A big shout-out to the many people who devote their time and energy to make the ITI race a unique experience for the racers.
Our Trail Angels all show nothing but dedication and kindness and some of them have been helping for years.

Today we would like to thank both a long-time Trail Angel, Zoe Brinker and new ITI Trail Angels, volunteers Rhende and Chalayne, who both did an amazing job welcoming racers at Shell Lake Lodge as Zoe has been unwell and not able to do it herself this year.

Zoe Brinker has owned and operated the lodge since 1978 and is an ITI institution. Zoe has been hosting racers, but also mushers and travellers every winter. She’s suffered a bad back for years but it has never stopped her from being active and welcome people. She’s the soul of Shell Lake and her bright personality is missed this year.

Rhende and Chalayne have giving racers the best care and Rhende, who is also ITI foot racer Kari Gibbons' mother even made Alaskan beer following Zoe’s recipe.

Both women went to visit Zoe before flying back home to Minnesota to tell her about this year's race so she wouldn't miss out on the excitement.

ITI is a race but it is also a wider community that comes together every year to celebrate teamwork, on the Trail and off the Trail.
There are a lot of remarkable people with inspiring stories working behind-the-scenes and we would like to thank every one of them for the great job they do.

Gavan Hennigan crossed the finish line at 03:48 after long, gruelling hours of racing on the Trail today. 

Gavan has had a fantastic race, keeping his speed no matter the challenges this ITI edition has thrown his way.

Gavan is not scared of challenges having rowed across the Atlantic solo in 49 days.

Well done Gavan, you deserve a good meal at Peter and Tracy Schneiderheinze’s in McGrath!

They have hosted the racers since 1997, the first year of the 350-mile race and their finish meal is legendary amongst ITI athletes, so no doubt Gavan will enjoy their hospitality.

Now, guess who is going to be St Patty's Day King?

With a special thank you to Jennifer Elliott for the Irish flag! 

Athletes are all progressing well on the Trail.

ITI1000 athletes Petr Ineman and Jill Martindale have reached McGrath Checkpoint.

Gavan Hennigan is expected to cross the ITI350 finish line very soon now. A victory in sight for the man who also counts a solo rowing crossing of the Atlantic in 49 days to his sporting achievements.

He is closely followed by ITI1000 bike racer Jussi Karjalainen, from Oulu, Finland.

Other ITI1000 bike athlete to be expected in McGrath late in the night/dawn is ITI Veteran Toni Lund, Paimio, Finland.

Also on the way to McGrath tonight are Rebecca Rusch and Greg Martin who are expected to cross the finish line of ITI350 together in the early hours.

NIKOLAI UPDATE

Another cosy night in Nikolai where a few more athletes are expected to arrive for a well-deserved break.

ITI350 foot racer Steve Hayes has joined Christof Teuscher, Roberto Gazzoli, Troy Szczurkowski at the checkpoint.

Next is ITI350 bike racer Beth Shaner, from Crested Butte, Colorado, followed by another strong female athlete on the Trail, Faye Norby, the leader of the ITI350 women’s foot race and Jeff Leuwerke.

Behind them, and approximately an hour from Nikolai are ITI1000 foot racer Beat Jegerlehner, ITI350 skier Mathieu Bonnier and ITI1000 bike racer Graham Muir, from New Zealand.

Another racer who swapped hot summer days for Alaskan winter is Daniel Cooper, from Ashgrove, Australia. He is competing in the ITI350 foot race and moving along the Trail with fellow ITI350 foot athlete Chris Moroch from Statesville, North Carolina as well as Ryan Wanless, from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The racers are expected to arrive in the night in Nikolai.

Next are Italian brothers Tiziano and Willy Mulonia. Tizanio is competing in the ITI350 and Willy is going all the way to Nome. Willy Mulonia and Roberto Gazzoli are the respected race director and director of the tough Mongolia Bike Challenge, which takes place in August in Mongolia.

Behind the Mulonia brothers are Moose Hero and ITI350 skier Greg Mills, ITI350 foot athlete Robert Youngren, from Gurley, Alabama. They’ve stopped to bivy in Bear Creek with ITI Veteran and 1000 foot racer Jill Homer, and ITI1000 skier Asbjørn Skjøth Bruun, from Holsted, Denmark.

