Crow Pass Crossing is a go -- and late additions to field could add get-up-and-go

The 33rd annual Crow Pass Crossing is a go, and a couple of late additions to the field could add some get-up-and-go to Saturday morning's backcountry marathon.

Race director Michael Friess told runners assembled at a mandatory racer's safety meeting Friday afternoon that it appeared the McHugh Creek wildfire would not alter the race from near Girdwood to the Eagle River Nature Center.

Earlier in the week, there were concerns about traveling to the race start — racers must report by 6:30 a.m. at the trailhead — because of a lane closure on the Seward Highway. But the road has been fully open for a couple days, and recent rain has aided firefighters battling the 842-acre blaze in Chugach State Park.

"Looks like the rains helped us out a little bit,'' Friess told racers. "So keep your fingers crossed.''

Friess told racers to monitor their email in the morning in case events alter the status of the race.

"If you don't see anything, the race is on,'' he said.

The field already included two-time defending women's champion Christy Marvin and defending men's champ Scott Patterson, a three-time winner.

When dozens of racers who pre-registered for the race did not show up at the safety meeting, dozens of wait-listed runners gained entry to the race.

The late additions included Chad Trammell, who last month finished second in the Mayor's Marathon in 2 hours, 30 minutes, 14 seconds, and will make his Crow Pass debut. Trammell earlier this season broke the men's record at the 7.5-mile Turnagain Arm Trail Run.

He's also an accomplished obstacle-course racer, which should come in handy on a course strewn with nature's obstacles — tree roots, raised rocks, a crossing of Eagle River, vegetation-shrouded single-track and, given recent rain, slick footing. The race, which has been ball-parked at anywhere from 22.5-24 miles in recent years and occasionally features run-ins with bears, moose and bees, begins with a 4-mile climb that ascends 2,000 feet to Crow Pass before dropping down into Eagle River Valley.

Patterson, a national champion skier for the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center, last year won in 2:56:13, the second-fastest time in race history to Geoff Roes' 2:54:44 in 2010.

Meanwhile, two-time race champion Eric Strabel, who owns the fourth-fastest time in race history (2:58:30 in 2009) and three of the top-10 all-time fastest clockings, is back in the field for the first time since 2011. He has run the race five times, winning twice and finishing runner-up three times.

Elite skier Caitlin Patterson, a national champion and Scott's sister, was a late entry in the field. She finished sixth in 2011 as a 21-year-old and may be able to give Marvin a test.

Marvin two years ago in her Crow Pass debut clocked the second-fastest women's time in race history (3:26:44), just 24 seconds off Nancy Pease's race standard, set by the nine-time champ in 1990.

Marvin has shown sharp fitness this season, winning her second Mount Marathon, and also setting a record at the Turnagain Arm Trail Run. She also won hill climbs on Bird Ridge and Knoya Ridge this season.

The race, which begins in Chugach National Forest before dropping into Chugach State Park on the descent from the pass, is limited to 150 racers and includes time standards.

Racers must reach the top of Crow Pass inside an hour — "and looking good,'' as Friess reminded them Friday — or they are disqualified. Racers also must reach the finish within six hours to be official finishers.