newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — Matias Saari hopes today’s Equinox Marathon will be a little different than the ones he has run for the past four years.

Ever since the News-Miner sports writer emerged as one of the elite runners in Alaska, he’s been involved in some pressure-packed races that he’s either won or finished second.

Saari, 39, took the runner-up spot to four-time champion Mike Kramer 2005 and 2006, won the race in 2007 and finished second behind Harald Aas in 2009.

“The last four years have been intense head-to-head battles,” Saari said early this week. “It would be nice if it were not so stressful mentally and I could just focus on the physical aspects of running and getting the most out of my body.”

The 47th running of the Equinox Marathon is scheduled to get under way at

8 a.m. today in the athletic field in front of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Student Recreation Center. The race follows a

26.2-mile course to the top of Ester Dome and back.

One of America’s most grueling marathons also includes a relay division and an ultramarathon (the Equinox course plus another five miles or so) has been added this year.

Somewhere between 800 and 900 athletes are expected to participate in the event.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for continued light rain showers throughout today’s race, so runners should be prepared for some slippery trails.

It’s hard to say whether Saari will be able to run a more relaxed race today because who might offer a challenge remains somewhat of a mystery. Defending champion Aas has finished his graduate work at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and returned to his home in Norway.

Saari was hoping two-time Crow Pass champion Eric Strabel, 28, might offer a challenge this year, but Strabel withdrew his entry earlier this month citing unsatisfactory training since this year’s Crow Pass race in late July.

Strabel, 28, finished second to Saari in the Mount Marathon on the Fourth of July in Seward.

“Strabel dropping out was a disappointment,” Saari said. “I’ve been racing them (Anchorage runners) on their courses for the last five years, and I was looking forward to having one of them run up here this year.”

Tom Ritchie Jr., of Anchorage, and Stian Stensland, a UAF graduate student, will be running the Equinox for the first time.

Ritchie, a 1992 Lathrop High School graduate who now serves as the wrestling coach at South Anchorage High School, says his goal is to break 3 hours. Ritchie, 35, posted a time of 2 hours, 37 minutes and 12 seconds in the 2009 Boston Marathon to finish 137th overall.

Stensland, 35, has posted fast times in 5- and 10-kilometer races this summer and ran the 12-mile leg of the Klondike Relay at a 5:42 pace on Sept. 12.

“Guys like Ritchie and Stensland are rookies, but they are dangerous,” Saari said. “They are experienced rookies, so it’s hard to predict just what they might do.”

Mark Lindberg, 46, is another possible challenger. He has finished fourth in the past two Equinox races and is hoping to move up in the standings this time around.

While Saari is hoping to run a relaxed race, he feels he’s ready to take on any challengers.

“My training has been great and it couldn’t have gone any better in the last six weeks or so,” Saari said. “It’s always a scramble to get your speed back after Mount Marathon and all the other trail runs, but I think I’ve been able to that this year.

“Man, I’m excited about the race,” he added.

Saari, whose fastest Equinox time is 2:49:22 as a runner-up to Kramer in 2005, also knows the experience factor is in his favor.

“Until August I didn’t spend that much time on the Equinox trail, but the last six weeks I’ve trained on the course,” Saari said. “I know how I want to race it and where I can excel.

By the way, four-time champion Kramer, 41, is going to run the race today, but he says his goals are different than in the past.

“I still have my goals and aspirations, but they’ve been tempered by my training this year,” Kramer said. “I’m expecting run for third or fourth place. My goal is to break the age-group record (for the 40-44 division).”

That means Kramer would have to finish in 2 hours and 58 minutes or faster.

“I’m just going to enjoy the run,” Kramer said. “I hope to run a smart race and keep my eye on that 2:58 goal.”

Kramer says Saari is the man to beat this year.

“I expect him to run away from the start,” Kramer said. “He’s in phenomenal shape. He’s got exactly what it takes to win and run a fast time.”