Totem to Totem Half Marathon

The long, mountainous, and forested shoreline of the Tongass Narrows waterway is the setting for the annual springtime running of Ketchikan’s Totem to Totem Half Marathon, a 13.1-mile race that takes runners along a point-to-point course that starts at Rotary Beach Park, just southeast of the Saxman community.

From there, the race takes runners north along Tongass Avenue for the next 13.1 miles, all the way to the finish line in Totem Bight State Historical Park, just northeast of the city.

All along the way, runners can expect to catch ample glimpses of one of the local features for which the area is well-known — totem poles, which they will see most prominently around the starting area at near Saxman Village and the Totem Bight State Park as they near the finish line.

The race takes runners along beautiful vistas with tree-covered mountains along the Tongass Highway, where runners can expect to see local wildlife as well as boats streaming along the water in the narrows all along the race route.

The event is open to both runners and walkers and usually features a smaller field of participants, as the race usually sees between 100 and 200 runners and walkers cross the finish line.

Starting Time:

8AM - walkers start

9AM - runners and relays start

Race  Weather & Climate: 

Located near the southernmost tip of Alaska in the state’s southeastern corner, overlooking the mountains of the Clarence Strait, Ketchikan typically experiences cool and sometimes cold weather in May, which has brought record temperatures here as low as 23ºF (in 1971) and as high as 87ºF (in 1963).

On race day (May 8th), the average low is 41ºF and the average high is 55ºF.

Race/Packet Pick Up: 

Race/Packet Pick up will occur at the Landing Restaurant and Hotel on Friday May 7th, 2021 in the lobby from 10AM-2PM and again during the pre-race dinner between 5-7PM in banquet hall.  All entries must be picked up at that time. There will be no pick up race morning. Please note, this event may change depending on the COVID community risk level in Ketchikan.

Race Fees:

Race registration fees are non-refundable. The price to register is $60.00 until April 20th, 2021, then it will increase to $68.00. Registration will close on May 6th, 2021. No registration will be allowed on race day.