Stinky Rats edge Coast Guard across Seacoast Relay marathon distance

Klas Stolpe
6 hours ago
8 min read

Red lantern finishers run with a message of missing and murdered Indigenous people

**Stinky Rats leg five runner Sam Fernandez runs through the team's cheering line during the Seacoast Relay on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)**

By Klas Stolpe

Juneau Independent

The Stinky Rats shook up their racing order to accommodate the new mileage in the Seacoast Relay on Saturday, and defended their title among a near capacity of teams filled with runners aiming for the Burrito Bar finishing feed at the race’s end.

“We did switch up the order this year,” team member Sam Fernandez said. “Jason (Norat) is definitely our top runner so we figured we would let him have the first leg, the longest leg, and give us a nice lead and we could kind of cruise from there. It wasn’t really much of a cruise, though. This is our third year doing it and it is just such a great event to run with friends, and there are just a bunch of people here having a great time. It is fun to rep the Stink Rats and our theme. And it is a really great event. Quinn (Tracy) and Heather (Parker) do a great job, and it is just so much fun to be out here having a great time. We are definitely making it a tradition to do this every year.”

Team supporter Jean Larson-Rein makes the Stinky Rats race kits, which will be seen with her works at the Haines State Fair.

“They get my signature cap and buff,” Larson-Rein said. “It is a hat that turns into a buff. It is called Stinky Rats because of our good dog Kenai, who passed away this winter. He is the impetus, the guy on the logo. So really this race was run for him this year, in memory of Kenai.”

Added Fernandez, “A little extra motivation this year for sure.”

Team Supreme Commando Elite Squad Alpha's Kseniia Davis, right, tags teammate Will Hicks, left, during the Seacoast Relay on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

Runners up, literally, were Chafing the Dream, a group of Juneau coast guard members.

“I thought we had a shot at winning,” Yeoman First Class Jonathan Perry said. “I got the top five runners that I could think of from the Coast Guard, the people that did the best in our physical fitness test. And we just came out here and decided to give it a shot. We were close. We were about 10 minutes behind the team that won. It was a great time and thank you to everybody that helped put on the race…Absolutely I will be back again next year. Just keep training and we will be good. This was a good race, I ran my fastest 5K ever, and from last year to this year I have lost 65 pounds.”

Runners left the start at the University of Alaska Southeast and through five legs of various mileage worked their way out to the Eagle Beach State Recreation Area.

The first leg started at the University of Alaska Southeast’s Egan Library. Expanded from the old distance of 2.8 miles to 7.4, the route took runners down a path past the Auke Lake boat ramp, along Glacier Highway to Karl Reishus Boulevard, the gravel equestrian trail to Kaxdigoowu Heen Dei, River Road, Back Loop Road, Goat Hill Road and on the Auke Lake Trail back past the boat ramp and up to the UAS library.

Road Krill runner Becky Bohrer, Gulls Just Wanna Run team member Christy Gentemann and Burrito Bar Association runner Holly Handler race through the Auke Lake Trail during the Seacoast Relay on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

The second leg to the Auke Village recreation area 3.7 miles, the third leg to Lena Beach picnic area 3.5 miles, the fourth leg to just past the Shrine of St. Therese six miles and the fifth leg to Eagle Beach 5.6 miles.

After all that mileage burritos were not enough for the Dairy Queens. The team perfected the art of running with ingredients in their packs that will churn ice cream.

“I run the Klondike race and last year I decided I needed to do something more fun,” Dairy Queens’ Hailie Christenson said. “And so I decided I was going to learn how to make ice cream while running and in this case you just make ice cream in a bag by shaking it. And so I was like, ‘Whoa! Let’s run and make ice cream.’ Because you are expending calories you can eat it when you are done.”

The running chef prepared crepes for her Klondike team Runny Yokes last year.

The Dairy Queens featured cheers such as “Battle, battle, here come the cattle” and “Moo, moo, moo” which they discontinued because of the close-sounding association to Boo. They also had cow-themed head scarves and leggings.

“I did not run with ice cream,” team member Raina Ciecko said. “But I think the team made vanilla, maple cinnamon and chocolate. And it was good.”

