More than 30 Haines runners joined teams in the 30th annual Klondike International Road Relay over the weekend, an apparent peak in local participation since the first Haines runners competed in 1987.
Haines High School graduate and cross-country star Chandler Kemp was the fastest runner on the course, setting a 5:33-minute pace on his 16-mile leg. Kemp ran with the Juneau team “Team 8,” which placed first among 50 teams in the “mixed” category. Kemp’s 1:28:49-time also put him in first place among all male runners for his leg.
Kemp’s team finished second overall among the more than 140 teams participating, with a team time of 12:13.
The perennial Haines team “Slackmasters,” led by team captain Marnie Hartman, led Haines squads. They placed sixth among mixed teams, with a team time of 14:34:52.
Haines runner Jessica Kayser placed first among women in her 7.8-mile leg, setting a 7:24- minute pace with a finish time of 57:43. Kayser ran with first-time Haines team “Alaska Rod’s.” The team placed 16th overall among mixed teams with a team time of 16:24:43.
A new corporate team, the “SEARHC’SMILERS,” included former Haines dental hygienist Lisa Cone, who recently relocated to Juneau. Cone’s team placed 12th among 17 corporate teams, with a 17:09:50 total time.
Haines runners Lilly Boron, Michelle Byer and Michael Byer participated on the Juneau team “Witness the Fitness,” which placed 11th among 28 open teams with a total time of 17:09:50.
A group of Haines runners fielded the all-women’s team “Mountain Mamas Gone Mad.” The Mountain Mamas placed sixth among 21 women’s teams with a total time of 17:38:50. Runner Sierra Jimenez placed second among women’s team runners in her 5.6-mile leg with a time of 57:53 minutes.
Longtime runner Chip Lende competed on Klondike teams for decades. “Of all the years I was involved, (Haines) only had one team, and usually half of them were walkers,” he said. “It’s wonderful to see so many people running.”