30th Annual Run for the Refuge 2026

Description

Celebrate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge at the 30th Annual Run for the Refuge. Once again we are hosting an in-person run at the University of Fairbanks trails! If outside Fairbanks you can still participate virtually by running, walking, hiking, biking, or paddling a 5K or 10K route of your own design. Use #RunForTheRefuge and tag @NorthernCenter on Facebook so we can see your adventures!

Shirts are pre-order only on Bonfire.com, link coming soon.

$30 for Adults, $15 for 12 & under.

ABOUT THE ARCTIC REFUGE

Since 1971, the Northern Alaska Environmental Center has worked to protect Interior and Arctic Alaska through grassroots activism, education, advocacy, public process, and litigation when necessary. The Arctic Refuge comprises 19.3 million acres in northeast Alaska, land that has been stewarded and held sacred by Gwich’in and Iñupiat people for millennia. The Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge is known as Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit, or “the Sacred Place Where Life Begins,” in Gwich’in. This sacred place provides critical calving grounds for the Porcupine caribou herd, which in turn supports the food sovereignty, cultural practices, and lifeways of Indigenous people, who have long led efforts to protect these lands, waters, wildlife, and communities from harmful industrial extraction.

NAEC’s Arctic Refuge work is part of that long history of care and protection. We advocate for permanent protections for the Refuge, oppose oil and gas leasing and seismic exploration, uplift Indigenous leadership, including the leadership of the Gwich’in Steering Committee and Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, challenge harmful decisions in court, and organize public pressure to protect the Coastal Plain. This year’s Run for the Refuge theme, “Drilling is not the ANsWeR,” reminds us that industrial extraction is not a solution for Alaska’s future. The answer is protecting the lands, waters, wildlife, and communities that sustain life. Run for the Refuge celebrates this place and helps continue the work that has defined NAEC since 1971: standing with Indigenous leaders and protecting the Interior and Arctic Alaska for future generations.

To learn more about Indigenous-led efforts to protect the Arctic Refuge, visit the Gwich’in Steering Committe e and Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic websites.

ROUTE

The main event will be on the UAF north campus trails, starting at the ski hut. The address is 1001 Seismic Rd, Fairbanks, AK 99775.

In the week leading up to the race, you may plan a 5k or 10k route of your choice. In the past, Fairbanks Paddlers put together these routes through town:

Fairbanks Paddlers' 2021 5K & 10K Paddle Routes

Support the conservation of Alaska’s largest refuge by participating in this fun, family-friendly event!

For any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact the Race Director at events@northern.org