Anniversaries and fast conditions
We’d like to point out a fun fact regarding two of this year’s participants and hope you’ll all join us in cheering for Petra and Jan Francke on skis! While this is Petra’s first year at ITI, last year we all cheered and watched as Jan made his way to Nome in 25 days. Petra watched from home, her heart with him the entire journey. This year they’re looking forward to sharing the joys and struggles together on their 10th anniversary! With a low snow year, those on skis will have their work cut out for them, though at least Jan and Petra won’t have to go it alone. Congratulations are already in order, but there is still have plenty of race to go. Tonight, the Francke’s are reeling in the first checkpoint at mile 71. “Adventure is the spice of our relationship and our life.”
We noticed that the first four bikers followed the traditional route to Skwentna, curving west along the Yentna River before dipping south near the Skwentna Airport. We’re uncertain why Lael and Kate didn’t follow these tracks and why they chose the Skwentna River, though it really doesn’t make much of a time or effort difference. Kara Oney followed the Skwentna river a little too far south and had to backtrack to get back on course. How often does one check navigation while moving along out there? It can be different for everyone and typically off-course moments happen in the dark when navigating is toughest. Luckily no one has followed Kara’s tracks traveling further than necessary along this long trail!
On day 2 of this long affair, it’s much too early to talk about previous course records and how fast everyone seems to be going… and yet we’re going to go there because it’s exciting to think about! The leaders arrived in Finger Lakes 55 minutes ahead of the 350-mile 2015 pace on bike set by John Lackey at 1 day, 18 hours, and 32 minutes. Lackey is back on course again this year, apparently giving his past self a run for his money! Tyson to Puntilla this year was ~45 mins ahead of 2015, and two hours ahead of 2016’s pace. A real wildcard that remains is the rumor of the many tussocks our friends might see in the swamps before Nikolai, which could slow them down. Low snow means bumpy terrain and possible open areas along the course, which will also be tedious to avoid on limited sleep and while in the dark.
Sunny Stroeer reports open areas like those mentioned above along the route between Rainy Pass and Rohn. We hope that ice bridges stay in great shape for everyone coming down the trail. Word on the street is that a cyclist is touring independently of ITI, having started his ride a day before the race. It took him a good 6.5 hours across from Rainy Pass Lodge. We’ve seen some epic looking aerial shots of holes in the ice near Dalzell gorge posted to ITI’s social media, and hopefully everyone else on trail is able to steer clear.
Heather Best set the women’s 350-mile record on bike in 2014 and if Lael Wilcox and Kate Coward keep up their blistering pace, it's possible they both may get to McGrath under the previous record time. Trackleaders does an amazing job showing past splits and race times for participants, but unfortunately we didn’t begin to use Trackleaders until 2015, so we can’t track the earlier splits from location to location to compare. If you compare Lael’s time to other finishers of the past since 2015, she might get to Puntilla the same time J. Petervary did in 2015. He went on to finish in 2D, 2h. If that were the case, she would smash the record.
Kate Coward also has the chance to beat Heather’s time. That said, this year’s front pack is traveling FAST, but there is still a lot of trail to go. Both Lael and Kate are nearing Rohn, with Kara making her way to Puntilla.
Just before 12:30 AK time, Trackleaders showed a great big brunch party happening at the Skwentna Roadhouse. It looked like 6 WWW, two guys on bikes and a lone skier enjoying a meal before heading back out onto the route. Lynn Hall and Amanda Harvey are on a self-proclaimed culinary tour, enjoying hot meals from roadhouses whenever they can and enjoying “good times.”
Spot checking the forecast in several locations, it looks like temps won’t fall below zero until our racers get past the AK range. The pass looks clear of wind for the foreseeable future and the low tomorrow morning on the Yetna river is expected around 8 degrees. Things are looking fast and favorable for our friends out on the Iditarod trail!
Stacy Fisk on foot is attempting her 350 ITI after having to pull out of the event last year. Initially hesitant about participating in the event, she committed after talking it over with her longtime friend, Tyson. She qualified for ITI by participating first in the White Mountains 100 on bike, followed by the Susitna 100, and then she took a mountaineering class to qualify her for last year’s ITI 350 distance. Undaunted by having to make the call at the bottom of Rainy Pass in 2024, this year she’s more determined than ever to finish.
Be sure to keep an eye on the @wildwinterwomen Instagram page, as we’ve been sharing lots of racer’s and volunteer’s photos and video from the trail. There’s still time to “ask the ITI vets” any questions pertaining to winter ultras or the Iditarod Trail Invitational and we’ll be sure to answer them! There are no dumb questions when it comes to information sharing through the Wild Winter Women, either on Instagram or in the facebook page, as our goal is to help create and foster community by making information for these types of events easily accessible.
