In the Frank Maier Marathon and Douglas Island Half Marathon, success means simply making it to the finish line.
“It’s just hard to convince your body to keep moving,” Chelsea McKenzie said of the last four miles of the 26.2-mile race.
Two hundred and thirty-eight people came out Saturday morning for the race that starts at Savikko Park and runs the length of Douglas Island and back.
McKenzie took second in the women’s open and third overall, finishing the race just 15 minutes behind her friend and running partner Hilary Young, who took the women’s open trophy with her 3-hour, 1-minute time.
Young and McKenzie’s times were impressive, with Young clocking in just three minutes behind Dugan Greenwell, the overall winner and only competitor to finish in less than three hours.
In an impressive feat, Seattle’s Jon Gissberg ran the whole way in nothing but his impressive feet. Gissberg ran barefoot for 26 miles, clocking in at 6:20:47, good enough for 12th place in the men’s over-60 category.
“My feet are real tough, so I don’t get blisters. They’re in a lot better shape than many people with shoes,” Gissberg said.
Gissberg lived in Juneau for many years and was a “marathon friend” of the eponymous Frank Maier. He toughened his feet as a young ski racer in Juneau, preparing himself for tough ‘60s-era leather ski boots by running up Perseverance Trail barefoot with his friends until one of them quit. Gissberg says it’s now just more comfortable for him to run barefoot.
Gissberg said he thinks of his friend Maier “on every mile of the race.”
Marathon
(26.2 miles)
Overall top 20
1. Dugan Greenwell, M, 02:58:01, Juneau, AK
2. Hilary Young, F, 03:01:00, Juneau, AK
3. Chelsea McKenzie, F, 03:22:07, Juneau, AK
4. Caleb Gardner, M, 03:22:36, Tasmania, Australia
5. Lowell Fair, M, 03:26:45, Juneau, AK
6. Edward Andrews, M, 03:29:26, Carlisle, MA
7. Joel Phair, M, 03:31:36, Albany, OR
8. Greg Bledsoe, M, 03:31:55, Juneau, AK
9. Cynthia Perkins, F, 03:37:19, Oak Brook, IL
10. Fletcher Sewall, M, 03:39:14, Juneau, AK
11. Martha Jaworski, F, 03:41:52, Boise, ID
12. Andrea Kovach, F, 03:43:21, Naperville, IL
13. Tom Deakins, M, 03:47:49, Anchorage, AK
14. Kate Glover, F, 03:51:31, Juneau, AK
15. Scott Swanberg, M, 03:51:39, New York, NY
16. David Holmen, M, 03:53:22, Eagan, MN
17. Todd Boynton, M, 03:54:55, Aniak, AK
18. Thomas Perri, M, 03:56:12, Maple Grove, MN
19. Jean Jackson, F, 03:57:51, Klawock, AK
20. Jason Amundson, M, 03:59:16, Juneau, AK
Women’s open top 10
1. Hilary Young, 03:01:00, Juneau, AK
2. Chelsea McKenzie, 03:22:07, Juneau, AK
3. Kate Glover, 03:51:31, Juneau, AK
4. Reeve Kennedy, 04:23:05, Durham, NH
5. Krissy Lanyi, 04:40:00, Juneau, AK
6. Leslie Mueca, 04:40:02, Juneau, AK
7. Sonja Campos, 04:53:37, Juneau, AK
8. Kathryn Stewart, 04:57:33, Benbrook,TX
9. Jenny Brower, 05:04:07 Taneytown, MD
10 Kerstin Kimlinger-McAdoo, 05:24:01, Juneau, AK
Half Marathon
Overall top 20
1. Hiram Henry, M, 01:21:15, Juneau, AK
2. Scott Watts, M, 01:26:48 Auke Bay, AK
3. Tyler Gress, M, 01:29:19 Juneau, AK
4. David Phillips, M, 01:34:52, Douglas, AK
5. Jim Ustasiewski, M, 01:37:47, Douglas, AK
6. Ed Hand, M, 01:38:50, Juneau, AK
7. Suzanne McGee, F, 01:39:36, Douglas, AK
8. Eric Carter, M, 01:39:42, Juneau, AK
9. Philip Richards, M, 01:42:28, Juneau, AK
10. Jonathan Morford, M, 01:43:59, Juneau, AK
11. Ben Scudder, M, 01:44:41, Juneau, AK
12. Andy Romanoff, M, 01:44:54, Juneau, AK
13. Rich Sjoroos, M, 01:45:06, Juneau, AK
14. Glenn Haight, M, 01:45:07, Juneau, AK
15, Daren Booton, M, 01:45:11, Juneau, AK
16. Ray Howard, M, 01:45:40, Juneau, AK
17. Julia Mesdag, F, 01:46:08, Juneau, AK
18. Megan Costello, F, 01:46:43, Douglas, AK
19. James Beedle, M, 01:47:36, Juneau, AK
20. Karlynn Welling, F, 01:47:41, Juneau, AK
Women’s open top 10
1. Julia Mesdagw, 01:46:08, Juneau, AK
2. Megan Costello, 01:46:43, Douglas, AK
3. Sarah Brister , 01:52:46, Juneau, AK
4. Theresa Soley, 01:54:32, Juneau, AK
5. Claire Imamura, 01:56:15, Juneau, AK
6. Jenna Wiersma, 01:56:32, Juneau, AK
7. Heather Engstad, 01:57:21, Duluth, MN
8. Emy Ribao, 01:57:39 Juneau, AK
9. Amber Tingey, 01:59:12, Juneau, AK
10. Karissa Jackson, 02:01:57, Juneau, AK
• Contact reporter Kevin Gullufsen at kevin.gullufsen@juneauempire.com or call (907) 523-2228.
Richard DeCample receives a high five from a runner during the Frank Maier Marathon.
Leslie Mueca rounds a cone marking the halfway point of the Frank Maier Marathon.
Cynthia Perkins climbs a hill near the halfway point of the Frank Maier Marathon on Saturday. Perkins was the fastest woman in the masters division.
