Anchorage Running Club Board of Directors Election 2026 Candidate Biographies (Alphabetic Order)

Melanie A. Clark – Incumbent

I’m excited to continue serving on the ARC Board and help shape what’s next for our running community.

I’ve been part of Anchorage’s running scene for more than a decade—as a volunteer, participant, former ARC Treasurer and Vice President, and now Race Director for the Anchorage RunFest and the Trent Waldron Half Marathon & 10K. Running has given me so much, and I’m committed to making sure ARC continues to grow, evolve, and serve runners at every level.

From volunteering at races and clinics to coaching Girls on the Run, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful this community can be. As Alaska’s State Representative for the RRCA, I also helped Anchorage earn its 2025 Runner Friendly Community designation—proof that what we’re building here matters.

Looking ahead, my focus is simple: grow membership, support volunteers, develop future leaders, and keep ARC strong, welcoming, and sustainable.

I’d be honored to continue the work.

Dawn Hanson - Incumbent

I am running for the Board of Directors of the Anchorage Running Club. I was raised in Duluth, Minnesota and relocated to Anchorage on 28 September 1991 when the Air Force assigned me to Elmendorf AFB. Six years later, when I received orders to Maxwell AFB, AL, I transferred to the Alaska Air National Guard, to remain in Alaska, retiring from the military in October of 2006.

I joined the running community in 1999 and have participated in hundreds of events from 5K runs to Marathons including: Humpy’s, Grandma’s, and the Flying Pig, just to name a few.

I have served on the board of the Anchorage Running Club since December 2011, am the current President, race director for Boondocks Breakaway, Snow Globe, and have been on the RunFest Race Committee for many years.

Nancy Meade - Incumbent

I have lived in Anchorage for 36 years, and we raised our two active children here. Our entire family has spent many hours running on the municipal bike trails, shoulders of roads, and in countless races of all different distances over the past decades. I have participated in running races from the marathon to 5Ks, and have completed the Ironman (Arizona) and seven half-Ironman distance races.

I now have more time to give back to the community, and would be pleased to be able to continue to serve on the Board of the Anchorage Running Club. I've been an attorney for 36 years, most recently serving as the General Counsel for the Alaska Court System. I do reside in Juneau from mid-January through mid-May (I work there during the state's legislative session, and would be able to participate in meetings remotely but not in-person), but otherwise have time to help with everything from writing tasks that the Board may need, to race setup and cleanup, as well as the many other organizational issues that are needed for sponsoring running races.