The Dairy Queens cheer on their last leg runner Raina Ciecko (1705) at the finish of the Seacoast Relay on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

Ciecko did run across the finish with her beagle Bernie.

“I don’t run with him very often,” she said. “He doesn’t love running. I call it Bernie resistance training, because he likes to trail behind. But he ran with me for the end of the race today and he sprinted with me, that was good, yeah.”

Yellow safety vests were rocked by team Strong like HESCO.

“I think we all want them to be as strong as possible,” team member Peter Flynn said. “And we wanted to emulate that. This race is just fun with lots of cheering.”

Team Strong like HESCO runner Peter Flynn runs on the Auke Lake Trail during the Seacoast Relay on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

It wasn’t difficult to cheer for team Supreme Commando Elite Unit Squad Alpha, it was just a long mouthful.

“I did it for the fun,” team member Geoff Davis said. “My wife is pregnant, but she just recovered from an injury and she is able to run now. So it is just fun to run together.”

Crossing the finish line Davis was greeted by wife Kseniia and their eight-and-a-half-month-old daughter Reagan.

“She ran leg three,” G. Davis said of his wife. “So this is a team effort.”

“I am super proud of him,” K. Davis said. “And I am almost halfway done, 19 weeks pregnant.”

G. Davis said a running family, “Is super supportive. Having a partner that is supportive of what you do and vice versa makes accomplishing goals, and being healthy and active that much more fun.”

Team leader Will Hicks, in his first Seacoast Relay, came up with the name.

“I got it out of thin air,” Hicks said. “Just something memorable that is, I don’t know, unusual. Just gibberish. I would like to give you a good story, but is was just a quick thought about something memorable that sounded, I don’t know, elite and a little silly. There is no story behind it.”

Supreme Commando Elite Unit Squad Alpha's Kseniia Davis, daughter Reagan, and husband Geoff Davis at the finish of the Seacoast Relay on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

Team Swim Moms brought their Klondike name to the race.

“We started out on the Klondike last year on a Swim Moms team and it was a good way to meet other moms of my kid’s friends,” Keegan Jackson said. “Now we have been running together for almost a year.”

Team member Mallory Padron said, “I got roped into it. I am new to town, been here for two years and they invited me to join in. They know I like to run and I match their pace.”

Team member Abbey Cummings said, “Me and another gal started the Swim Moms Klondike team last year because we wanted our own team of friends and this is kind of just a practice run. And we roped Mallory in and are trying to get her into Klondike this year, and we are also doing a Swim Moms’ triathlon club so we will have three teams at Aukeman. It is a good way to get together.”

“Abbey motivates me,” Swim Moms member Shierly Suarez said. “And the Swim Moms motivate me, and my kids and my husband. I want to show them that I can do it too.”

Keith Levy and Dan Robinson used the run as a chance for some marathon training.

Team Dan & Keith's Keith Levy and Dan Robinson high-five at the finish of the Seacoast Relay on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

“My plan is to run the Juneau Marathon in July to qualify for Boston,” Levy said. “As part of my training I wanted to do the half-marathon distance at my goal pace, and it just so happened that combining legs 2, 3 and 4 of the Seacoast Relay fit the bill. Dan agreed to do legs 1 and five. It went well. Perfect running weather and a beautiful course.”

Levy still has a Seacoast Relay shirt worn from the event 25 years ago.

The Red Lantern honor of finishing to the full applause of every other entrant in the race went to Indigenous Hope In Action (In Honor of MMIP). The team may have finished last, but the red handprint across their mouths indicated a lasting solidarity of the movement and the voices that have been historically silenced, ignored or overlooked.

“I recently saw a relay down in the Lower 48 and they were running in honor of a missing and murdered Indigenous person, Emily Pike,” team spokesperson Megan Lingle said. “And I realized the Seacoast Relay was coming up so I invited my friends here to join me to run in honor of all missing murdered Indigenous relatives. You know, we run to raise awareness. We run to support the people who are missing loved ones and haven’t had justice served. And I thought there was no more meaningful way than to get out, get in nature with your friends and raise awareness in your community.”

Race winners received Goodr sunglasses donated by Nugget Outfitters. Runners up and third-place teams chose between Nugget Outfitters donated Stasher reusable containers and race director purchased hot sauce. Heritage Coffee donated coffee for the event.