3/6/2025 5:00PM AKST

By Allison Carolan

The 1,000 mile athletes have spent the last 12 days crossing swamps, climbing mountain passes, traveling through gorges, burns, and navigating gravel, ice, soft snow, sleet, and tussocks. For the intrepid 24 now journeying through the depths of the Alaskan Interior and to the coast, the silence might have seemed profound at first, broken only by wind, occasional wolves, and perhaps the echoes of gold rush adventurers, serum run heroes, mail carriers, and sled dogs who came before. Without this rich history, there would be no sled dog race, no human-powered adventures of the Iditarod Trail Invitational (founded in 2002), and no dot-watching for us. More on the Iditarod history in just a moment; first, let’s uncover what’s been happening for the past 24 hours.

Peter Delemere has led the biker pack for days despite telling volunteers in Nikolai he never intended to be in front. After taking some extended rest breaks, including last night at Old Woman Cabin and this morning in Unalakleet, he was joined in Unalakleet by Casey Fagerquist and Joshua Brown during presumably a brunch feast in Unalakleet, home of the famous “Peace on Earth Pizza.” The three departed together at 3:00pm heading for the foothills. Now well ahead of the women bikers still on the Yukon, this group will be the first to encounter and report on this year's coastal conditions beyond Unalakleet.

Janice Tower and Matt Tanaka arrived in Galena just after midnight this morning, benefiting from overall good trail conditions on the Yukon (although occasionally soft snow in warmer daytime temps), with Julie Perilla Garcia and Karl Booth following shortly after. 'Iron Grandma' Janice noted yesterday that despite the challenging climbs on the leg from McGrath to Ruby, she was enjoying the village sections beyond, and looking forward to seeing the sled dog teams. Incidentally today, one of our Wild Winter Women sleuths was watching the Iditarod Sled Dog Race live-stream around mid-day, and was able to clearly see Karl Booth & Julie Perilla Garcia on their bikes in the background of the livestream (the photo is posted on instagram), likely departing as mushers Paige Drobny and Ryan Redington tended to their teams at the Galena checkpoint. Team Tanaka left Galena with Julie and Karl, suggesting all four bikers witnessed the sled dog action.  Photos by Ryan Wanless would indicate that a very fun breakfast “juice box party” was had by this group of bikers in Galena before leaving.

In the foot division, Kari Gibbons has steadily progressed along the Innoko River, crossing the 400-mile mark late this afternoon. After stopping at Carlson Crossing Cabin from 7 PM to 7 AM, she reported getting “good rest.” Racers are now settling into shelter cabin routines of melting snow and chopping wood. Foot athletes particularly may need to gather clean snow for water before reaching cabins, as nearby snow is often trampled and dirty.

Foot athlete Magdalena Paschke has been traveling about 15 miles behind Kari the past two days and also spent some time resting at Carlson Crossing, overlapping with racers Kari, Daniel Heon, and Petr Ineman. Magdalena set out again today just before noon, and as of this evening she appears to be anchoring the remaining field of 24 as Sean Brown has turned back to McGrath.

The weather on the Yukon can be famously cold, but the forecasts from Ruby to Kaltag remain in the 20’s and 30s for the next several days. With that said, the racers are spread out across nearly 400 miles of trail now, and the front runners could be hitting some headwinds soon, with the forecast predicting 20 knot north winds by Friday evening, increasing to 30 knot winds through the weekend.

While the ‘ITI nerds’ who bring you these updates traditionally try to stay ‘in our lane’ of emphasizing the women athletes who take on the ITI, there is one rookie Iditarod musher we must shout out who is a longtime member of the Wild Winter Women. Emily Ford, of Duluth MN, is holding her own quite nicely and currently resting her team between Ruby and Galena. And that, my friends, brings us full circle back to the Iditarod’s history, and two trailblazing women, Dorothy Page and Mary Shields.

The Iditarod Sled Dog Race’s Origins

The Iditarod Trail Race began in 1973, envisioned by Dorothy G. Page (the "Mother of the Iditarod") and Joe Redington Sr. to honor sled dogs and the historic freight route that shaped Alaska's modern day identity. Page's vision, recognized by her 2018 induction into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame, celebrates the unique musher-dog bond across Alaska's challenging terrain.

While dog teams were used for thousands of years by Inupiaq, Yup'ik, and Athabascan communities across Alaska, they became essential for settlers in the 1800s. Gold seekers and pioneers used dog teams to carve paths from coastal towns into interior goldfields, navigating terrain no horse could traverse. The trail evolved into a vital lifeline, carrying mail, supplies, and lifesaving serums across the frozen frontier. With the advent of bush planes and snowmobiles in the 20th century, dog teams faded into relative obscurity, and the Iditarod Trail began vanishing beneath encroaching wilderness.

Mary Shields: A Trailblazer

Early skeptics dismissed the idea of a 1,000-mile sled dog race as impossible, but the "Last Great Race" was born nonetheless. The inaugural year saw 22 mushers and the following year in 1974, a woman named Mary Shields joined the musher ranks—forever changing the future of the sled dog race and the ITI to come.

