Congratulations to Jose Bermudez for finishing the ITI 1000 in 20 days, 5 hours and 38 minutes and for raising over $14,000 for charity as part of his journey to Nome.
Well done, Jose!
Congratulations to Troy Szczurkowski of Brisbane, Australia for placing 3rd in the 2019 ITI 1000 in 19 days, 16 hours and 14 minutes!
Troy is the only Australian to have completed the ITI 1000, and this is his fourth finish in Nome out of four attempts. Troy also completed the ITI 350 in 2015.
Troy led the 1000 mile race for the first 400 miles and battled injuries to his feet for most of his journey to Nome. The determination he showed by pushing through very tough weather and trail conditions while overcoming physical setbacks was inspiring and a testament to his resilience and grit.
Congratulations to John Logar and Petr Ineman for winning the ITI 1000 Men’s Bike Division in 19 days, 3 hours and 56 minutes!
John and Petr persevered together for over 700 of the 1000 miles, conquering overwhelming challenges during every day of their journey, and, in the end, they crossed under the burled arch in Nome at the same time as champions of the 2019 ITI 1000.
It is day 20 in the 2019 Iditarod Trail Invitational and 12 athletes are still making their way to Nome in the ITI 1000. Six athletes have previously finished the ITI 1000, but the other six have paid their dues on the Iditarod Trail by finishing the ITI 350 one or more times in the past.
John Logar and Petr Ineman are expected to be the first finishers in Nome this evening. They have been riding together for more than 700 miles and took the lead between Ophir and Iditarod from Troy Szcurkowski. Troy is in third place, 14 miles behind the lead duo, and has been battling trench foot for more than a week.
Jose Bermudez is in White Mountain in fourth place, 25 miles behind Troy. Meanwhile, the women’s duo of Missy Schwarz and Kim Riggs, who have ridden together since the start of the ITI on February 24th, is expected to arrive in Elim tonight.
The lead runner, Beat Jegerlehner, on his 5th run to Nome, is approaching Shaktoolik, around 750 miles into the race. Beat is about 100 miles ahead of the next runner, Eric Johnson, who is also a previous finisher of the ITI 1000 and who is currently in Kaltag.
Iowa’s Steve Cannon and Germany’s Peter Felten left Unalakleet this morning and are about halfway through the 40-mile leg to Shaktoolik. Suffering from gut problems, Steve stayed in Unalakleet for two days until he felt well enough to continue.
The ever-positive and smiling Austrian, Klaus Schweinberger, is in third place in the foot division, just a few miles ahead of Australian Grant Maughan. Both men will reach Eagle Island tonight, the halfway point in the long, desolate and tough 120-mile Yukon River section. As the last competitors on the Iditarod Trail this year, they face the daunting task of covering ground over trails that have not seen traffic in a few days.
After 17 days, ITI athletes are spread over more than 300 miles.
A frosty Petr Ineman
Petr Ineman and John Logar were the first to make it across Norton Bay between Shaktoolik and Koyuk, spending around 19 hours on the ice working against strong headwinds, snowfall and a blown-in trail. After leaving the bay, they will cover 12 more miles on a revised overland route before arriving in Koyuk.
About 20 miles behind them, Troy Szczurkowski arrived at the Little Mountain shelter cabin, perched on a peninsula jutting into Norton Bay. Troy rested, recovered and attended to his injured feet for about 13 hours in Shaktoolik before making the six hour push to the cabin and is not expected to stay long before embarking on his crossing of the sea ice.
Jose Bermudez stopped in Shaktoolik after crossing the tough Blueberry Hills just outside of Unalakleet and pushing his bike for most of the last 11 miles across the soft trail into Shaktoolik. He plans on resting for a few hours before pressing on towards and across the sea ice.
The Little Mountain shelter cabin
📷 Craig Bullen
A contemplative Jose Bermudez
📷 Jose Bermudez
Missy Schwarz and Kim Riggs arrived in Unalakleet and caught their first glimpse of the coast at 3:30pm while Steve Cannon made good time about 25 miles behind them, riding the packed trails of the portage from Kaltag.
