Fall colors and fast times at the 2025 Equinox Marathon
Story and photos by Aaron Thomas
Runners sprint from the starting line at 8 a.m. on Saturday, September 20, 2025.
The Equinox Marathon is the last major running event of the season in Fairbanks while the trails are still snow-free. Founded in 1963 by Nat Goodhue, this year marks the 62nd iteration of the marathon. With nearly 500 runners in the marathon and an additional 300 competing in the relay, the event was packed.
The course winds through the UAF ski trails, climbs up and down Ester Dome, and travels through neighborhood streets until it finishes outside the Student Recreation Center. The race is uniquely challenging due to its rugged single-tracks, unpredictable weather, grueling vertical climbs, and steep descents.
The vertical gain alone puts the marathon in a unique category, with over 3,000 feet of gain and descent across rocky trails and tight switchbacks. It is not uncommon for the runners to get dusted with snow at the top of Ester Dome, as was the case in 2024 and 2019. Luckily for the runners, the weather held out for most of the race and the trails remained dry. The temperature was in the mid-50’s Fahrenheit and the skies were slightly overcast; clearing up as the day progressed.
Runners go past Ann’s Greenhouse, nearing the first exchange location for the relay division.
Many segments of the race have earned infamous reputations among athletes. Runners climb a section called “The Zipper”, a steep switchback below the summit of Ester Dome where it is not uncommon to see runners crawling on all fours instead of running. When runners leave Ester Dome and head back towards the UAF campus, they descend a steep powerline trail dubbed “The Chute” that drops hundreds of feet down Ester Dome in less than a quarter mile.
Fans set up tables across the road sections of the race to hand out water, food, gatorade, and beer to contestants as they ran past.
“Energy was great all around,” said Peter Shurr, a runner in the marathon. Tons of fans and volunteers. The weather was incredible. It was probably the best I've seen in some time.”
Cheering onlookers gathered around checkpoints with cowbells, airhorns, and posters. Several segments of the race are completely lined with fans on either side of the track.
Runners pass the Goldstream Sports aid station, one of many aid stations along the route. Goldstream also served as the location for the first exchange in the relay division of the race.
The marathon’s scenic backdrop is one of its defining characteristics, with birch and aspen trees ablaze in orange and red hues contrasting against the deep greens of black spruce.
“The autumn colors were really nice,” said Robert Snowden, a runner in the relay division. “That was kind of a nice thing to kind of distract me a little bit while I was huffing and puffing uphill.”
After a few uphill climbs on the UAF ski trails, the final segment of the race is a continuous downhill. Crowds gathered across the field in front of the SRC to cheer their friends and family on across the finish line. Many runners battled competitors in a sprint finish.
This year, Scott Nutter took first place overall with a time of 2:48:43, only about ten minutes off the course record. Shalane Frost took first place in the women’s division with a time of 3:28:21, securing her second win after her victory last year. The winning team of the relay division was “The Attractive Mother Enthusiasts", consisting of Tobias Albrigtsen, Ben Dohlby and Derk Lyford with a combined time of 2:42:22. Due to the good weather and dry trail conditions, this year was faster than average for many of the contestants.
Crowds gather to watch contestants cross the finish line, as the sun came out on Saturday afternoon.
The Equinox Marathon is hosted by Running Club North as the culmination of the Usibelli Running series, which includes other community race favorites such as the Chena River Run and The Midnight Sun Run.
As the summer running season ends, the Equinox Marathon remains an iconic annual tradition for runners and fans alike.