Bethel’s half marathon was scheduled for Saturday, June 24, rain or shine. As walkers started at 6 p.m., there was a sprinkling of rain, with mosquitos capable of keeping up with the pace.
“It's beautiful,” said Yosselyn Gheen as she walked with her daughter Iris. “We get to enjoy the scenery. We usually go skiing in Valdez or hiking.”
Gheen and her daughter Iris live in Valdez, but Gheen grew up in Bethel and they visit family here in the summers. Iris is walking in a new kuspuk that her sister just made for her that day at a kuspuk-making craft event. The mother and daughter have done a 5K before, but it’s their first half marathon together.
“This is what we have going on for tonight,” Gheen said. “And its gorgeous.”
By 8 p.m. the runners are getting ready. Brodie Kimmel is here from Nome to run the event.
“Yeah, with my dad,” Kimmel said.
“I did the last 14 years consecutive,” added Fred Broerman as he did stretches beside her.
Nearing a decade and a half, Broerman is the longest running participant in Bethel’s half-marathon, which has been going since 2002.
“So I haven't lived in Bethel for a number of years,” Kimmel said. “But I realized I haven't done this with my dad, and I do a lot of other runs, so we should make it happen.”
Broerman likes to run during the summer, but he’s not one for treadmills.
“I usually go from my house in Blueberry [Subdivision] all the way up to the tower and back,” Broerman said. “It's a favorite 5-mile run of mine.”
Runner Nick Endo arrived in Bethel a month ago to intern at the public defender's office. He’s done half marathons in Staten Island, New York and Washington D.C. This is one of the first events he’s attended in Bethel.
“Usually I go through phases where I run a lot and then phases where I don't run a lot,” Endo said.
Since getting to town, he’s been using the treadmill at the fitness center, but doesn’t feel quite prepared. But the easygoing vibe, with walkers, bikers, and relays, works to take the pressure off.
“This definitely seems like the most low key half marathon I've ever seen or been in,” said Endo. “So that's comforting.”
His hope? To run as much of the 13.1 miles as he could.
Plus, Endo said, “I would love a T-shirt.”
And he was in luck.
“Thank you to, we had an anonymous donation for T-shirts,” said Nate DeHann, who was overseeing the event. “So everyone that competes today, there will be a T-shirt for you at the end. I'm not gonna guarantee the size you want, but there will be T-shirts there for you.”
They counted down, and then the runners and bicyclist were off.
“The running conditions were pretty nice,” DeHann said after the event. “I did the first half. I did it as part of a relay team. So I did the first half of the course, which goes through the sandpit. And luckily, mosquitoes are not quick enough to keep up with runners.”
In total they had 12 runners, one biker, seven walkers, and two relay teams. They also had seven aid volunteers, with two stationed on Front Street wearing mosquito costumes. The top male runner, Chase Delong, came in at 153:50. The top female came in at 155:50.
“It was an international event this year,” said DeHann. ”Our women's champion was Elizabeth LaPointe, who was all the way from Montreal, Canada.”
DeHaan said that the event went smoothly. He was at the finish line passing out T-shirts. Endo said that he was excited about the shirt, and that he ran the first 10 miles before walking the last stretch to the finish line.
Even for those who finished later, the sun was still up. DeHaan confirmed that the event will be held again around the 2024 summer solstice.
