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The Tour of Anchorage is a point-to-point cross-country ski race held annually on the first Sunday in March in Anchorage, Alaska. Established in 1989, it is part of the American Ski Marathon Series.
The race includes three distances of 50 km, 40km, and 25km, each with a freestyle and classic option. The 50km and 40 km races begin at Service High School, while the 25 km race begins at Alaska Pacific University. All races end in the stadium at Kincaid Park, except in 2021, Kincaid Stadium.
Strict measures were undertaken in 2021, such as athletes to wear masks & social distancing from others.
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Alaska is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. It borders the Canadian province of British Columbia and the Yukon territory to the east; it shares a western maritime border in the Bering Strait with Russia's Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean lie to the north and the Pacific Ocean lies to the south. Technically a semi-exclave of the U.S., it is the largest exclave in the world.
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as The Iditarod, is an annual long-distance sled dog race held in Alaska in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome. Mushers and a team of between 12 and 16 dogs, of which at least 5 must be on the towline at the finish line, cover the distance in 8–15 days or more. The Iditarod began in 1973 as an event to test the best sled dog mushers and teams but evolved into today's highly competitive race.
Girdwood is a resort town within the southern extent of the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located near the end of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, Girdwood lies in a valley in the southwestern Chugach Mountains, surrounded by seven glaciers feeding into a number of creeks, which either converge within the valley or empty directly into the arm. Girdwood is typically accessed by the Seward Highway, with the main line of the Alaska Railroad paralleling the highway. By road distance, most of the community lies within 35 to 40 miles of Downtown Anchorage. The 2019 American Community Survey estimates a population of 1,742 in the valley.
Jeff King is an American musher and sled dog racer. He is generally credited with introducing the sit-down sled which has largely replaced the standing sled traditionally used by distance mushers.
Ramy "Ray" Brooks is an Alaska Native kennel owner and operator, motivational speaker, and dog musher who specializes in long-distance races. He is a two-time runner up in the 1,049+ mi Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across the U.S. state of Alaska, and a former winner of the 1,000 mi (1,600 km) Yukon Quest dog sled race across both Canada and the U.S.
Kikkan Randall is an American Olympic champion cross-country skier. She has won 17 U.S. National titles, made 29 podiums on the World Cup, made five trips to the Winter Olympic Games and had the highest finish by an individual American woman at the World Championships, second in the Sprint in Liberec in 2009. She was the first American female cross-country skier to take a top ten finish in World Cup competition, to win a World Cup race and to win a World Cup discipline title. She won the silver medal in the individual sprint at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, becoming the first American woman to win a medal in cross country skiing at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and in 2013 teamed up with Jessie Diggins to win the first ever American FIS Nordic World Ski Championships gold medal in the team sprint. She and Diggins won the United States' first ever cross-country skiing gold medal at the Winter Olympics in women's team sprint at Pyeongchang in 2018.
Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population, and has more people than all of Northern Canada and Greenland combined. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Matanuska-Susitna Borough, had a population of 398,328 in 2020, accounting for more than half the state's population. At 1,706 sq mi (4,420 km2) of land area, the city is the fourth-largest by area in the U.S.
Kincaid Park is a 1,516.78-acre (6.1382 km2) municipal park in Anchorage, Alaska, located at 9401 W. Raspberry Road. The park is bounded on the south by Turnagain Arm, on the west by Knik Arm, and on the north by Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Noted for Nordic skiing trails, in snowless months the park is frequented by runners, bikers, hikers, archers, dog-trainers, motocross users, disc golfers, soccer teams, and rollerskiers. Other winter activities include snowshoeing, sledding and biathlon. The park was created in 1978 and later expanded to include the location of a deactivated former Nike missile site. The park continues to evolve with changing demands of local residents. In 2009, a full 18 "hole" disc golf course that meanders through the wooded Mize Loop area was completed. In 2010, several new soccer fields were completed and open for use in the area near the chalet. In 2012, a single artificial turf soccer field with stadium seating was completed just south of the park's headquarters building, Kincaid Chalet. Cook Inlet, Fire Island with its wind turbines, and Mount Susitna are visible from most hilltops in the park. On a clear day, Denali can also be seen from the park.