Missy and Kim prepare firewood at the Old Woman shelter cabin between Kaltag and Unalakleet
📷 Nicholas Carmen
Steve Cannon arrives in Kaltag at 1am
📷 Nicholas Carmen
Grant Maughan works his way along a soft trail in snowshoes
Leading the foot race, Beat Jegerlehner arrived in Kaltag around 2pm after spending 3-1/2 days working against a sloppy, soft and wet trail. Peter Felten is 36 miles back, doing his best to navigate the overflow and slush while pushing his bike.
Eric Johnson, the second-place foot racer, left Grayling at 1:02pm after spending a day resting and recovering before embarking on the long, arduous and remote 121 mile trek to Kaltag. Although the Eagle Island checkpoint is approximately mid-way between Grayling and Kaltag, there are no services and is only composed of a few tents used as a rugged dog sled race checkpoint.
Klaus Schweinberger is 493 miles into the race and is just about to drop onto the Yukon River, 6 miles from Anvik, while Grant Maughan is 20 miles behind him after having just left Shageluk. Both men trudged through the day in light snowfall and soft trails with temperatures in the high 20’s to low 30’s.
The Iditarod Trail changes slightly each year, based on conditions. This year, warm temperatures and unstable surfaces have required a deviation in the trail over the sea ice between Shaktoolik and Koyuk. ITI athletes will travel closer to the coast after leaving the Little Mountain Cabin and will take an overland route for the last several miles before Koyuk.
After Koyuk, the trail heads takes a more inlet route for the first few miles before rejoining the standard track to Elim. Once athletes leave Elim, they will take the overland route to Golovin.
The map below shows the standard route in red along with the planned revisions in green.
The first bikers have arrived in Kaltag after the long over 100 mile stretch up the Yukon River in warm conditions with sleet, rain, snow, wind, overflow and soft trails.
The first two arrive were Petr Ineman and John Logar followed by Troy Sczurkowski.
Troy reports temperatures close to 40 degrees with soft punchy trails.
The two Alaskan women in the race to Nome, Missy and Kim, are making steady progress on the Yukon River despite the warm and soft trail conditions.
Jose Bermudez, Steve Cannon and Peter Felten are keeping a steady pace despite the slow trails.
Runners Beat, Klaus, Eric and Grant are also keeping a steady pace.
I spoke with Eric Johnson. He said he has trouble getting the tracker unit opened up to put new batteries in. The screws are in so tight, he is afraid he might strip them out. Will find out how we can get the tracking unit opened up.
The weather forecast for Kaltag:
Tonight
A 40 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 30. Northeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Sunday
Snow, mainly after 9am. High near 33. Northeast wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.
Sunday Night
Snow. Low around 27. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.
Monday
Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 29. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Kathi Merchant, Matanuska Valley
race director
The women’s record holder Jill Homer is in Nome for a month training for the White Mountains 100 race and awaiting Beat Jegerlehner’s arrival. She went on a locals ride outside of Nome today and witnessed a storm that broke the sea ice loose and she writes on face book that now you can see the ocean from front street in Nome. An aerial image posted later by former racer Sean Grady snows most of Norton Bay without ice also. This means most of the trail beyond Shaktoolik to Koyuk, Elim to Golovin will most likely run overland this year. The warm tempereatures along the coast will also not be ideal for running dogs in the Iditarod. They tend to overheat when it is above freezing.
We did hear that Utah runner Eric Johnson left Iditarod last night. He was in good spirits. His tracker is not working. We will leave a message for him in Shageluk that he needs to check his tracking device.
Florian Reiterberger has left the Ophir check point. We are waiting to hear from him once he gets back onto the road system and cellphone signal about his arrival back at the hotel in Anchorage.
All other racers on the trail to Nome are making great progress.
Leading bikers Petr Ineman and John Logar are only 8 miles from Kaltag this morning.
Kathi Merchant
race director
We have been monitoring the trackers all day. The ITI racers are moving along the trail now in the midst of the Iditarod dog mushers, who have arrived in Grayling. The leading bikers in the ITI are still ahead of the mushers, and they are moving along well on the big, wide, mighty Yukon River at over a mile wide in places.
A quote from Andy Heading, a competitor from the UK several years ago : “This is not a river, it is an ocean.”
Florian Reiterberger is still in Ophir, according to his tracker. The weather conditions have most likely prevented a bush flight out. A flight or the trail is the only way out.
Not tracking:
Eric Johnson from Odgen, Utah, is on the trail, but either his tracker is not working or he forgot to turn it on. He left the McGrath checkpoint 2 days ago.
