Alaska

‘The worst year ever’: Lost Lake runners endure nearly 16 miles of rain, mud

Published

1 year ago

August 27, 2023

‘The worst year ever’: Lost Lake runners endure nearly 16 miles of rain, mud

Guadalupe Marroquin, of Anchorage, carries an umbrella while she races the Lost Lake Run near Seward on August 26, 2023. (Marc Lester / ADN)

LOST LAKE — The trail turned to a rushing stream for long stretches of the nearly 16-mile Lost Lake Run on Saturday. The race director called it the rainiest edition on record for an event in its 32nd year.

The Lost Lake Run — traditionally held in the second half of August — brings avid runners and newcomers alike to a picturesque route just north of Seward stretching from Primrose Lake to Bear Creek. This year, even an atmospheric river couldn’t keep around 600 runners away.

Race director Patrick Simpson was emphatic when he said Saturday’s weather was the worst in the race’s history.

“Alaskans are the toughest people you’ll ever meet, and today is representative of that,” said Simpson, who for 17 years has been at the helm of the event that serves as a fundraiser for those living with cystic fibrosis. This year, they raised $265,000.

Christopher Walker, of Anchorage, splashes through a soggy section of trail. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Andrea Morrow, of Palmer, pauses to clear a rock from her shoe. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Bill Pearson of Anchorage pumps his fist. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Racers pass through a section of woods. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Runners were greeted with rain thick enough to obscure views, mud quick to soak through shoes and socks, and the red-and-golden hints in the alpine underbrush that fall is, in fact, nearly here.

“The worst year ever. This is that year. So we got that year out of the way, so we can move on to much better years,” said Simpson.

The mud and rain could easily have made for a scary day on the mountain. But Simpson said at the conclusion of the event — as the final runners were streaming through the finish line — that injuries were “bumps and scrapes — nothing major.”

“I think we actually had more difficulty in a hot year with overheating than we had this year,” said Simpson.

That mud and rain also meant winning times were slower than in years past. The winning man — Jason Parks of Kenai — came in at 1:53, far below the record of 1:36. The winning woman, Jessica Vetsch of Anchorage, came in at 2:08.

Cristan McLain of Seward gives high fives before crossing the finish line. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Katherine Kerr, of Carmel, Indiana, kicks up water. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Racers cross a wet ribbon of trail near the race’s highest point. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Amy Holman, a member of the Anchorage Nordic Ski Patrol, spent the day on the race course. Eight members of the ski patrol provided support to runners along the route with snacks, water, and first aid.

The race had a rolling start — meaning runners could choose their own starting time Saturday morning — and the winners were only known later in the day, not necessarily by the order in which they came through the finish line at the Bear Creek Fire Station. For volunteers like Holman, that meant several hours on the wet trail — staying until the last of the runners had passed.

“We’re here to help everyone have a good time,” Holman said. “We’re here for everybody, whether they’re the frontrunner or the folks walking and celebrating.”

Andrea Morrow stopped at the midway point of the race near Lost Lake — sandwiched between peaks and fields dotted with late-blooming flowers — to clear a rock from her shoe. Her clothes, like those of most everyone, were already long soaked by the driving rain.

It was Morrow’s second time running the race.

“The weather was a little nicer last time, but I love it,” she said.

Keriann Baker, of Homer, races the Lost Lake Run. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Racers take cover from the rain after crossing the finish line. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Colleen Peterson, Penny Agnew, and Karen Keesecker, 15-year veterans of the race, took it at a walking pace. They said they had achieved what they called “legendary” status, which comes with a perk: guaranteed admission to the race, skipping the otherwise required fundraising threshold or lottery.

The longtime participants confirmed the day had been “by far the wettest” they had experienced on the trail. But as always, beer and burgers awaited at the finish line.

“They do that every year — but hot tea sounds better today,” Agnew said.

Penny Agnew from Wasilla, Colleen Peterson from Wasilla, and Karen Keesecker from Eagle River walk together during the Lost Lake Run. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Racers follow a muddy trail. (Marc Lester / ADN)

• • •

Lost Lake Run

Saturday

Women’s top 10

1. Jessica Vetsch, Anchorage, 2:08:08; 2. Julianne Dickerson, Anchorage, 2:15:37; 3. Megan Murphy, Anchorage, 2:16:23; 4. Shauna Severson, Eagle River, 2:16:36; 5. Kianna Wika, Anchorage, 2:16:45; 6. Amanda Cherok, Homer, 2:22:12; 7. Sarah Freistone, Anchorage, 2:23:04; 8. Lisa Anglen, Anchorage, 2:24:08; 9. Sam Longacre, Anchorage, 2:24:29; 10. Mandy Vincent-Lang, Anchorage, 2:25:01.

Men’s top 10

1. Jason Parks, Kenai, 1:53:40; 2. Patrick Conway, Anchorage, 1:57:12; 3. Eric Vilce, Anchorage, 1:57:43; 4. Levi DeBoard, Seward, 1:58:02; 5. Todd Jackson, Anchorage, 2:04:01; 6. Jeffrey Young, Anchorage, 2:07:24; 7. Willie Stoll, Anchorage, 2:07:33; 8. Eric Mortensen, Anchorage, 2:07:35; 9. Warren Hancock, Anchorage, 2:08:03; 10. Craig Taylor, Eagle River, 2:09:09.

