Eric Skidmore
Aug 27, 1947 -
Jun 7, 2022
Eric Skidmore, an Alaskan runner well known in the '70s and '80s for his fast times over longer distances, died on June 7, 2022, at Mat-Su Regional Hospital from the effects of prostate cancer.
Eric's early success in running began in high school, when his Vicksburg High School cross-country team won the Michigan state championship in 1963 during his sophomore year. In 1976, he began training to run marathons and, in 1977, he won the Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks. For the next 30 years he was a regular in the Anchorage running scene, running races like the Mayors Marathon and the Arctic Valley Run. In 2007, Eric won his age group in the Equinox Marathon, 30 years after his overall win.
Eric was born on Aug. 27, 1947, in Vicksburg, Mich. In high school, he played clarinet in the marching band and won the John Philp Sousa Award and a four-year band scholarship to Michigan State, where he majored in music and archaeology, and graduated in 1969.
After graduation, he joined the Peace Corps and went to Lesotho, South Africa. Upon his return he joined a couple of Michigan friends on a trip to Alaska, landing first in Ketchikan. In 1971, he spent 80 days canoeing down the Yukon River from Lake Bennet to Alakanuk, stopping at many villages and fish camps. He spent a year in the village of Tanana, learning native ways of fishing and trapping. He found work as a surveyor during the construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline, and worked as a surveyor, mostly for Lounsbury and Associates for the next 30 years.
Eric bought his house in Chugiak, Alaska, in 1976, and lived there until his death. He was a familiar sight in recent years, riding his bicycle for hours on the trails in Chugiak and Eagle River. In 2016, Eric was a finalist in Alaska's Got Talent, playing his concertina and singing "I've Been Everywhere" in the Dena'ina language using local geographic names. He practiced his pronunciation during his bike rides. After his diagnosis of prostate cancer in 2017, Eric continued to ride his bike as long as he was able. He loved to listen to classical music, watch foreign films and was a voracious reader.
Eric was preceded in death by his father, Milo Skidmore; mother, Maxine Packer Skidmore; and sister, Tina Hayward. He is survived by a niece and a nephew in Michigan. If you would like to honor Eric's memory, please make a contribution to the Alaska Park Foundation's Indigenous Place Names project: https:/apf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit id=1098; or mail a check to the Anchorage Park Foundation, 3201 C Street, Suite 111, Anchorage, AK 99503. Eric spent his life running and riding his bicycle on Dena'ina lands, and strongly supported the indigenous Place Names Project. If you would like more information about Eric, or if you have information to share, please contact Judy Kuhn Stewart at judykuhn@mtaonline.net.
