Wrangell Sentinel -

Impervious to the rain, more than fifty participants gathered at the starting line outside the Nolan Center for the fifth-annual Alaska Bearfest marathon on Sunday.

Volunteers manned aid stations around the course as well-wishers were ready to make some noise along the sidelines. Once they were off, participants were then redirected at various points in the course to complete their 5K, half- or full-marathon.

Local runner George Benson spent a good portion of this year putting the course together, improving on previous routes.

“That (last year’s course) was a very complicated marathon,â...