Mary Shields grew up in Wisconsin and as a UW college student, she traveled to Alaska for a summer job and made the life-altering decision to move there. A few years later she signed up for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. 

On the first day of the 1974 race, a spectator shouted, "You better turn around now, you'll never make it to Nome." Rather than discouraging her, these words fueled her determination. Through frostbite, dangerous river overflows, temperatures below -40°F, ground blizzards, and sleep deprivation, she persevered.

At checkpoints, Shields later revealed, men would bet on when she would drop out, while many women quietly wagered she would finish. After 29 grueling days, she reached Nome's finish line—proving gender had no bearing on wilderness fortitude. Her historic finish laid the foundation for generations of women who would follow on the Iditarod Trail, including our ITI athletes.

Decades later, addressing the mushers at the Iditarod Sled Dog Race starting line, she said:

"This is a message from a musher who, just like you, was waiting to take off on the second Iditarod, forty-one years ago. Every musher around the world wishes they could be in your shoes. Every time you harness your dogs, put your parka on, remember every minute of it. The years pass, and you'll wonder where all the time went. Take good care of yourself and remember every minute."

Later in life, with the first snowfall each year, Mary would still harness her team. She never yelled "mush"—derived from the French "marchez"-- as a command to her dogs. She always emphasized that it was never a command but a call to journey.

For our 1,000 mile athletes, a final wish for you as you continue into the great unknown: may your musher spirit and your inner dog become one enduring force, balancing joy and struggle with shrewd decisiveness and care. You now carry the torches of the survivors, the seekers, the heroes, and the dreamers who have preceded you. May you embrace this great adventure despite all that nature may throw at you, and do so deliberately. Like the dog teams that have run before you, let yourselves be called to the journey, and never commanded. Let any doubts cast by others or within yourself only fuel your resolve, and as Mary Shields once said, "Take good care and remember every minute."

The sun rose on day 13 of the ITI with continued mild (though cooling) temperatures ranging from 16F in Unalakleet to the low 20s up the Yukon toward Ruby.  Things felt quiet this morning—almost too quiet-- as the foot athletes have been making their way through the most remote sections from Innoko to Ruby.  It’s been quiet for good reason, as there is no service in the region… and even if there was service, the foot athletes might all be working too hard to message us.

Gavan Hennigan was the first foot athlete to arrive in Ruby last evening after an impressive series of 18 hour pushes. He did let us know that despite his best efforts to lose all of his toenails before ITI, he miraculously still had them all in Ruby, and thinks all ten are likely to remain stowaways to Nome at this point. Gavan reported following fresh wolfs tracks on top of the biker tracks somewhere beyond Cripple for nearly 50 miles. This grueling stretch of the trail is a series of overland “portages” connecting many creek beds and flowages that form the “winter path of least resistance” to Ruby. This repetitive pattern of “creek, ridge, portage, repeat” results in a lot of rolling climbs and descents, repeating from Poorman, to Sulatna, to Long Creek, to Big Creek and finally reaching the Yukon. The Yukon will offer a flat though monotonous 136-mile reprieve before athletes reach the portage that will guide them to the coast.

Gavan is no stranger to hard challenges or monotony. A saturation diver by trade, he’s spent over a decade on oil rigs, where he's been rumored to train atop the rigs by running in densely-heat-mapped circles as seen by sleuths on Strava. Hailing from Galway, Ireland, Gavan has completed remarkable feats, including a 49-day solo trans-Atlantic row and winning the ITI 1,000-foot division in 2024 in 24 days, 18 hrs (as well as the 350 race in 2020). It seems Alaska still has a pull on him, and we’re thrilled to have the privilege to follow his dot once again.

While Gavan continues his journey, the other athletes are making steady progress as well. Behind him and also behind Jon Richner, and lone skier Erick Basset, our lead women’s foot athlete Kari Gibbons set out from the North Fork Innoko Cabin just after sunrise this morning after taking a good 8-9 hour rest. She appears to be moving well through the first stretch of the difficult creek-ridge-portage-repeat sequence. Kari, Petr Ineman, Daniel Heon, and Magdalena Paschke have held the same pattern of position for the past several days, overlapping during rest stops and staggering their journeys over an 8-10 hour period, with Kari typically in the lead and Magdalena bookending the crew. At this stage in the race, efficiency, effective (and rapid) recovery, and durability is as important (or more) than one’s moving pace, and these four athletes appear to be sticking to a good rhythm without any outward signs of breakdown.

