Half marathoners tackle new course in 2026 Kachemak Bay Mountain Classic
Published 4:30 am Thursday, July 23, 2026
Half marathoners competed this month in a rugged race series held annually as a fundraiser to bring awareness to local trails lost to overgrowth in the Kenai Peninsula.
The 2026 Kachemak Bay Mountain Classic took place on July 11 and featured a new race route along trails that had recently been cleared by volunteers from the Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks.
The course started at the beach trail near Humpy Creek, ascended quickly up to Portlock Plateau before turning around and descending back to Humpy Creek, then headed across the flats to cross Grewingk Creek, to Glacier Lake, and concluded at the Saddle Trailhead beach.
The course is only accessible by boat and was designed to be a half marathon at 13.1 miles.
Registration was limited to 30 participants who signed up to either run or hike, and 26 completed the rugged course with around 2,900 feet of elevation gain.
This year’s winner was Andrew Peters of Anchorage, with a time of 2:12:27, while Sarah Freistone, also from Anchorage, took home the women’s title with a time of 2:33:30, good for fifth overall.
Denver Waclawski and Martin Schuster rounded out the top three in the men’s and overall categories, while Rachel Whitmore and Sara Everich finished the women’s top three overall.
Gregory Mills and Lila Johnson took top spot in the hiker category, with times of 5:27:54 and 5:18:27, respectively. Neanila Reutov and Apolinarya Basargin finished second and third, respectively, in the female hiker category, while Isiah Reutov was the only other male hiker.
According to Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks, the goal of the race series is to feature different trails every three to four years as they are reclaimed from the constantly growing wilderness.
“Many park trails have been lost to brush, due to the lack of state funding for trail maintenance,” the nonprofit organization stated. “All the trails maintained in this race series are cleared by volunteers of Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks and funded trail work.”
The race was held on Grace Ridge in 2018, then moved to Sadie Knob in 2022 and 2023 before heading back to Grace Ridge in 2024 and 2025. The debut of this year’s new course brings attention to more trails connected to the popular Glacier Hike.
Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks added that this year’s race was made possible thanks to volunteers who helped organize and provide trail support for participants.
“Kachemak Bay Search and Rescue partnered to provide medically trained support, Kachemak Bay Running Club donated equipment and support, and a thank you to Alaska State Parks for their partnership and support of the race,” Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks stated.
Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks has promoted the enhancement, preservation, and protection of the natural, recreational, scientific, and historical resources of Kachemak Bay State Park since 1999.
