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Eaglecrest Road Race boasts 55 runners supporting Juneau Ski Team
- Klas Stolpe
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
Norat, Pokorney and Taintor earn top male, female and youth times
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
They were not postal workers, but the 55 runners in Saturday’s Eaglecrest Road Race similarly were not stopped by the strong winds and heavy rain along the five-mile and one-mile course that started at the bottom of Eaglecrest road. Five-miler racers ran up to the Eaglecrest parking lot while one-miler runners turned at a half-mile cone. The race was a Nugget Alaska Outfitters Cup event and a fundraiser for the Juneau Ski Club.
“It was harder than I expected for the first, like, three miles for sure,” said first-place five-mile finisher Jason Norat, 30. “It was way harder, and I have driven this road a million times coming up to ski here, but, yeah, it was pretty fun. Once I got to the parking lot area I was, like, ‘All right. We are finally there.’ I am toying around with a couple other races in the fall, but nothing signed up for yet. More just getting ready for snowboard season.”
Lathered in sunscreen that seemed to bead away the moisture, Norat may have figured out an insider’s secret to beating the rain as he crossed in 33 minutes 50 seconds.
“Yeah, maybe,” Norat laughed. “Maybe that is the key.”
Rounding out the top five were Abe Kantor, 32, with 35:31; Ian Novak, 25, in 35:41; Sam Fernandez, 28, in 36:12; and Jon Smith, 29, in 40:52.
First female five-miler Therese Pokorney, 27, echoed those sentiments after crossing in 43:19 for 10th overall.
“Oh, it was hard,” Pokorney said. “But a lot of fun. I thought it was going to be way more just uphill, but it was really rolling the whole way.”
When asked if any part of the race was favorable, Pokorney answered emphatically, “No. No, nothing… The wind was pretty crazy, the rain was pretty crazy, but so many people showed up, so that was in my favor. All my friends.”
Youth would be key in both races.
Finn Taintor, 9, continued to show his love of running, earning the five-mile top youth runner medal and placing sixth overall - behind a field of runners 20 years his senior - with a time of 40:56. He kicked just ahead of Gregory Brown, 43, who crossed in 41:06.
“I was trying not to get cold limbs,” Taintor said. “With the wind and the rain nothing was in my favor, no.”
A group of friends not yet legal driving age showed that the future of Juneau running was in good shoes.
“Earlier this month I did a few practice runs,” Austin Treston, 13, said. “I ran all the way up a few times. So I was already trained on it.”
The Thunder Mountain Middle School eighth grader powered along the five-mile course, placing ninth overall in 42:42.
“I have also been doing cross-country in school and training and everything,” Treston said. “I am wanting to get first for cross country because I think I can.”
Homeschooled student Reid Cummings, 12, placed first in the one-mile race in 8:01, along with Mateus Suarez, 9, also in 8:01. Both got sorted and dried off and Cummings caught a ride up the five-mile course to run along with good friend Treston.
“I knew I could not keep up with Austin,” Cummings said. “But I still wanted to run it in with him. So I did the one, and then we drove up here, and then I ran with Austin.”
They knew that Taintor was fast but not at the level shown Saturday.
“I was pretty surprised,” Treston said. “I didn’t think he would have that much endurance. I have ran against a lot of people who thought they could just easily go faster than me, just sprint out and then just get tired immediately. I thought he was the same, but he is pretty fast.”
Otto Klein, 11, changed races mid-run, charging out in the one-mile race and finishing the entire five-mile route in 14th place with 47:46.
“I did not see the turnaround,” Klein said. “So I just kept going. Well, I thought it was a pretty long mile. I just slowed myself down a little bit, and I just leaned into the hill a little bit more. I like that it was not super hot out.”
Emily Treston, 11, was the youngest female five-mile finisher, crossing in 55:22 for 26th place. The sixth grader’s race plan was to catch mother Amber Treston, 43, who placed 20th in 52:15.
