Big Wild Life Runs--Sunday, August 15, 2010
Big Wild Life Runs Marathon/Half Marathon Start (photo by Jane Halko)
Race results will be posted at J-Chip USA. Take me to J-Chip.
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2010 Big Wild Life Runs: Bigger, Faster, Better.
Anchorage, Alaska - August 13, 2010 -- Over 2000 runners will take to the streets of Anchorage on Sunday morning for the 5th annual Big Wild Life Runs (BWLR), formally the Humpy's Marathon. The event offers four events; the Humpy's Marathon, Skinny Raven Half Marathon, Snow City Café 5K and the Children's Hospital at Providence Kid's Fun Run.
This year's event is shaping up to be the best yet. 2010 brings some exciting changes to the BWLR races courses. All races will still start and finish in the heart of downtown Anchorage, but for a change of pace, marathon and half-marathon runners will wind through the streets of downtown before heading out on the scenic Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. 5K participants will take in all the city sights and sounds as they run their entire race downtown. With zero elevations gain, this could be the fastest 5K in Anchorage. Not only is this new course a bit more runner-friendly, its more fun, interesting and convenient for race fans.
BWLR has become a destination race for running vacations with about 30 percent of the participants traveling to Anchorage from all over the United States. Anchorage welcomes 48 Fifty Staters. These tough athletes share the common goal of finishing a marathon in each of the fifty states. Ron Westbury of Conyers, Georgia will finish his 50th state and 100th marathon at the BWLR in Anchorage.
The 2010 BWLR is pleased to welcome two running celebrities to Anchorage. Former Olympian and running legend Jeff Galloway will hold a running clinic on Saturday, August 14 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Providence Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center. Galloway has written and produced several running books, manuals and DVDs. He pioneered the run-walk-run method and has opened up doors for thousands of runners with his methods that reduce pain and injury to almost zero. Galloway will also compete in the marathon event on Sunday. Bart Yasso, author of "My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon" and Chief Running Officer at Runner's World Magazine will great and announce race participants at the finish line. Yasso attended to 2009 BWLR and the race committee is excited to welcome him back as a part of the 2010 event.
The BWLR is presented by the Anchorage Running Club and is the largest fundraiser for the club's scholarship program, which awards three high school runners with significant academic achievement with $1500 scholarships. For more information about the program and last year's recipients visit: http://www.anchoragerunningclub.org/scholarships2010.html
