With the race now ending at Alaskaland, Anchorage runners Kirk Fisher (32:41) and Lisa Keller (37:37) beat Fairbanks two top local runners to win the MSR crowns in 1995. Murphy took second to Fisher with a time of 33:02, which was good enough to hold back Andy Ferguson, who beat him the previous year. Second place in the women?s division went to Mari Shirazi, a newcomer to the Fairbanks running scene who would go on to make her name known in tougher races such as the Annihilator and the Equinox Marathon.
Why is that Anchorage runners like the MSR so much? It goes beyond the fact that they can usually hold off the best of the bunch in Fairbanks. ?I love all of the support here,? said Ferguson. ?You don?t see that in Anchorage.?