newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — A lucky 13 runners and hikers participated in the inaugural Donnelly Dome Ascent on Sunday south of Delta Junction.

Most of the hardy group made the two-hour road trip from Fairbanks, then scrambled up the steep 3,910-foot peak just off the Richardson Highway. Atop, they soaked in a 360-degree panorama amid a brisk, but tolerable, wind.

Leading the bunch was Drew Harrington, who required just 25 minutes, 35 seconds to conquer 1,600 feet of elevation gain over about 1.5 miles. He might have received a strong challenge from Chris Garber-Slaght, winner of the recent Masochism on Moose Mountain event, had the latter not rolled up — in a vegetable oil-fueled diesel truck, no less — just as the race was about to start. Garber-Slaght, despite lacking a warm-up and giving most of the field a several-minute head start, placed runner-up in 29:40.

Kristen Bartecchi Rozell also took off late, but overtook Stephanie King along the way for top female honors (and third overall) in 31:25. King was next in 32:20.

The only Delta Junction-area participant, Steve Thomas, finished in 31:58, after shunning wind gear and wearing only shorts and a 1988 Mount Marathon T-shirt for the climb of one of the few Interior peaks that features pitches as steep as ones on the famous mountain in Seward.

Rounding out the field were Lisa Beattie (34:05), Andy Sterns (38:24), Oralee Nudson (38:26), Jane Parrish (39:47), John Estle (44:39), Norma Haubenstock (44:40) and Angie Wills (57:30). Brad Lobland completed a shortened course.

Finnish Line Physical Therapy provided prizes for the event.

Skinny Dick’s cycling ride

The Fairbanks Cycle Club will host its annual Skinny Dick’s Weenie Ride on Sunday.

The 54 mile, non-supported, recreational ride on the Parks Highway to Skinny Dick’s and back is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. start from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Patty Center.

The entry fee is free for members of the Fairbanks Cycle Club and $5 for all others. After the ride, there will be a tailgate wiener roast.

For more information, call 479-5833.

Gold Discovery Run

Registration for the 43rd annual Gold Discovery Run is now available at Beaver Sports and the Toy Quest on College Road.

The 16.5-mile run on July 20 features an 8 a.m. start for walkers and runners expecting to take more than three hours and a 9 a.m. start for those who will be taking in all the scenery at a slightly faster pace.

The early registration fee is $20, which includes a commemorative Gold Discovery Run cap, a bus ride from the Fox Roadhouse/Silver Gulch Brewery to the top of Cleary Summit and the scenic starting line of the race, as well as a barbecue at the finish of the race sponsored by Running Club North and the Silver Gulch Brewery.

The 16.5-mile, mostly downhill course begins high atop Cleary Summit and offers stunning views of the Alaska Range. The trail then heads southeast on the old Fairbanks-to-Circle mining trail and meanders around the west flank of Gilmore Dome, with views of Ester Dome, Murphy Dome, Pedro Dome, and Wickersham Domes, to name just a few of the more famous domes in the area.

After about seven miles, the course finds folks at the turnaround at the end of Gilmore Trail. From there, the course proceeds to Goldmine Trail, with a steep descent to Engineer Creek, followed by about four miles of mostly downhill road to the Steese Highway.

With only two miles to go, the course is paved and flat, heading north on the Steese Highway and crossing over on Goldstream Road to the Old Steese Highway, where you head north to the finish line at the Silver Gulch Brewery.

The run is one of eight Flint Hills Cup races on this summer’s schedule.

The route features 1,648 feet of elevation gain and 3,198 feet of elevation drop, for a net elevation drop of 1,549 feet over the 16.5 miles.

For more information, call Steve Bainbridge at 452-8351 or Gary Pohl at 452-2128.

Run of the Valkyries

Registration is now open for the first Run of the Valkyries, which is part of the Flint Hills Series. The 8-kilometer event begins and ends at Pioneer Park and follows last year’s GCI 8K course.

The race is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Aug. 2.

Early registration is available through July 18 online at active.com, or pick up and drop off registration forms at Frontier Outfitters/Woolly Rhino, Beaver Sports, Play It Again Sports and New Horizons Gallery. Entry forms also are available at the Opera Fairbanks Web site at www.operafairbanks/org/8krun.

The entry fee is $25 through July 18, $35 from July 19-Aug. 1, and $45 on race day.

Commemorative T-shirts will be given to the first 500 participants. Any extra T-shirts will be sold after the race.

Trophies will be awarded to the top three male/female finishers. Prizes awarded to the top finishers, the best Valkyries-themed costume and to the individual or group raising the most funds for Opera Fairbanks. Additional door prizes will be available.

Contact the News-Miner sports department at 459-7581.