The trail is really remote beyond McGrath, and the 1000-mile race is different from the 350-mile race. It is a self-supported, winter expedition. The only news we get as race organizers is what racers post themselves on social media when they have access to wifi in the villages, or if they call from a village. The only cell phone that works close to or in the villages is the Alaskan GCI cell phone. Some racers carry satellite phones. They are not required to call the race organization. We get what information we get on occasion or through Iditarod news media on the trail. We will share information as racers pass through gateways/villages along the trail. There will be more places to find wifi once racers get to Kaltag and after Unalakleet on the Bering Sea Coast.
Hopefully, we will hear from them sooner.
Kathi Merchant
race director, Matanuska Valley, Alaska
Racers are making steady progress up the Yukon River and the first 3 bikers — Troy Sczurkowski, Petr Ineman and John Logar — have made it past Eagle Island on the Yukon River, heading north towards Kaltag.
The only two women in the 1000-mile event are Alaskans Kim Riggs from Anchorage and Missy Schwarz from Fairbanks. They both have finished the 350-mile event multiple times previously.
They are currently 50 miles south of Eagle Island, moving along at 6 mph. This indicates the trails on the Yukon River are pretty good and have set up to ride.
Florian Reiterberger is still in Ophir. He is waiting for a flight out. His bush flight may have been delayed because of bad weather. Alaska bush pilots fly VFR, which means the must have enough visibility to fly. Icing conditions also prevent bush pilots from flying when temperatures get close to the freezing point.
The last racer on the trail, just out of Ophir, is runner Grant Maughan from Australia.
Anchorage Daily News had this article about the snowless trail conditions and tussocks showing in the 80-mile stretch between Ophir and Iditarod:
The picture of the musher in the article explains pretty well what Alaskan tussocks look like.
Current conditions and forecast for the Kaltag area:
This Afternoon
Snow. High near 31. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Tonight
Snow, mainly before 4 a.m. Low around 22. East wind around 5 mph becoming southeast after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of about an inch possible.
Today there are 12 athletes making their way to Nome. Eric Johnson is not tracking. He possibly forgot to change his batteries in McGrath or did not turn the tracker back on.
Grant Maughn has new shoes and is on his way as well.
Donald Kane has pulled out of the race:
https://craigmedred.news/2019/03/07/worst-of-times/
Current temperature in Anvik is 27 F. The leading bikers have reached the small village of Anvik on the Yukon River. In the lead are John Logar and Petr Ineman, both veterans of the 1000-mile race. This morning they are moving at 6-7 mph. With cooler temps at night, trails must have firmed up for them.
Aliy Zirkle is the leading musher into Iditarod in the sled dog race. She has not taken her mandatory 24-hour stop yet. Iditarod is the halfway point for mushers as well as human-powered athletes.
Beyond McGrath, there is a drop bag provided by the ITI organization that is flown out by a bush plane ahead of time. Then there are 3 small villages where racers resupply from village stores or retrieve packages they have mailed ahead to themselves as “general delivery.” There is a BNB in Shageluk and Grayling; otherwise, racers sleep in the schools along the way when there are no other lodging options.
The most desolate and longest uninhabited stretch of Yukon River awaits them after the stop in Grayling: over 100 miles on the big, wide and lonely Yukon River until they reach the community of Kaltag.
Day 10 ITI
Trail conditions on the Iditarod Trail are not ideal right now for people or dogs. Temperatures are warming in the Iditarod area and making travel difficult in wet conditions and soft trails.
Two fat-bikers in the ITI have turned around. German rider Florian Reiterberger is having knee issues and pushed his bike back to Ophir. He is getting a flight out to Wasilla tomorrow. Scottish rider and race veteran Donald Kane, a previous Nome finisher, pulled the plug on his race after heading into heavy snow into the Takotna hills. He walked back to McGrath and flew back to Anchorage today.
Klaus Schweinberger left McGrath and is on his way to Takotna.
Grant Maughan is waiting on new shoes. The ones he used to McGrath caused him foot issues.
9 racers of the 16 who signed up for the 1000-mile event are still in the running.
We are following the Iditarod Sled Dog race updates to get a glimpse of current trail conditions, as well as monitoring speeds and mileage covered by the ITI racers. However, mushing dogs over trail is not the same as riding a bike or running the Iditarod Trail by human power. Dogs don’t need a surface as hard as human athletes do to move forward on a snowy winter trail.
