We have a Winner(s)!
What a day! We have the first finishers on the 350 bike as the field continued to battle tough conditions. Kevin Breitenbach and Clinton Hodges finished together in 3 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes. No strangers to the course, this is Kevin’s 5th 350 finish and Clinton’s 7th finish. They were not the last finishes of the day, being 2 of 8 that have completed their race today and there are 5 more set up to finish including Lael Wilcox who will probably be done by the time this is posted. When asked about her finishing goals she just wanted to go “as fast as I can” and after resting and eating, when she gets home, she is going to “get the wheels in motion for Tucson GRIT, my middle school girls cycling mentorship program” AWESOME! Also a nice treat after pushing bikes for hours, it looks like riders are currently enjoying 7 to 8 MPH between Nikolai and McGrath, what a way to finish, huge congratulations to everyone today!
Meanwhile! The weather continued to be a huge hurdle for the entire field. Overnight to this morning, there were 32 athletes nestled in Rainy Pass Lodge, waiting out the storm. This is a good time for getting rest and enjoying the camaraderie of fellow participants. The few that had gone out to brave the pass at night had stopped to bivy a few hours after leaving. Jessie Gladish had stopped for over three hours at the base of the pass to rest after her epic push and is now in Rhone resting and eating brats (brats might be speculation).
Later, sometime after 5 am AK time, a large human train of bikers, skiers, and walkers left Rainy Pass Lodge to make a push for the pass. Currently, 24 people are making their way to Rhone Including 1,000 mile biker Leah Gruhn and Kinsey Loan, and first 1,000 mile foot Herman Watson. All are heading to a 6 person tent on the other side of the pass, try not to think about it! The bikes have been moving around 1.5 to 2 MPH all day, and they are moving right along with the ski and foot division, which means they are pushing bikes and will continue to do so for potentially 30 miles. All disciplines and all distances traveling together, it has been a treat to watch.
Rumor had it a large group was going to wait until midnight to go, but the conditions must be improving as many continue to file out and make for the Pass, still there are over 20 camped at the lodge, including Amanda Harvey who said yesterday “that it’s going to get cold but I’m ready for it”.
Moving back down the trail, athletes continue to make their way from Finger Lake.
Eric Thomason, 350 foot division, missed the turn after the Happy River Steps and added a projected 10 miles total (5 out and 5 back) and 5 hours to his Iditarod Trail Invitational. How quickly an athlete can mentally bounce back from something like this is instrumental in their success, he is now on track and moving well!
I’m happy to report that everyone has covered the trail between Shell Lake and Finger Lake. Yesterday the trail was completely blown with winds howling at over 50mph and racers were forced to find the trail with their feet. How do you know if you are off trail? Take a step - if you don’t post hole, you are on the trail. Apparently there was a moose situation but I’m waiting on details for that.
We finished the day with 14 total scratches and 8 finishes with a projected 5 more. One of those we’ll give a special shout out to, Tazlina Mannix who is on bike and on her way to her first finish in McGrath now. When asked about a cause she was riding for this year, she stated “My dad died suddenly eight months ago. He loved adventuring in remote Alaska by foot, skis, raft/packraft, bike, etc, and I'm so grateful he passed that on to me (and many others). He was one of my heroes, and I'll be thinking about him a lot while I'm on the trail. My family established the Arthur Mannix Memorial Fund in his honor:
https://alaskacf.org/funds/arthur-mannix-memorial-fund/.
The fund is dedicated to connecting people with nature through recreation, art, education, and science.
We’re happy she will get to finish today, with her husband Casey Fagerquist 350 bike, who says she’s his “best friend” and is “ excited for her to experience it.“
It will be a long night for everyone out on the trail, and days of hard conditions really stack up, especially for our 1,000 mile racers. This morning lead bikers Miron and Tyson Flaharty spent very little time in Mcgrath before heading out and are now less than 13 miles to Ophir. For them, the adventure is just beginning. Lead skier for this distance Asbjoern Skjoeth Bruun is on his way to Rhone along with Faye Norby, and Leah Gruhn. Remember the 6 person tent mentioned earlier? It’s a good thing these athletes are comfortable sleeping outside.
Written by Kari Gibbons, photo credit Leah Gruhn, athletes commiserating at Rainy Pass Lodge before braving the storm.