SEWARD, Alaska — Two Anchorage Olympians dueled it out on the streets of Seward for the women’s title in the 84th annual Mount Marathon Race, leading a crowded field to the finish line of the Fourth of July event.
Like their bib numbers, 2 and 3, skiers Holly Brooks and Kikkan Randall were right next to each other until they approached the finish line. Brooks was in the lead when they came into view of the crowd along 4th Avenue -- but Randall made a last-minute push to put herself ahead of Brooks and take her first Mount Marathon win, clocking an official time of 52 minutes and 3 seconds with Brooks crossing the line at 52:22.
"It's every bit as special as I thought it would be," said Randall. "This is my 10th senior race, so the 10th one is the charm."
For Brooks, the result marked her third career second-place finish, but it's the first time she came across the finish line behind Randall.
