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Aukeman adds new races to already energetic lineup
- Klas Stolpe
- Jul 28
- 8 min read
Six events make this Sunday’s gathering an experience for athletes of all calibers
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
Juneau’s annual Aukeman Triathlon will once again highlight the capital city’s love of all things swimming, biking and running, but will add a new twist that should entice more participants to the University of Alaska Southeast Plaza on Sunday, ready to challenge themselves or cheer their favorite athletes.
“This year, we are adding two new events with different distances,” Aukeman co-race director Jenna Wiersma said. “Aquabike, which is a swim and a bike, and a duathlon, which is a run-bike-run. These events are in both sprint and Olympic distances, and we added these because we want to be more inclusive of people who want to participate in a multi-sport event but have one of the three sports that they cannot do for whatever reason.”
Many athletes suffer an injury during training, maybe are not swimmers or just want to get their feet wet — but not in the water.
“This allows for more people to enjoy the multi-sport events even with limitations,” Wiersma said. “We did decide not to do the long course (70.3) this year due to low participation numbers the past few years, but we will be hoping to bring it back in future years, potentially if we get more interest.”
The Olympic distance triathlon is a 1,500-meter swim, 25-mile bike and 10-kilometer run. The Olympic distance aquabike is the same swim and bike distance with no run. The Olympic duathlon is a 5-kilometer run, 25-mile bike and 10-kilometer run.
The sprint distance triathlon is a 750-meter (0.47 mile) swim, 14.8-mile bike and a 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) run. The sprint aquabike is the same distances for the bike without the run. The sprint duathlon is a 2.5-kilometer run, 14.8-mile bike and 5-kilometer run.
Each race touches a similar portion of the course. All swims start at the University of Alaska Southeast dock and finish at the Auke Lake ramp, with the Olympic distance marked by white buoys and the sprint distance by blue buoys for the triathlon and aquabike swimmers. Swimmers will have caps colored the course they are competing in.
The transition areas between portions are at the UAS parking lot. Each bike portion of the duathlon, aquabike and triathlon will travel out the road via Glacier Highway to Tee Harbor, with the sprint distances turning around near Tee Harbor and the Olympic turning around near Amalga Harbor.
For the duathlon, the beginning run portion goes out Glacier Highway toward Karl Reishus Boulevard, and turns around on an out-and-back course with the sprint distance turning around 3/4-mile from UAS right around the top of Auke Lake hill, and the Olympic distance turning around at Karl Reishus Boulevard and returning to UAS.
Each run portion of the triathlon and the second duathlon run leg leaves UAS through the Auke Lake boat ramp parking lot and onto Auke Lake Trail in a lap system, one lap for sprint distance and two laps for Olympic. All runners go up and around Goat Hill and then turn and run on the road back to UAS.
The Olympic and sprint triathlon distances are USA Triathlon Nationals Qualifying races and governed under USA Triathlon. This, too, is enticing as the Aukeman is traditionally a smaller local race, so more athletes have a chance to qualify. The top 20% of a participant’s age group placement earn the distinction of being a national triathlon qualifier. The 2026 USA Triathlon (and Paratriathlon) Nationals are Aug. 7-9 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“My first Aukeman was 2019,” co-race director Charlie Waters said. “That was the first year where both sprint and Olympic distances were offered. I had only done two triathlons before then, both in 2017, so I decided to sign up for the sprint. The swim was definitely a struggle since I had only swam two to three times in the preceding year. But I swam slowly and steadily and made it. The bike and run were comparatively much easier so I finished well. It was such a fun experience and I have been involved in Aukeman ever since (participant, volunteer, and/or board member).”
First timers may not go on to participate in an IRONMAN Triathlon or multiple 70.3 national triathlons like Waters, but that is not the main point of the Aukeman.
“As an Aukeman board member and participant consistently the past several years, Aukeman means a lot to all our board members, and it is important to us to put on an event that has a lot of fun energy and bring a bigger event feel to our small community,” Wiersma said. “To us, a successful Aukeman is a fun event that goes as smoothly as possible, and the participants and supporters enjoy a fun day around multi-sport. We want each participant, volunteer, sponsor and supporter to feel involved and included and part of our multi-sport community. The success of our race would not be possible without our amazing sponsors, including our new title sponsor this year, Juneau Bone and Joint, and our amazing volunteers who give their time to make the race a success. Our board members also all dedicate so much of their time and energy into putting on this event because we really care about it.”
