49th Equinox Marathon begins and ends on campus

September 26, 2011

Marmian Grimes

Participants in the Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011, running of the 49th Equinox Marathon started the race by scaling the hill that overlooks Beluga Field on campus.

The Equinox Marathon has started and ended on the UAF campus since it began in 1963. Jim Mahaffey, hired in 1962 as ski coach, and one of his team members, Nat Goodhue, organized and cleared the trail for the first Equinox in the spring and summer of 1963. Goodhue, who as a Trail Planner would later make major contributions to trails throughout Alaska and Vermont, won the race in just under four hours.

More history of the UAF trails sytem is online.