They are joined by ITI350 foot racer Amber Bethe, a strong athlete from Anchorage.

Behind them are ITI1000 foot athlete Mark Hines, from London, UK, ITI350 skier Lars Danner and ITI350 foot racer Frode Lein, from Hakadal, Norway. The trio is progressing well towards the checkpoint.

Further back on their way to Nikolai are ITI1000 foot racers Donald Kane, from Australia ( even if the Scottish accent may say otherwise) and Klaus Schweinberger, from Austria. Both athletes are currently heading towards Bear Creek.

They closely follow the tracks of a strong female athlete from Minnesota (yes, another one!), Kari Gibbons, who is competing in the ITI350 foot race.

All other athletes are now stationed in Rohn apart from ITI350 foot racer Hendra Wijaya who has been resting in the warmth of a cabin at Hells Gate before returning to Puntilla.

Thank you everyone for your support in the past week.

It’s been a busy night and day so far on the Trail.

FOOT RACERS

Foot racer Hendra Wijaya, from Indonesia has been going off course, following tracks to a cabin at Hells Gate but is warm and safe now. He is going to go back to Puntilla.

Leading the women foot race is Faye Norby, from St Paul, Minnesota, who has had a strong race so far and is currently 18 miles away from Nikolai.

ITI1000 athlete Jussi Karjalainen, from Oulu, Finland, has had a great race so far and he is currently moving to McGrath.

Christof Teuscher is currently arriving in Nikolai.

He is followed by Brit Steve Hayes and Jeff Leuwerke, another Minnesotan doing well this year.

ITI Veteran Beat Jegerlehner is moving towards Nikolai as well and racing alongside Kiwi bike racer George Adams (see below).

Austrian ITI1000 racer Klaus Schweinberger has left Rohn this morning.

Leader Gavan Hennigan is progressing fast towards a victory in McGrath.

ITI1000 foot athlete and true ITI Legend Loreen Hewitt is currently moving steadily 14 miles out of Rohn.

SKIERS

Larson Danner, who has several ITI McGrath finishes under his belt is skiing this year. Lars wants to race in the 3 different ITI disciplines. He’s currently on his way to Nikolai.

Asbjørn Skjøth Bruun, from Denmark, finished the 350 distance last year and is doing ITI1000 this year. His father is here to great him in Nome.

Mathieu Bonnier, from Corenc, France, is a multi-discipline athlete with amongst other achievements, a Solo Atlantic Crossing Row and a Northwest Passage Solo Row. Mathieu is currently progressing towards Nikolai.

Greg Mills, from Anchorage, Alaska, is currently heading to Bear Creek and onto Nikolai later.

BIKE RACERS

Casey Fagerquist, the leading ITI1000 racer is the next bike athlete arriving in McGrath today.

He is followed by Jim McDonough who will complete the ITI350 when reaching McGrath.

Behind them are Petr Ineman, who is the second athlete going to Nome and for whom McGrath will only be a checkpoint, and Jill Martindale, who is the leading female athlete in the ITI1000 bike race. Jill has been showing great tenacity and stamina all the way so far so she will be the one to watch beyond McGrath.

Rebecca Rusch, Greg Martin, Toni Lund and Troy Szczurkowski are currently resting in Nikolai.

New Zealand athletes Graham Muir and George Adams are on their way to Nikolai. George’s bike broke but he’s pushing it forward to the next checkpoint. Both athletes are going to Nome this year and shunning the Kiwi summer sunshine for Arctic wind gusts on the Trail.

Third bike athlete in the women’s ITI350 race, Beth Shaner is moving towards Nikolai as well where she is expected tonight. Beth has been consistently strong on the Trail, braving harsh conditions and difficult terrain.

Amber Bethe, from Anchorage, is following skier Greg Mills towards Bear Creek and onto Nikolai. Amber is an accomplished athlete with achievements outside ITI such as White Montains 100.

Another Kiwi and strong woman on the Trail is Nina Stupples who was an ITI rookie last year only. Nina is racing with fellow ITI350 bike athlete Cheryl Wallace and both women are arriving in Rohn.

