Stinky Rats find burritos at Seacoast Relay

With fans cheering and dogs barking, the last runner for the Stinky Rats — Jason Norat — crossed the finish line of the Seacoast Relay at the Eagle Beach State Park outer beach picnic shelter in a team winning time of two hours 16 minutes and 59 seconds over the combined five-leg course of 21.7 miles.

“It’s fun because our whole crew literally got to race it,” Norat, 29, said. “Which is, like, we all kind of do some overlapping sports but this one was perfect because no matter what leg and distance you wanted to do, you could do it with the crew. And the beer and burritos afterwards…and Stink Rat stitches. That’s why we are all wearing the fleece stuff. Got to rep it out.”

The “crew” skis at Eaglecrest together. That is where they met over the years and all decided to stay in Juneau.

“We are just a group of friends,” Norat said. “Everyone moved here from all over, over the years. So it’s a hodgepodge of people, just a happy family.”

Norat is from Wilmington, Delaware, and moved to Juneau in December.

Sean Griffin, 27, originally from Granby, Connecticut, has lived in Juneau for five years.

Brady McDonell, 26, came to Juneau in 2022 from Bellingham, Washington, and added, “I’m five 11 and a half, 172…”

Sam Fernandez, 26, came from Rock Island, Illinois, a little over five years ago.

Stinky Rats team captain Kristen Strom, 28, came from Bend, Oregon, three years ago. She said the key to the relay was, “The all-fleece matching outfits help, having a stoked team, as many dogs as there are humans…It is just a good relay to get all the friends out, whether they are beginners or advanced runners. It is just super fun and, of course, for the burritos!”

The team was supported by canines Franklin, Kenai and Minto and canine — and people — handler Jean Larson-Rein, 26, who moved from Girdwood, Alaska, five years ago.

Each member of the winning team received a bottle of hot sauce from Barnacle Foods, which also donated a jar of kelp pickles for the Red Lantern finishing team, and salsa and hot sauce for the burrito bar. Heritage Coffee donated a pop box of coffee for the chilly finishers at the burrito bar as well.

“We were delighted with the turnout this year,” race co-director Heather Parker said. “Thirteen teams braved the chilly conditions and were rewarded with a beautiful course and scenic picnic spot to enjoy burritos at the end. We appreciate the volunteers for helping out and the donations from Heritage and Barnacle Foods.”

The first runner to finish — teams started in one of two waves depending on estimated time — was Justin Sleppy of team Snow Doubt in 2:36:45 for second place overall.

“I haven’t been back home to Juneau in a very long time,” Sleppy, 26, said. “My friend Ricky reached out to me and I thought, ‘Oh, this is the perfect opportunity to enjoy some Juneau running.’ So yeah, that’s why I’m here today. I’ve always loved running and I will for a very long time…I didn’t see any animals out there, but it was pretty cool getting to be in a race again, having people cheering you know, several groups passing by and cars passing by cheering. That was really fun, really exhilarating. I missed that.”

Snow Doubt included Ricardo Worl, 26, Trinity Jackson, 20, Finley Hightower, 17, and Lauren Tanel, 25.

Tanel ran the team’s first leg from the University of Alaska Southeast campus’ Egan Library around Auke Lake and back along Mendenhall Loop Road.

“It was nice out,” she said. “This was so cute, coming into the finish everyone was cheering so loud. There are so many people this year. It was awesome.”

The first leg was 2.8 miles, the second leg to the Auke Village recreation area 3.8 miles, the third leg to Lena Beach picnic area 3.5 miles, the fourth leg to just past the Shrine of St. Therese six miles and the fifth leg to Eagle Beach 5.6 miles.

David Fure, 30, of the Dimond Dogs ran the first three legs for his team.

“I didn’t know about it until Friday, I was at the Devil’s Club Run Club and someone was telling me about it and I thought that sounds fun. And I texted Hank and Sophie the next morning, and they were down to do it so here we are. We all work at the Dimond Courthouse so we’re the Dimond Dogs.”

Teammates Hank Shell, 35 and Sophie Staires, 36, ran the last two legs together.

“They wanted to run the last two legs together,” Fure said. “They are both training and wanted to get at least a 10-mile run in today, and so did I so I did the first three and they are doing the last two together. Sophie is training for the half marathon (Juneau) in July and Hank is pretending like he is not training for the 50k (Nifty Fifty) but secretly in his heart I think he is. I would love to do the marathon in July and the 50k in August, but I have not been formally training. Maybe I will start.”

The duo finished with an eighth-place time of 3:03:16.

Infants were at some relay handoffs, sometimes not visible, especially in team Babes With Babies.

“I’m not one of the babies, I’m one of the babes,” team member Zane Jones, 43, said in jest as he waited for his leg two runner to reach the Auke Rec handoff point. “We have done the race in the past and it is just a fun race and we wanted to not let the moss grow on us…The babies are all sleeping in the cars right now.”

The team included Casey Hampton, 36, Ashlynn Antoni, 39, and Madeline Kombrink (age not given) and Britt Tonnessen, 42, who crossed the finish with the team’s 3:12:08 10th-place time.

For the most part, fans also participated in some form, with drivers honking car horns and cheers of encouragement. Toddlers explored the surrounding route until their favorite runner approached.

True to their name, The Stragglers, were a late Saturday entry before the deadline.

“Well, Eric (Antrim) needed a team,” Therese Pokorney, 26, said. “And so I had emailed Heather asking if anyone wanted to run that doesn’t have a team and she said Eric and I convinced him to do it. And we finally signed up last night.”

Antrim, 52, crossed the finish at 2:55:19 and The Stragglers, including Tim Mikulski, 26, placed sixth overall.

Finishing times were 1. Stinky Rats – Norat crossing for team in 2:16:59 (Griffin, McDonell, Fernandez, Strom); 2. Snow Doubt – Sleppy crossing in 2:36:15 (Worl, Jackson, Hightower, Tanel); 3. Mauve Dolphin Return of the Jesse – Jesse Stringer, 42, crossing in 2:41:19 (Carl Brodersen, 40, Heidi Brodersen, 36, Keri McEntee, 36, Justin Dorn, 42); 4. Running for the Burritos – Olivia Glassock, 32, crossing in 2:44:23 (Paul Strickler, 31); 5. Between a Walk and a Hard Pace – Ian Novak, 24, crossing in 2:47:57 (Julia Miracle, 23); 6. The Stragglers – Antrim, 52, crossing 2:55:19 (Pokorney, Mikulski); 7. The Three Marmoteers – Danielle Dunivin, 35, crossing in 2:56:58 (Becky Bohrer, 47, Christy Gentemann, 36); 8. Dimond Dogs – Staires crossing in 3:03:16 (Fure, Shell); 9. JACKD – April Rezendes, 40, crossing in 3:07:03 (Claire Geldhof, 36, Jim Grammel, 61, Kim Campbell, 47, Dan Robinson, 57); 10. Babes With Babies – Tonnessen crossing in 3:12:08 (Jones, Hampton, Antoni, Kombrink); 11. Sole Sisters – Samantha Blommer, 36, crossing in 3:18:09 (Julia Mesdag, 42, Sara Race, 40, Meg Buck, 40, Lacey Sanders, 42); 12. Four Moms, One Dad – Hanna Davis, 34, crossing in 3:19:49 (Magy Elliott, 33, Cecile Elliott, 60, SaraBeth Vandor, 33, Michael Studt, 43); 13. Cirque De Sore Legs – Bryn Fluharty, 42, crossing in 3:33:35 (Christina Schulte-Pereyra, 34, Rachel Smith, 35, Karinne Wiebold, 47).

• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.