Point Woronzof Park is a municipal park in Anchorage, Alaska known for its views of Denali. The park is excellent for backcountry skiing or snowshoeing in the winter, and biking or running in the summer.
The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is an 11-mile-long (18 km) trail along the coast of Anchorage, Alaska designated for non-motorized use. The trail runs from Second Avenue in downtown Anchorage and finishes in Kincaid Park. The trail is entirely paved, supports two-way traffic, and connects with the Chester Creek Trail. Point Woronzof Park borders the coastal trail to the east for about a mile, starting at about mile 5.0. In the summer the trail is used extensively by walkers, runners, rollerbladers, and cyclists. In the winter, the trail is used primarily for cross country skiing and also skijoring. The trail is a portion of the annual Tour of Anchorage cross country ski marathon. The trail's namesake is the former Anchorage mayor and Alaska governor.
James Southam is an American cross-country skier who has competed since 1998. His best individual World Cup finish was 22nd in a 15 km + 15 km double pursuit event at Whistler Olympic Park in January 2009. He races with the Alaska Pacific University Ski Center in Anchorage.
The Sonot Kkaazoot is the premier long-distance cross-country ski race in Fairbanks, Alaska. The race includes two events, a 50 km and 20 km course. Both events begin and end on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks. Both events are freestyle, mass start and are raced simultaneously.
The 2014 NCAA Skiing Championships were held in Park City, Utah and Midway, Utah on March 5–8, 2014. Utah hosted the event with alpine events at Park City Ski Resort and Nordic events taking place at Soldier Hollow in nearby Midway, UT. Utah hosted for the fourth time, all have happened in Park City, the other times being 1981, 1991 and 2000.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Anchorage, Alaska, United States.
Scott Patterson is an American cross-country skier. He competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics. He skied for South Anchorage High School, where he was a three-time Alaska State skimeister. He then skied for the University of Vermont along with his sister, Caitlin. Currently, he represents Alaska Pacific University professionally and the US Ski Team. Most recently, he placed 10th at the World Championships 50k Classic race in Obersdorf, Germany.
The trail system of Anchorage, Alaska spans 578 miles (930.2km). The Municipality of Anchorage created the first set of trail systems for recreation in the late 1950s, not developing a system that was commuter friendly until the mid 1960s. The trails, which are used primarily for recreation and commuter traffic, are heavily utilized year round for walking, biking, and skiing. Many of the trail systems in place that connect the city of Anchorage in a commuter-friendly way were kick started by John "Jack" Roderick, the first mayor of the Municipality of Anchorage, who held office from 1972-1975.
The 2021 Iditarod was the 49th edition of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska. The race began on Sunday, March 7, 2021, in Anchorage, Alaska. 46 mushers participated in the race including past winners and noted racers Aliy Zirkle, Martin Buser, Dallas Seavey, Peter Kaiser, Joar Leifseth Ulsom, and Nicolas Petit.
The men's 50 kilometre freestyle competition in cross-country skiing at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held on 19 February, at the Kuyangshu Nordic Center and Biathlon Center in Taizicheng. Alexander Bolshunov, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, won the event, and Ivan Yakimushkin, also of ROC, won silver, his first Olympic medal. Simen Hegstad Krüger of Norway won the bronze medal, competing in his first and only race at these Games after an illness. Bolshunov became only the second skier who won 30 km and 50 km at the same Olympics, after Russian Nikolay Zimyatov accomplished this in 1980.
August "Gus" Schumacher is an American cross-country skier. In 2020, Schumacher became the first American to win a gold medal in an individual race at the Junior World Ski Championships. He competed in the 30 kilometre skiathlon at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Schumacher won the Men's 10 km freestyle race at the 2024 Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis on February 18, 2024. His win marked the first time an American male skier had won an individual distance event since Bill Koch in 1983.