FINISHERS - ITI350 BIKE

• Bergur Benediktsson completed the ITI350 bike race at 09:59.

• Jamie Hollingsworth arrived in McGrath at 10:20.

• Aaron Wilbur finished the same race at noon - on the dot!

NIKOLAI UPDATE

It's a cosy night in Nikolai tonight with several athletes checking in in the last couple of hours.

Currently stationed in Nikolai are:

Jim McDonough, Casey Fagerquist, Jussi Karjalainen, Petr Ineman, our second female bike athlete Jill Martindale, Toni Lund and Gavan Hennigan.

Expected to join them soon is ITI Veteran Troy Szczurkowski, from Daisy Hill, Australia.

Next will be Rebecca Rush and Greg Martin. Rebecca and Greg have decided to finish the race together, so don't expect Rebecca racing solo while Greg takes a catnap!

Irishman Gavan Hennigan is currently leading the foot race and is the first foot athlete to arrive in Nikolai this year. Here's a video of his arrival, we know he has Ireland wide awake watching his dot.

Well done Gavan!

After a sensational performance throughout the race, Minnesotan bike athlete Kate Coward crossed the finish line in McGrath tonight at 10:25pm.

Kate has been inspiring many with her relentless tenacity throughout challenges on the Trail and we are honoured to call her an ITI Champion.

Well done Kate!

When ITI350 athletes arrive in Nikolai, pressure is high. It’s the last checkpoint before the finish line.

Resting and eating becomes more important than ever after a few days on the Trail in difficult weather conditions and ahead of the last big push before McGrath.

Iceland athlete Bergur Benediktsson, from Reykjavic, Iceland has just left the checkpoint for the last stretch of the race.

Inside the lodge Aaron Wilbur, Casey Fagerquist and Jamie Hollingsworth are appreciating a welcome break from the effort. Joining them is Petr Ineman, from Downers Grove, Illinois, who has arrived shortly.

Volunteer George masters a perfect burger, in fact so delicious that Aaron has thoroughly enjoyed his 4th serving and there’s been banter about turning the checkpoint into “Chez George at Nikolai, tastiest burgers with 5 star reviews”.

If all the athletes are 100% into the race, humour and good food is what helps them to take some of the pressure off and rest more efficiently. They leave refreshed and ready to tackle on the last part of their race.

Aaron Thrasher finished the 350-mile bike race in McGrath today at 16:24.

Well done Aaron for a great performance on the Trail!

#ITI2020

Race Day 3 and Day 4. 

All the skiers had a great day making their way from Finger to Puntilla. Skier Mathieu Bonnier said it was “the best day of skiing of his entire life.” 

They're all currently making their way up the pass towards Rohn and then to some beautiful downhill sections as they wind their way down through the Dalzel gorge.

Day 4:

Bikers Nina and Cheryl made the Finger cutoff by 23 minutes. 

Willy Mulonia and Roberto Gazzoli, both from Italy, attempted to fix Roberto’s broken derailleur, which was stomped by a moose during an attack. It is still broken, but he now has limited functionality and ability to use a few gears.

Willy is currently just over 9 miles from Rohn.

Gavan Hennigan, the leader of the 350 foot division is now only 23 miles from Nikolai.

Bergur Benediktsson, from Reykjavic, Iceland, Jamie Hollingsworth, from Fairbanks and Casey Fagerquist, from Anchorage are recuperating in Nikolai.

Our female foot athletes deserve a huge accolade for taking such a tough Trail this year.

Our five competing female foot racers are all still on the Trail despite battling harsh conditions and difficult terrain all week so far.

Faye Norby leads the women athletes on foot and is currently heading to Rohn with a considerable advance.

Following her are Amber Bethe, from Anchorage, and ITI1000 Bike Record Breaker Jill Homer, from Boulder, Colorado, who are both enjoying a well-earned rest in Puntilla.

Kari Gibbons, another Twin Cities athlete who has competed in the Arrowhead ultra with ITI leading female cyclist Kate Coward, is progressing well towards Puntilla.

She's followed by ITI Legend Loreen Hewitt, from Greensburg, Pennsylvania. We like to call Loreen an ITI Legend and not just ITI Veteran as she broke - and still holds - the 1,000 mile foot race record for women back in 2014.

