Races, clubs and meet-ups slated this year for Valley runners of all levels

Even as mid-spring snowfall continues across the region, community running groups, clubs and race organizers are prepping for the summer season and hoping Valley residents of all fitness levels come out to join them.

Founded in the late 1990s as a way to provide a local coached running group for Valley residents who were otherwise driving to Anchorage, the MatSu Running Club is getting ready to kick off its annual season later this month. With weekly track workouts aimed to be friendly to any runner, the club looks to be a way for members to both meet like-minded friends and get a good workout in, said coach and founder Rhonda Knopp.

“That was the goal: to include any ability, any age, and welcome everybody so you had a running community,” she said. “A mile is a mile whether you run it in six minutes or 16 minutes. We all need support.”

Today the nonprofit club, which costs $140 to join for the season, is coached by Knopp and her brother Norm Rousey. The duo recently retired from coaching cross country running at Colony High School and may currently be best known for co-leading a sweep of the top three spots at the state’s Division I boys cross country championship in October.

The club’s hour-long workouts are held at the Colony High track Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m starting April 18 and go through early August. Members can also attend organized Thursday evening trail runs. Anyone wanting to try the club can attend two sessions for free, Knopp said. A Juniors weekly running program also starts in June.

The club also hosts the annual Valley Thaw Out race series. With 5k, 10k and half-marathon distances, that road race will be held April 29 at Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm in Butte. More information on the club and the race can be found at MatSuRunningClub.org.

In Wasilla, officials with the nonprofit Get Moving Mat-Su are planning to hold weekly walk/run events Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m., starting and ending at Bearpaw River Brewing. First launched last year, the weekly gatherings leverage optional donations to raise money for a selected community assistance nonprofit while motivating participants to get in a little exercise, said organizer Kaitlyn McGilvray.

Each of the weekly Get Moving Mat-Su meet-ups include a raffle of donated prizes from local businesses and medals for participating kids, she said. Between 30 and 40 participants turn out for many of the summer runs, she said. The first weekly meet-up of the season will be May 17.

“It's fun to see moms pushing strollers,” she said. “We have a lot of people that literally have come every single time.”

This year the group will be passing on all donations to Beacon Hill, a foster care focused program. They also plan to organize several other events outside their weekly run, including a family-friend mud run at the Menard Center June 4. More information about the weekly runs and other events can be found on Getmovingmatsu.org.

Organized races in a wide variety of distances are also on the menu through Palmer-based Aktive Soles. With a new Wasilla location on Seward-Meridian Parkway and a focus on long distance trail options, the team will put on four events over summer and early fall plus a trail running camp for teens.

“I get the most excited about our backyard ultra,” said race director Heidi Quinn. “I just think it is a phenomenal way to get people of all abilities out to push themselves and to see how far they can go.”

The backyard ultra takes place on a 4.167 mile loop at Government Peak Recreation Area. Runners must complete the loop once every 60 minutes, and head back out on the trail at the top of each hour. The winner is the last runner standing.

Quinn and Aktive Soles are also planning a trailfest style event for the greenbelt system starting at Matanuska Lake in mid-September. WIth a variety of distances, including a 5k and a 50k, the race is designed to be friendly to all types of runners, she said. The company also continues to host its weekly Monday evening Happy Run in Palmer. More information can be found on Aktivesoles.com.