, 1:28:55; 117. E. Perry, 1:28:56; 118. S. McKeever, 1:28:56; 119. T. Surprenant, 1:29:40; 120. D. Dickson, 1:31:15; 121. B. Lee, 1:31:16; 122. J. Lee, 1:31:23; 123. J. Kern, 1:31:29; 124. E. Strabel, 1:32:52; 125. K. Heck, 1:33:46; 126. P. Dedych, 1:35:16; 127. B. Williams, 1:38:01; 128. S. Jordan, 1:40:29; 129. K. Taylor, 1:44:00; 130. M. Hansen, 1:45:03; 131. M. Chard, 1:48:05; 132. M. Knight, 1:51:10.