• • •

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Alaska

Flight attendant sacked for twerking on the job: ‘What’s wrong with a little twerk before work’

Published

1 hour ago

January 15, 2025

Press Room

Flight attendant sacked for twerking on the job: ‘What’s wrong with a little twerk before work’

They deemed the stunt not-safe-for-twerk.

An Alaska Airlines flight attendant who was sacked for twerking on camera has created a GoFundMe to support her while she seeks a new berth.

The crewmember, named Nelle Diala, had filmed the viral booty-shaking TikTok video on the plane while waiting two hours for the captain to arrive, A View From the Wing reported.

She captioned the clip, which also blew up on Instagram, “ghetto bih till i D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you.”

Diala was reportedly doing a victory dance to celebrate the end of her new hire probationary period.

Unfortunately, her jubilation was short-lived as Alaska Airlines nipped her employment in the bum just six months into her contract.

The fanny-wagging flight attendant feels that she didn’t do anything wrong.

Diala has since reposted the twerking clip with the new caption: “Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive. What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.”

The new footage was hashtagged #discriminationisreal.

The disgraced stewardess even set up a GoFundMe page to help support the so-called “wrongfully fired” flight attendant until she can land a new flight attendant gig.

“I never thought a single moment would cost me everything,” wrote the ex-crewmember. “Losing my job was devastating.”

She claimed that the gig had allowed her to meet new people and see the world, among other perks.

While air hostessing was ostensibly a “dream job,” Diala admitted that she used the income to help fund her “blossoming lingerie and dessert businesses,” which she runs under the Instagram handles @cakezncake (which doesn’t appear to have any content?) and @figure8.lingerie.

As of Wednesday morning, the crowdfunding campaign has raised just $182 of its $12,000 goal.

Diala was ripped online for twerking on the job as well as her subsequent GoFundMe efforts.

“You don’t respect the uniform, you don’t respect your job then,” declared one critic on the popular aviation-focused Instagram page The Crew Lounge. “Terms and Conditions apply.”

“‘Support for wrongly fired flight attendant??’” mocked another. “Her GoFund title says it all. She still thinks she was wrongly fired. Girl you weren’t wrongly fired. Go apply for a new job and probably stop twerking in your uniform.”

“The fact that you don’t respect your job is one thing but doing it while in uniform and at work speaks volumes,” scoffed a third. “You’re the brand ambassador and it’s not a good look.”

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Alaska

As Alaska sees a spike in Flu cases — another virus is on the rise in the U.S.

Published

9 hours ago

January 15, 2025

Press Room

As Alaska sees a spike in Flu cases — another virus is on the rise in the U.S.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaska has recently seen a rise in both influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV. Amidst the spike in both illnesses, norovirus has also been on the rise in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it’s highly contagious and hand sanitizers don’t work well against it.

Current data for Alaska shows 449 influenza cases and 262 RSV cases for the week of Jan. 4. Influenza predominantly impacts the Kenai area, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and the Northwest regions of the state. RSV is also seeing significant activity in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and Anchorage.

Both are respiratory viruses that are treatable, but norovirus — which behaves like the stomach flu according to the CDC — is seeing a surge at the national level. It “causes acute gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines,” as stated on the CDC webpage.

This virus is spread through close contact with infected people and surfaces, particularly food.

“Basically any place that people aggregate in close quarters, they’re going to be especially at risk,” said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent.

Preventing infection is possible but does require diligence. Just using hand sanitizer “does not work well against norovirus,” according to the CDC. Instead, the CDC advises washing your hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds. When preparing food or cleaning fabrics — the virus “can survive temperatures as high as 145°F,” as stated by the CDC.

According to Dr. Gupta, its proteins make it difficult to kill, leaving many cleaning methods ineffective. To ensure a given product can kill the virus, he advises checking the label to see if it claims it can kill norovirus. Gupta said you can also make your own “by mixing bleach with water, 3/4 of a cup of bleach per gallon of water.”

For fabrics, it’s best to clean with water temperatures set to hot or steam cleaning at 175°F for five minutes.

As for foods, it’s best to throw out any items that might have norovirus. As a protective measure, it’s best to cook oysters and shellfish to a temperature greater than 145°F.

Based on Alaska Department of Health data, reported COVID-19 cases are significantly lower than this time last year.

See a spelling or grammatical error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

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Alaska

Sky Watch Alaska: planets align plus the aurora forecast

Published

18 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

Sky Watch Alaska: planets align plus the aurora forecast

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – This is a great time of year to do some star gazing. If you have clear skies in your part of Alaska, take the time to check out the night — and morning — sky.

After sunset, look toward the southwest. Saturn and Venus are snuggled up together (of course, they are more than 800 million miles apart) in the evening sky. They set at about 9:40 p.m. in Southcentral.

Before 9:40 p.m., you can see four planets with the naked eye — Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars. Jupiter and Mars stick around through the morning. Mars is very close to the moon right now.

The Aurora forecast is fairly weak for the next few weeks. That’s not to say there won’t be the occasional burst but overall, solar activity is expected to be fairly low until the beginning of February.

If you get great pictures of the planets, the sky, or the aurora, don’t forget to send them to Alaska’s News Source.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

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