There are several scenarios possible with the current weather pattern on the section from Gayling to Kaltag, a wide-open stretch on the Yukon River of over 100 miles.
The trail could set up hard with cooling temperatures and create fast trails; it could be sugary snow; it could be the consistency of powdered milk or mashed potatoes — all depending on snow, wind, temperature and other factors.
Another issue for these athletes will be moisture management and trench foot issues. Getting wet and damp in these conditions will get you chilled quickly, and it is hard to stay dry. Then you get cold, and it is difficult to dry anything without external heat.
Racers can build a fire. We did in the 2008 race, when we got rained on near Cripple on the Northern Route.
Trench foot is a condition that reduces circulation in your feet and toes due to prolonged wet and cold conditions. It also encourages blister formation. Worst case, you can lose toes if you keep them in this condition too long.
Historically, the Yukon River on this particular section on the South Route between Grayling and Kaltag has dished out sugary snow, head winds and drifted-in trails, and often slow unrideable trails, even slow for foot travel.
We will keep our eyes peeled on the Trackleaders ITI tracking page and see what progress racers are making.
The 350-mile race is a wrap for the 2019 ITI.
Congratulations to all 39 finishers in the 350-mile event this year!
Full results are found on the Trackleaders page. The results will be posted on our website after this year’s race.
There are 14 athletes en route to Nome.
Current temp in Anvik: 32 F
https://craigmedred.news/2019/03/05/into-the-storm
The leaders of the 1000-mile event are in Iditarod. Troy Szcurkowski was able to get a message out to us this morning that they are OK. They found their drop bags and fuel in Iditarod. There is no trail. They have been traveling behind a group of 3 snowmobiles on the trail to Nome as tourists.
The Iditarod Sled Dog trail breakers are on their way, breaking trail for the dogs. The first mushers have arrived in Nikolai.
There is a winter weather advisory in effect for the Shageluk/Anvik area:
Lower Yukon Valley- Including Russian Mission, Grayling, Holy Cross, Shageluk, Anvik, and Flat 448 AM AKST Tue Mar 5 2019 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM AKST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Snow and mixed freezing precipitation occurring. Plan on difficult travel conditions. Additional snow accumulations of 2 to 5 inches, and ice accumulation of less than a tenth of an inch, are expected. * WHERE...Lower Yukon Valley. Heaviest snow north and west of Anvik.
Good morning from McGrath.
Current conditions here: 18 F
Forecast for the Shageluk area, where the current leaders in the 1000-mile race are:
Today
Rain and snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 35 F. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible.
Tonight
Rain and snow likely before midnight, then snow. Low around 31 F. Southeast wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Tuesday
Snow before 9 am, then rain and snow. High near 35 F. Southeast wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.
More racers arrived in McGrath last night. Asbjorn Bruun from Denmark became the first and only skier to finish, with a time of 7 days, 11 hours, 27 minutes. Congratulations!
Donald Kane and Eric Johnson, both signed up in the 1000-mile event, are here.
Vincent Poffet, Daniel Slater and Jason Davis – all rookies this year – have crossed the finish line in McGrath. Congratulations!
The Schneiderheinzes’ residence is busy again with trail chatter and finishers enjoying the warm hospitality here, with mancakes, omelettes and French-pressed coffee.
Both Kyle Durand and I are here to congratulate the finishers.
What an amazing field and high quality of athletes this year, and the greatest people to share stories and spend time with here at the finish line in McGrath.
Today, Day 8 of the event, we have a few more racers on the trail between Nikolai and McGrath.
There is a winter blizzard moving into the Lower Yukon area around Shageluk, with temperatures rising to 35 F, and rain and snow from 5-8 inches to possibly even 16 inches.
Iditarod Sled Dog Race trail breakers are in McGrath and heading up the trail today ahead of the dog race, which started yesterday in Willow. The first mushers will be in McGrath tomorrow night.
Our 1000-mile leaders, Troy Scurkowski, Petr Ineman, Jose Bermudez and John Logar, have been stopped at the Moose Creek cabin for quite some time.
The question remains, is there a trail to Iditarod and Shageluk?
