Totem to Totem Half Marathon

The long, mountainous, and forested shoreline of the Tongass Narrows waterway is the setting for the annual springtime running of Ketchikan’s Totem to Totem Half Marathon, a 13.1-mile race that takes runners along a point-to-point course that starts at Rotary Beach Park, just southeast of the Saxman community.

The race takes runners north along Tongass Avenue for the next 13.1 miles, all the way to the finish line in Totem Bight State Historical Park, just northeast of the city.

All along the way, runners can expect to catch ample glimpses of one of the local features for which the area is well-known — totem poles, which they will see most prominently around the starting area at near Saxman Village and the Totem Bight State Park as they near the finish line.

The race takes runners along beautiful vistas with tree-covered mountains along the Tongass Highway, where runners can expect to see local wildlife as well as boats streaming along the water in the narrows all along the race route.

The event is open to both runners and walkers and usually features a smaller field of participants, as the race usually sees between 100 and 200 runners and walkers cross the finish line.