OCTOBER 1, 1981

IÑUPIAQ ELLIOT SAMPSON’S UPSET CROSS COUNTRY VICTORY

At the starting line of the 1981 Alaska (AK) state cross country championship, Elliot Sampson from little Noorvik, AK, lined up with the state’s most established runners. Anchorage’s Marcus Dunbar, the race favorite, later won a national championship in the mile. Few knew who Sampson was. Yet, Sampson won the 5-kilometer race beating out Dunbar with a finishing sprint and setting a state record in the process. Sampson trained in snowshoes on the tundra and credited his diet heavy in seal oil for his surprise win. His victory sent an empowering message to rural AK. Sampson died in 2004, but his legacy lives on. Dunbar, who was a high school teacher and coach in Kodiak, would often tell his athletes about the boy who denied him a state championship in 1981. Dunbar told them “You can achieve great things . . . You can be president of the United States from a small little city. And you can beat all the guys from the big schools.” “Elliot’s Upset Victory” was an event inducted into the AK Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

Source:
Beth Bragg, Elliot Sampson’s Upset Victory - Alaska Sports Hall Of Fame    Elliot Sampson’s Upset Victory - Alaska Sports Hall Of Fame
Photo: Denali National Park and Reserve, 6/29/2010. Public Domain.