McGrath current temperature 30 F (-1C)
13 racers remain on the trail to McGrath. The last racers are arriving in Nikolai tonight. 7 bikers are en route to Nome between Ophir and Iditarod. Beat Jegerlehner, Peter Felten and Florian Reiterberger are prepping to leave McGrath tonight and in the morning.
Weather forecast for the Shageluk, Anvik, Grayling area:
Winter Weather Advisory
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
301 PM AKST Sun Mar 3 2019
AKZ215-041600-
/O.EXT.PAFG.WW.Y.0056.190304T0600Z-190306T0000Z/
Lower Yukon Valley-
Including Russian Mission, Grayling, Holy Cross, Shageluk, Anvik,
and Flat
301 PM AKST Sun Mar 3 2019
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING
TO 3 PM AKST TUESDAY...
* WHAT...Snow expected. Plan on difficult travel conditions. Total
snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches, with localized amounts up
to 10 inches, are expected.
* WHERE...Lower Yukon Valley.McGrath. March 3, Sunday, Day 8
Current conditions in McGrath : 17 degrees F, cloudy and calm
In the 1000-mile race:
https://craigmedred.news/2019/03/03/idit-a-grunt/ news article by Craig Medred
Ghost town of Iditarod:
https://www.adn.com/iditarod-communities/slideshow/photos-ghost-town-iditarod-alaska/2013/03/08/
Checking the trackers this morning, it appears that the lead pack of four bikers is riding now, judging by their speeds. John Logar is moving at 5.5 mph. Kim and Missy are moving along well also, followed by Steve Cannon. The snowmachines with tourists heading to Nome from Wasilla obviously passed them and the trail is setting up.
The race is on among the lead pack of four!
In the 350-mile race:
Several more racers arrived last night and this morning to finish the 350-mile event in McGrath.
Tracker issues:
Sean Brown’s tracking unit was not working on a remote part of the trail. RD Kyle Durand switched out the tracking unit and Sean Brown is tracking now. He is almost in Nikolai.
McGrath March 2
Current conditions in McGrath: 12 F with light snow, no wind
Rob Henderson from Minneapolis won the 350-mile running division last night. Piotr Chadovich from Belarus is the second runner to arrive in McGrath. Congratulations to them both!
Steve Cannon from Des Moines, Iowa, and Alaskan cyclists Missy Schwarz of Fairbanks and Kimberly Riggs of Anchorage departed the McGrath checkpoint en route to Nome this morning. It appears the three snowmachines reported en route to Nome have passed the leading bikers and have put in a trail to the ghost town of Iditarod, where 10,000 gold miners once lived.
The race takes an alternating course each year after Ophir, following a northern route in even years and a southern route in odd years. Many ITI racers find the southern route – which includes the town of Iditarod – interesting because of its historical significance, and I have heard from racers who have done it that it’s especially scenic between Ophir and Shageluk.
The 1000-mile race is more an expedition and adventure than a race. Before anyone can enter the 1000-mile race in the ITI, they need to have finished the 350-mile event in a previous year. Since the year 2000, only about 65 human-powered racers have crossed the finish line under the burled arch in Nome. Only seven have been women.
Go Missy! Go Kim!
The sole remaining skier on the course, Asbjorn Bruun from Norway, is now 18 miles from Nikolai. Last year, we had two skiers finish the 350-mile race. Few skiers enter this race – even fewer finish. It is not hard to understand why. The trail often includes snowless sections of ice and rocks that are difficult to ski. It’s bumpy from snowmobiles and windy through the trees, and there are short, steep sections that are very narrow and icy. And when it is really cold, there is no glide to skis.
There is a reason fat bikes dominate this race, always win and set the fastest times: A fat bike has proved to be the fastest mode of transport for human-powered travel on the Iditarod Trail. In 2015, John Lackey of Anchorage set an ITI 350 bike record by making it to McGrath in under two days, beating the fastest time of even the dog mushing teams on that stretch of the trail. Jeff Oatley from Fairbanks set the 1000-mile bike record in 2014 of 10 days, 2 hours and 53 minutes. In the early days of the Iditarod, Jeff would have won the dog race with this time. The winning time for champion musher Martin Buser’s dog team in 1992 set a record at just over 10 days, and it wasn’t until Doug Swingley’s win in 1995 that a dog team finished in under 10 days.
