❄️ The Winter Hourglass Challenge
Run • Ruck • Ski • Loaded Carry
📍 Soldotna Creek Park | Soldotna, Alaska
📅 Sat, February 21, 2026
This is a Toughest Alive event.
Hosted by Alaskan family Andrew & Brooke, with help from Dossie & Sophia — fully staffed with an aid station, hot drinks, and a warm-up area.
WHAT THIS IS
This isn’t a normal race.
The Winter Hourglass is a community-first endurance challenge with plenty of swag, lots of encouragement, and a format that starts friendly… then slowly turns into an unforgettable winter test of pacing, grit, and “one more round.”
Each round, you restart together — hype, support, and high-fives — until you decide you’re done, or the hourglass finally wins.
HOW IT WORKS — CHOOSE YOUR DIVISION
🏃♂️ RUN — 2-MILE LOOP
Complete the 2-mile loop within the time allowed for each round.
🎒 RUCK — 1-MILE LOOP
A ruck is simply a backpack with weight.
This division is beginner-friendly, and participation without weight is welcome for those new to rucking or managing injuries.
Standard ruck weights (optional):
Men: 35 lb
Women: 20 lb
❄️ SKI — LOOP COURSE
Cross-country ski option (weather and trail conditions permitting).
Loop distance and format will align with the Hourglass timing structure.
🏋️ LOADED CARRY
A functional endurance option that blends strength, teamwork, and strategy into the Hourglass format.
Implements and loads provided
Carries clearly explained before the event
Focus on safe movement, grit, and consistency — not max strength
Spectator-friendly and wildly fun to watch
🔥 HYBRID
A dynamite option for hybrid athletes:
Run the 2-mile loop
Complete 10 burpees before your round is complete
THE HOURGLASS FORMAT
Every athlete starts with 30 minutes to complete their loop.
After each successful round, the hourglass drops:
⏱️ Each new round gives you 1 minute less to finish the same task.
Round 1: 30 minutes
Round 2: 29 minutes
Round 3: 28 minutes
…and so on…
You continue until you time out or choose not to restart.
Maximum event length: under 6 hours.
✅ Your score = total completed laps.
The event continues until only one athlete remains in each division — or until time runs out on everyone.
WHO THIS IS FOR
All ages and skill levels
Anyone needing a real cabin-fever cure
Runners who want winter fun and a pacing test
Ruckers who want a tough-but-welcoming challenge
Skiers who want something different
Hybrid athletes testing endurance and resolve
First-timers welcome — the early rounds are generous
You don’t need to be elite.
You just need to be willing to keep restarting.
SAFETY & SUPPORT
On-site staff
Warm-up area
Hot drinks + friendly aid station cheering you on every loop
This event is outdoors — expect winter conditions and dress accordingly
SCORING & RESULTS
Final standings are based on:
✔️ Total loops completed
✔️ Last athlete standing (if applicable)
✔️ Separate results/podiums by division
(Run / Ruck / Ski / Loaded Carry / Hybrid / Kids)
QUALIFICATION INVITE
Top finishers in each division at the Winter Hourglass will receive a special invitation to compete in the Ultimate Hourglass, hosted by Toughest Alive in Anchorage in September. This invitation-only event brings together the strongest, toughest, and most consistent athletes from Hourglass events across Alaska and the lower 48, for a higher-level challenge. Qualification is earned through performance, consistency, and grit — not luck. If you want a reason to dig deeper when the clock gets tight, this is it.
ARE YOU READY TO BEAT THE HOURGLASS?
Come get outside.
Get uncomfortable in the best way.
Leave with a story.
Register today and test yourself against winter, the clock, and your own limits.
🎁 SWAG BAGS
Listen — swag matters.
Every participant receives a swag bag, highlighted by an official Hourglass event T-shirt.
⚠️ Sign-ups after Thursday, February 26th are not guaranteed an event T-shirt.