Anchorage RunFest Marathon Half Marathon & Relay

All of the races in the event start at Humpy’s Ale House on 6th Avenue, near the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, in downtown Anchorage. The marathon, half marathon and relay events all follow the same course for the first few miles; those running the half marathon follow H Street through a few city blocks before turning left onto 2nd Avenue, which they follow until it meets up with the trail head of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Once on the trail, runners follow it as it winds along the channel waterfront toward Westchester Lagoon. The half marathon route then heads off the road onto the Chester Creek Trail, following it through the city all the way into the forested East Chester Park and Goose Lake Park, as the tree-lined trail takes them to the turnaround point and turns the runners back through the park, making their way through the hilliest section of the race around the mid-point and the turnaround. After heading back out along the Chester Creek Trail toward the coast again, those running the half marathon meet up again with the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and head northward back toward the finish line at the ale house, hitting some of the only significant hills of the 13.1-mile course along this final stretch of the race.