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Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton and this is The Weather Notebook.

On your marks, get ready...Go!! Quickly to Fairbanks, Alaska and join correspondent Amy Mayer with other runners for the annual Equinox Marathon.

Fairbanks has a busy running calendar that officially begins with the midnight sun run on summer solstice. Equinox Marathon director Steve Bainbridge says his race is the capstone of the season.

"As the midnight sun was identified as a milestone in the seasons in Fairbanks, then the equinox. Usually it's snow, rain, sun, we don't know but there's something with that".

The unpredictable weather just adds to the challenge, which includes a nearly 18-hundred foot climb followed by more hills. Jane LeBlond starts up Ester Dome in a training run this summer. The two-time female winner missed the course record by just 22 seconds last year. Though she leads the pack, LeBlond's not in the race just for the competition.

"It is always an incredible day, the fall colors and leaves on the trees and the smell of the high bush cranberries, the nice crisp air. It's always been just a wonderful day and I just always am grateful that I can be out there with friends enjoying the weather and the beautiful scenery of Alaska and Fairbanks".

It's bittersweet for some, though, as the end of September means short days and cold temperatures are on the way. Bainbridge says many turn to skiing or snowshoeing when the snow flies. But running is still possible.

The 2001 Equinox marathon is September 22, visit their website at equinoxmarathon.org. The Weather Notebook is a production of the Mount Washington Observatory and supported by the National Science Foundation. Thanks today to Executive Producer, Peter Crane.