PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONUS / RACE GUIDE

Cape Blossom Marathon

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Kotzebue
US

Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn Eggert · Public domainChris Lott from Fairbanks, USA, CC BY 2.0just_a_cheeseburger, CC BY 2.0just_a_cheeseburger, CC BY 2.0

Race date Aug expected: August 2027
City · Distance: Kotzebue · 42.195km · 21.1km
Entry fee: $25From the 2026 edition
Status: SoonSee how to enter ↗

2027Date August 2027 · expected · Soon

2026Date Aug 29, 2026

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 10, 2026

About the race How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

It is the second edition of the race, held in Alaska.

It is the only marathon held above the Arctic Circle in the United States.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

No runner reports yet. We'll add them here as they come in.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

We haven't found a video for this race yet. We'll add one when we do.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

We'll fill this in once the official entry rules are out.

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 42.195km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

Runners start · local timeFrom 12:00

START

946 Wanda St, Kotzebue, AK

Start · Google Maps

The events are the full marathon and half marathon.

The start is at 946 Wanda St, Kotzebue, AK, at 12:00 PM local time.

Participant benefits

Not yet confirmed in the official race guide

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startNo road/transit access - Kotzebue, AK is accessible only by air or (seasonally) by boat/snowmachine; there…
Transit cardKotzebue, Alaska is a remote Arctic town accessible only by air, with no road connection to the rest of…

Source · checked Aug 24, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

No road/transit access - Kotzebue, AK is accessible only by air or (seasonally) by boat/snowmachine; there is no road connecting it to the rest of Alaska. Start line is at Cape Blossom, roughly 13 miles from Kotzebue town.

Per secondary sources (Alaska Beacon and KOTZ local news, not from the official site), in the race's inaugural running organizers ferried marathon runners by boat to the start at Cape Blossom (site of a proposed future deepwater port); the course runs partly along the beach because Kotzebue lacks enough road mileage for a full marathon on land alone. Kotzebue is a remote Arctic community with NO road connection to the rest of Alaska - fly-in only via Ralph Wien Memorial Airport (OTZ), typically served by Alaska Airlines from Anchorage.

This is an air/boat-access race, not a roads-and-transit one. Per KOTZ news (published Sept 2025), the city was planning the second official running of the race for 'next year Aug 29' i.e.

Map

Getting to the finish

Course passes wind turbines and solar panels near town per Alaska Beacon coverage

Start shuttle

Race-organized boat transport (not a bus) ferries runners to the remote Cape Blossom start point, per Alaska Beacon/KOTZ news coverage - not stated on official site.

Transit card

Kotzebue, Alaska is a remote Arctic town accessible only by air, with no road connection to the rest of Alaska, so there is no transit card system at all; visitors fly in and get around town on foot, by taxi, or by rented vehicle.

Source · checked Aug 24, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

On race day, marathon participants travel approximately 16 km (10 miles) by boat across Kotzebue Sound and line up at the start line south of Cape Blossom.

Because there is no bridge over the creek between Cape Blossom and Kotzebue, runners must board shared kayaks and paddle across themselves to continue.

Full marathon started at 9:00 a.m., while half marathon started at noon.

Times are local to Kotzebue. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Hotels that make race morning easyDistances are straight-line from the start.View on map Eating well is part of the tripA meal before the race, a dinner to celebrate the finish.View on map Seeing Kotzebue with the medal onThe city you ran — this time, a little slower.View on map

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

Trip prep too,
light and in one place.

Checklist Local eSIM · Trip.com Flight delay or cancellation compensation · AirHelp Pace calculator

Once saved, you can open this page without an internet connection

RUN TOGETHER

With runners who dream of
the same start line.

Be the first runner
Leave this room's first post

Kotzebue runners' room

FAQ

When does Cape Blossom Marathon 2027 take place?

Not officially announced yet.

It's expected in August 2027;

the 2026 race was held on Sat, August 29, 2026.

How much is the Cape Blossom Marathon 2027 entry fee?

Not announced yet. The 2026 race entry fee was about $25.

What distances does Cape Blossom Marathon 2027 offer?

Marathon · Half.

What time does Cape Blossom Marathon 2027 start?

The race starts at 12:00.

Where does Cape Blossom Marathon 2027 start?

946 Wanda St, Kotzebue, AK.

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Cape Blossom Marathon

About Cape Blossom Marathon — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run