“My mom was in front of me and I wanted to get up to her,” E. Treston said. “No, I did not catch her. She was a little bit in front of me. I am going to try harder, because I want to catch my mom. At the moment I do not have another race planned. My mom runs so I like doing it with my mom.”
E. Treston also guilted good friend and classmate Koa Rhey, 11, into his first five-mile race, and she and their schoolmates jogged with him at the finish as he crossed in 31st with 1:10:33.
“It was fun,” Rhey said. “It was pretty long, but it was really fun. Yeah, it is just fun and I get to hang out with my friends while running. I was just really excited to finish with my friends.”
John Eldridge, 75, claimed the red lantern in 32nd place with 1:14:08.
“As I said last race, this is my last one,” Eldridge laughed as rain pelted him at the finish. “Take my picture; I need to send it to my daughter to prove I am still alive.”
After all the race organizers who had put on the day’s contests in support of the Juneau Ski Club drove off down the mountain, and all the contestants had long disappeared in various vehicles over the rolling descent, a long figure slowly jogged behind.
“I am getting my money’s worth today,” Eldridge said with a smile.
EAGLECREST ROAD RACE RESULTS
5 MILE:
1. Jason Norat, 30, M, 33:50; 2. Abe Kantor, 32, M, 35:31; 3. Ian Novak, 25, M, 35:41; 4. Sam Fernandez, 28, M, 36:12; 5. Jon Smith, 29, M, 40:52; 6. Finn Taintor, 9, M, 40:56; 7. Gregory Brown, 43, M, 41:06; 8. Peter Flynn, 43, M, 42:11; 9. Austin Freaton, 13, M, 42:42; 10. Therese Pokorney, 27, F, 43:49; 11. Tim Mikulski, 27, M, 44:01; 12. Steven Schmitz, 65, M, 46:29; 13. Keith Goering, 60, M, 46:48; 14. Otto Klein, 11, M, 47:46; 15. Keith Levy, 69, M, 47:57; 16. Kayla Heidenreich, 27, F, 48:00; 17. Hiram Henry, 52, M, 48:03; 18. Elizabeth Siddon, 48, F, 49:06; 19. Ryen Sperl, 34, M, 50:50; 20. Amber Treaston, 43, F, 52;15; 21. Cecile Elliott, 61, F, 52:33; 22. Eric Antrim, 53, M, 53:43; 23. Kristen Strom, 29, M, 54:35; 24. Amol Shah, 29, M, 54:45; 25. Julia Gibler, 27, F, 54:47; 26. Emily Treston, 11, F, 55:22; 27. Dominique Johnson, 36, M, 56:35; 28. Maggie Priest, 31, F, 1:00:24; 29. Keegan Jackson, 43, F, 1:01:11; 30. Joshua Valenzuela, 27, M, 1:01:29; 31. Koa Rhey, 11, M, 1:10:33; 32. John Eldridge, 75, M, 1:14:08
1 MILE:
1. Reid Cummings, 12, M, 8:01; Mateus Suarez, 9, M, 8:01; 3. Caldor Taintor, 7, M, 8:26; 4. Luke Taintor, 39, M, 8:27; 5. Dylan Hoke, 7, M, 9:42; 6. Melody Millard, 64, F, 9:43; 7. Addi Johnson, 8, F, 10:05; 8. Ranger Filardi, 7, F, 10:05; 9. Eric Filardi, 41, M, 10:06; 10. Cristina Santos, 32, F, 10:09; 11. River Humphries, 10, My, 11:53; 12. Madeline Sullivn, 9, F, 12:11; 13. Guy Crockroft, 66, M, 12:11; 14. Iscabelle Sullivan, 10, F, 13:23; 15. James Sullivan, 7, M, 14:24; 16. Abby Sullivan, 5, F, 14:30; 17. Jessica Sullivan, 42, F, 14:31; 18. Kainoa Rhey, 34, F, 15:24; 19. Linda Kruger, 75, F, 15:31; 20. Jeff Gnass, 79, M, 15:32; 21. Finn Cummings, 10, M, 17:02; 22. Abbey Cummings, 41, F, 17:02
• Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com
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