We know what you are going to say. Where are the action pictures?

Well, these ladies are so fast, we couldn't quite catch up with their stride it seems.

But rest assured that we will up our pace.

From left to right, Faye Norby, Amber Bethe, Jill Homer, Kari Gibbons and Loreen Hewitt.

Kurt Refsnider, from Prescott, Arizona, arrived today at McGrath at 5.25pm, which makes him our winner in the bike category for the 350-mile ITI race, 2020 edition.

It is the first time an ITI rookie wins this distance by bike.

But don’t be fooled, if Kurt is an ITI rookie, he is no rookie at all. In fact, Kurt has over 20 years of mountain bike racing experience and has broken records notably in the Arizona Trail 750 and 300.

And just because it’s not enough for this overachiever, our 2020 ITI350 Bike Champion is also an ultra cyclist racer, a Nordic ski racer and an ultra runner.

When he is not busy training, Kurt, a professor of geology with a Ph.D. in geological sciences, is also an advocate for public lands and wild places.

Kurt has been riding with Tyson Flatherty and Clinton Hodges all the way.

The three men have displayed a great team spirit that has been inspiring to everyone and they certainly have kept everyone on their toes until the finish line.

Volunteers in Nikolai predicted a win by Kurt when noticing that he was definitely fuelling up with intention and stepping into a winning mindset when he left the checkpoint.

This tactic, along with a fierce attack 50 miles out clearly gave him the winning advantage.

Huge congratulations Kurt, we are honoured to call you our 2020 ITI350 Bike Champion.

Champion Kurt Refsnider at the Pre-Race Meeting.

As athlete and ITI rookie Kate Coward is moving towards Rohn, her journey up Rainy Pass begins.

What awaits her under those blue skies? An iconic part of the Trail.

Once over the Pass, and down the Dalzell Gorge, ITI volunteers will welcome her into Rohn.

Well done Kate for your outstanding effort since the start of the race!

ROHN UPDATE

The leaders have made it into Rohn, a remote check point on the other side of the Alaska Range. For context, Rohn shelter is a wall tent and wood stove and there is also a small public use cabin.

Forecast ahead of them is a fair but breezy 10°F with wind blowing 32mph and a wind chill of -9°F.

PUNTILLA UPDATE

Athletes are dealing with an aggressive Moose near Shell Lake and Peter Basinger and Aaron Thrasher have turned back towards Puntilla.

Kate Coward keeps moving forward. More on Kate in the next post.

Winds of 25-30 mph are forecasted. The windchill is predicted to be at -35°F to -40°F. 

Snowdrifts have been particularly bad this year with drifts reaching up to 5-7ft in places. For those not familiar with snowdrifts, strong winds gusting snow result in snow walls/dunes that reduce visibility and make the terrain more challenging for racers.

SKWENTNA UPDATE

Janice Tower and her brother Matt Tanaka have decided to scratch and end the race at Skwentna.

Thank you all for your support.

ITI 2020 is a tough edition for the athletes, with many veterans scratching due to the particularly harsh conditions this year. We are in awe of all participants for their stamina!

Wind drifts making the Trail hard to see.

Making your own Trail - rearview shot.

The leading athletes have passed Puntilla and are now moving to Rohn in head winds blowing 25-30 mph and a maximum of 4°F.

So far the racers have been pushing up the largely flat terrain of the rivers. From Finger Lake the real climbing begins as they face the mighty Alaskan range. It’s a formidable challenge, especially in a high snow year, but it’s the only way to get to the remote checkpoint of Rohn.

The leading pack has chosen to tackle this part at nighttime, making it an even tougher challenge.

UPDATE WINTERLAKE:

With wind blasting nearly 50mph gusts and wind chills as low as -25°F, racers are fighting weather into Finger Lake.

A big thank you to our friends at Winter Lake Lodge for providing warm food and a comforting welcome to our athletes in the face of such inhospitable conditions.

UPDATE YENTNA:

More scratches, which brings the total to 16 so far. It took Rusts 4 flights to Yentna to bring all racers.

