No Eco Challenge This Year

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT

Athletic enthusiasts will be disappointed to know the annual “race against the rock” has been cancelled this year. For 12 years the Eco Challenge pinned teams of four against Kodiak’s terrain in a day-long race that often included biking, hiking, running, rafting and navigating.
Petty Officer Diana Honings handles public affairs for the Kodiak Coast Guard, which puts on race.
“It was cancelled due to lack of personnel in the MWR. There’s not enough staff to maintain the safety during the event.”
The MWR is the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Division of the Coast Guard. Honings said its currently without an athletic director and they didn’t have the funds to hire interns this year.
This is the first year since the race’s creation that it has been cancelled, but Honings said there is hope that it might return in the future.
“But right now we just don’t have enough staff to maintain the safety of the people who participate in the event.”
The race was typically held in August each year and often drew more than a 100 participants competing on more than a dozen teams.