Kathi Merchant in McGrath
race director
Women in the ITI
Women in the ITI are just as tough as any other athlete in the race. This year we have Rebecca Rusch in first place. She has been an endurance racer for more than 20 years and is known as the Queen of Pain.
At 50 she wanted to do something that challenged her. She took first place in the women’s division.
There were 10 women in the race this year out of 82 participants. It seems like a small number, but it is pretty average. 3 women scratched for different reasons.
The women’s field has been small over the years, but the women that attempt the ITI are pretty special. As race organizers and coaches in our training camps we are especially proud of Cheryl Wallace and Nina Pebbles who participated in the camp this year and completed the 150 mile event with shining colors!
Only 7 women ( 3 on foot ) and 4 by fat bike have made the 1000 mile journey to Nome since the year 2000.
Missy Schwarz and Kimberly Riggs are attempting to go to Nome this year. They are currently in McGrath. They would only be number 8 and 9 making the trip to Nome under human power.
1000 miles on the Iditarod Trail is not only 3 times as far as McGrath but it exponentially more difficult.
The 350 mile event is a race, but riding or hiking to Nome is a real adventure and winter expedition that takes a lot of training, experience, knowledge and mental as well as physical strength to accomplish.
Trail Conditions between Rohn and McGrath
Daytime temperature is in the 20s, nights -10F
This side of the mountains is in the rain shadow of the Alaska Range. This means there is often little or no snow. This year there are 12 miles of ice, rocks and dirt. This is fast for the fat bikes, but slowing down the runners dragging a sled.
There is a BLM shelter cabin 50 miles from Rohn. Some racers stopped there to rest, sleep and dry gear.
It is really remote and desolate country when racers leave Rohn. In past years the race has seen -40 F all the way from Rohn to McGrath. This year the coldest temperatures were in the -25 to -30 F range. Heading into Nikolai there is always a breeze, a stiff wind blowing at your face.
Our Nikolai check point volunteers George and Lucas are working hard today and all night to take care of racers and grill burgers for them.
1000 mile race
Troy Sczurkowski, John Logar, Jose Bermudez and Petr Ineman are on route to Nome. It appears they are pushing their bikes judging by their progress and speed. Until the Iditarod Trail brakers come by, there is no trail on the South Route. No anyone can put it in, it is hard to find your way across there. The ITI does not break trail to Nome only to McGrath. The events are times this way that the 1000 mile racers will have a trail and all the activity that the Iditarod race brings with it. Another bonus for the racers heading to Nome is that they get to see the Iditarod dog sled teams on the trail.
Kathi Merchant from McGrath
race director
Good morning from McGrath!
Temperature is -18 F.
Idaho campers (Jay P’s Idaho Island Park fat bike training camp) Graham Muir and George Adams from New Zealand and Brian Broomall roll into McGrath at 6 am this morning all frosty but all smiles.
Participating in the ITI annual training camp is another way to enter the race. Camp participants have done extremely well in this race. It is a 5 day camp on the Iditarod Trail where participants learn the skills and knowledge necessary to safely navigate the route. They learn about layering, use of stoves, proper tire pressure, winter bike maintainance and how to eat and fuel our bodies in the cold. As race directors and race veterans teach those skills at the camps and share their knowledge from many years on the Iditarod Trail.
“Wow what an amazing experience!”
They saw Northern Lights last night and had good trails to ride.
There is much activity in the Schneiderheinze’s with racers arriving, eating breakfast and enjoying the famous mancakes and 3 egg omelettes.
Status runners
Rookie Rob Henderson is the leading runner in the 350 mile race. He is 41 miles from McGrath.
Beat Jegerlehner is the leading runner in the 1000 mile distance.
Troy Szcurkowski appears to be pushing his bike on the Southern Route beyond Ophir. There is no trail at this time until the Iditarod trail breakers come through braking trail ahead of the dogs. The ITI always follows the same route as the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.
The Iditarod starts on Sunday out of Willow. The trail breakers are usually 24 hours ahead of the first musher. Mushers will start arriving in the community of McGrath Tuesday night.
Rebecca Rusch rides into the McGrath this morning under blue skies and sun this morning at 10:55 am just in time for the famous Mancakes at the Schneiderheinze residence. She is the first women to arrive in the 350 in the 2019 ITI. 3 days 20 hours 55 minutes. Temperature was -10 F here this morning.