On Saturday morning, a small crowd gathered at Eagle River Nature Center. They set up tables of watermelon wedges, pizza and Coke, ready to cheer on the 138 runners who were making their way over the rugged course of the Crow Pass Crossing race.
As volunteers prepared for runners, Harlow Robinson, one of the co-directors, monitored the racers’ progress on his walkie talkie. The course spans 23 miles of mountainous terrain from Girdwood to Eagle River. It’s a scenic trail, Robinson said, over an alpine pass and alongside several glaciers.
“We always tell everyone how beautiful it is, and then we tell them not to look at any of it,” Robinson said. “The trail is so technical that if you take your concentration away from your next footstep, you’re likely to take a hard fall.”…