A few racers returned from Yentna with injuries - Jesse Pisel, hip issue due to the hard pushing, Erika Van Meter, twisted knee and Crispin Studer, knee injury.

Thank you everyone for all the words of encouragement that you send to the racers, it helps them push harder when the struggle becomes too much on the Trail.

The mighty Alaskan Range and its indisputable beauty.

Rainy Pass today.

Toni Lund, from Paimio, Finland. Toni is currently 120 miles into the race.

There was a pretty good crowd resting at Yentna Station last night.

For those not knowing, it is a small place with rooms upstairs and a few cabins outside, so no doubt it was cosy!

Many racers have departed from Yentna Station this morning.

UPDATE FROM SHELL LAKE:

Clear weather, -15 F and now wind at Shell Lake this morning. 

Our volunteers Chalyne and Rhende from Minnesota are doing an amazing job there at Shell Lake Lodge, so a big shout out to them.

This is their first time to Alaska and they are thrown in the deep end, running the kitchen, taking care of racers as well as snowmobilers that came through before the race started. 

UPDATE FROM WINTERLAKE LODGE:

Race leaders Tyson Flaharty and Kurt Refsnider departed Winterlake Lodge this morning after 6 hours of rest. They pushed really hard. In past years, race leaders have not rested there this long. That’s a good indication of how much tougher this year is.

The trails between Shell lake and Fingerlake (Winterlake Lodge) are completely blown in and athletes have to contend with knee deep snow from Shell to Fingerlake.

The best surprise of this race edition is Kate Coward, a rookie this year.

Kate is in the top 5 and the first woman to arrive at Winterlake Lodge along with 6-time champ Peter Basinger and Aaron Thrasher. Well done Kate, we are in awe of your tenacity, drive and endurance.

There are 18 scratches so far.

YOU ARE YOUR ONLY OPTION. But team work makes the dream work.

Athletes continued to battle heavy snow showers through the night into the late afternoon, as most made their way up the Yentna River.

The leaders are approaching Checkpoint #3 at Finger Lake and have found the trail blown out by strong winds with temperatures dropping.

Thank you everyone for the support!

Despite a foot of new snow reported in some places along the trail, the athletes are making good progress up the trail.

The lead is especially moving fast, with defending champion Tyson Flaharty, from Fairbanks progressing along the Trail with Clinton Hodges and Kurt Refsnider. 

ITI veteran Clinton, from Anchorage, has placed second and third in previous years. 
New to the ITI, Kurt Refsnider is an accomplished endurance cyclist in many other events.

They are followed by rookie Kate Coward and 6-time champ Peter Basinger.

The weather is challenging our athletes and we had a few scratches so far: Bob Ostrom, Steve Cannon, Mike Wallace, are currently riding back to Knik Lake, and both Brian Marang, Paul Schlagel, currently in Yentna Station.
No injuries.

Two athletes did not start: Donald Wood, Judd Rohwer
and Stefan Chmel is 2 hours from Yentna Station. His tracker was reset but is not working.

Our race co-director Kyle Durand is moving through the field reporting that the amount of snow is making it even hard progress on the snowmobile for him this morning.

The 2020 ITI starts today, Sunday March 1, at Knik Lake. We will have breaking news here once a day. We will also be posting on Facebook and Instagram daily.

Start tracking the athletes live here at 2 PM Alaska Standard Time:

https://www.iditarodtrailinvitational.com/tracking

We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting a new qualifying race. The Drift 100 is the highest-elevation winter ultramarathon in the United States and takes place in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming, the largest mountain range in the state.

Racers may ski, bike, or run on the snow-covered groomed trail, making it a great training race towards the ITI.

Organizer Darren Hull used to volunteer in communication at check points for the Iditarod Sled Dog race and understands our racers' challenges on The ITI Trail.

This year's Drift 100 will start on March 13th, so head over to https://www.thedrift100.com/whatwhen/ to find out more about this great winter ultra.

As our race in by invitation only, racers require to qualify to enter our expedition-level winter ultra.

Many of our finishers have taken our annual training camp to complete their qualification process.

This year’s training camp is held between February 17th-21st and it is filling up fast.

We have a few spots left if you are interested in signing up check out info here:
https://www.iditarodtrailinvitational.com/camps