Race routes for this year changed in advance of the near-annual glacial lake outburst flooding, given uncertainty while planning the event over when the flood might occur. This year the traditional bike portion to the Mendenhall Glacier is a casualty of that reroute.
“We have had to adjust the course due to HESCO barrier closures,” co-race director Daniel Wiersma said. “And for the time relative to the suicide basin filling forecast.”
The Olympic distance triathlon and aquabike start at 7 a.m., sprint and Olympic duathlons at 7:07 a.m. and sprint distance triathlon and aquabike at 7:15 a.m. The transition area opens for athletes at 6 a.m. Sunday.
Aquabike competitors start the swim with the triathletes, go through transition one, follow the Aukeman triathlon courses and end when completing the bike ride at transition two.
For duathlon competitors, the first run is half the distance of the second run, both are out and backs along Glacier Highway with the Olympic distance adding a short trail run on Karl Reishus Boulevard. In between, they return to transition one to start the bike portion, which follows the sprint or Olympic triathlon course to completion.
The Aukeman sprint course record for men is 1:15:13, set by Jason Soza in 2024. The women’s record was set in 2024 by Pacific Ricke in 1:16:26. The sprint relay record was set last year by Emily Haskell, Camille Jones and Chelsea Steffy with 1:31:30. The Olympic course record for men was set in 2024 by Scott Gresham in 2:44:03 and the women’s record by Isabella Lang with 2:36:49, also in 2024. The Olympic relay record was set last year by Caitlin Sanders and J. Wiersma in 2:47:11.
There is a history of strong, stand-out athletes who have participated in Aukeman over the years, so ambitious competitors are welcome. Newcomers to the sport should not be daunted, as Aukeman is known for its sportsmanship and experienced participants offering advice. And since the aquabike and duathlon are new, the first place finisher will hold the course record.
“If you are considering doing Aukeman but have any hesitations, find an event that feels like it can be successful and fun for you,” J. Wiersma said. “It doesn't have to be the sprint or Olympic triathlon; consider a relay or aquabike or duathlon. We have an event that is inclusive, even if you do only one of the three disciplines. And if you are not a triathlete or wanting to do the race, you can always sign up to volunteer. We are still in need of volunteers for the race and this year all our volunteers get really cool, new custom Aukeman hats.”
All racers get a custom wood medal made by Nick Orsi. The top three women and men overall in each race, the top finisher in each age group and the top relay team receive Aukeman custom pint glasses.
Race packets can be picked up at the UAS Plaza from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-2 p.m. on Saturday. A mandatory pre-race briefing for all athletes is also Saturday from noon-1 p.m. at the UAS Lecture Hall in the Egan Building.
Race registration closes at noon, Saturday, August 1. The entry fee increases by $25 at midnight on Friday. Volunteers are still needed.
“A few slots are left for volunteering,” D. Wiersma said. “But the uptake has been really good this year and we are super grateful for all the volunteers. A big thank you to Juneau Bone and Joint Center (the race’s title sponsor), Bartlett Regional Hospital, and Glacier Swim Club for staffing so many aid stations.”
If there was not enough incentive to participate in the Aukeman with the new events, the board has thrown in the “Beat The Board” challenge.
Any individual or relay team in the Olympic distance triathlon who beats the relay team of Aukeman board members — and co-race directors — Charlie Waters (swim portion), Daniel Wiersma (bike portion) and Jenna Wiersma (run portion) for overall finish time will earn a “special award,” a substantial but as of yet, unnamed, spoil of victory presented during the awards ceremony following the race.
“We thought it would be a really fun way for all of us to enjoy the race,” J. Wiersma said. “And still be able to fulfill director responsibilities on race day because we all love the Aukeman and have raced it for many years, and it is important for us to give others that same opportunity.”
All race participants should look at the amended race routes in the 2026 updated Aukeman Athlete Guide Jökulhlaup Edition, which also contains new pre-race and race information.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com