Shifting gears to the 1,000 mile bike women, Janice Tower (traveling with her brother Matt Tanaka) and Julie Perilla Garcia (traveling with Karl Booth) made it into Nulato around 9:30pm and 11:00pm Thursday night, respectively, just after being overtaken by lead Iditarod Trail musher Michelle Phillips and her team near the 600 mile mark. Julie has previously shared that she signed up for the ITI 1,000 after being “pulled back” to the trail again and again for the “solitude and simplicity of living on only what you can carry, and to be with the people who get it.” She has certainly fallen in with some fun and like minded company. This group spent the night in Nulato and appear to have been in the same vicinity again this morning as Ryan Wanless, Matt Garretson, and Thomas Miller… perhaps for another breakfast party? Team Tanaka departed Nulato around 9:00am, with Karl and Julie leaving an hour later, followed by Ryan Wanless. This afternoon after a seven-hour ride on firmer snow than previously seen in the daylight, Team Tanaka reached the Kaltag school. "Kaltag" derives from a Yukon word meaning "before the king salmon," originally naming a gathering place across from the current village. The village itself had other names, including one meaning "place where the trail comes out to the river," referring to the portage to Unalakleet that the trail follows. This historic trade route has created lasting connections between Kaltag and Unalakleet communities.

As athletes continue through this historically significant section of trail, this evening, much like this morning, continues to feel quiet-- again, maybe too quiet-- as if we’re all in the midst of a collective inhale. We’re teetering near the halfway point of the ITI 1,000 journey for our foot athletes, while the lead bikers are preparing for the most nerve-wracking stretch. Peter Delemere, Casey Fagerquist, and Joshua Brown were spotted today by Jay Cable on the FAA weather cam riding into Shaktoolik, just tiny dots against a blustery looking Norton Bay backdrop. They are posted up now in the Shaktoolik presumably for the evening, setting strategy for tomorrow’s sea-ice crossing, and watching the wind forecasts closely.

Behind them, a group of five including Perry, Mike and the “Italian trio” Tiziano, Willy & Robi are all about to enjoy a dinner at Peace on Earth Pizza in Unakaleet this evening. Robi posted yesterday that Peace on Earth is his favorite pizzeria, and noted that as an Italian he ought to have one, “no?”

The positioning and strategy of all of the athletes near the coast may become more critical as we consider the weather patterns ahead that await them. We've experienced a nearly unprecedented stretch of mild weather in this year’s ITI, and it has felt for days as though our good luck must run out sooner or later. Aside from a burst of mixed precipitation on Monday in the Innoko and lower/middle Yukon regions, the athletes have had almost eerily mild and dry conditions since Knik. But- we humans are fickle creatures, and it’s easy to wish away our own good fortune when monotony and fatigue set in. Most of the athletes have likely grumbled (understandably) about the soft, mashed potato or sugar-snow conditions over the past two weeks. It’s only when we compare these frustrations to something like "20-30 knot northern headwinds on the Norton Bay sea ice with questionable visibility," that we might accept the softer snow as a lesser evil… then again, perhaps not. These athletes might be itching for the excitement of a new challenge.

The point of all of this is to say that we should all be wary of wishing for a condition to change. When you do, the shifty northern weather djinns might just grant your wish in the most paradoxical, miserable way. Almost every weather wish gets granted-- statistically speaking-- but they are bestowed on their own twisted timelines, with little regard for our plans.

Temperatures are expected to continue to drop during the week ahead as a high Arctic air mass slowly migrates south and east. Winds along the coast began to kick up this morning, and the forecasted north winds in particular could create interesting conditions in the blow-hole near Safety for the next few days. The snow will almost certainly firm up for our inland bikers and foot athletes, but breathing, eating, visibility, or blown in trail could become new difficulties in the days to come.

With the potential for almost any winter weather condition for our  remaining racers in the next two weeks, I find myself reflecting on the contrast between my comfortable circumstances at the moment vs. the athletes' experiences. As I sit here in my climate-controlled Minnesota home it’s easy to long for a taste of the adventure and even some of the suffering our athletes might be feeling. Yet there's a delicate balance between desiring what lies beyond our reach and recalling the real possibility of receiving way more than we bargained for. Just remember a shifty northern weather djinn might be listening at any time, and might just grant a wish you never full intended to make.

By Allison Carolan

Embracing the Alaskan Winter Wilderness

What compels us to seek out the Alaskan backcountry in the heart of winter? Why do the same participants return to this remote trail year after year? And what is it about the Iditarod Trail that holds such a powerful allure? For many, the appeal lies in far more than simply completing a race. It’s about camaraderie, solitude, and testing the limits of human endurance in a vast, pristine environment. It’s about stripping life down to its simplest components: keep moving, stay warm, stay nourished, and adapt to whatever nature brings.

Why the Iditarod Trail Is So Special

The Iditarod Trail, used by gold prospectors and dog mushers for generations, is now traversed by runners, skiers, and fat bikers who crave an epic challenge. The trail never appears the same way twice—its character shaped daily by unpredictable Alaskan weather, shifting snow conditions, and ever-changing terrain. Rain, snow, wind, ice, blizzards, and endless variations of winter elements make every mile a test of stamina and resilience.

Yet it’s not just the physical demands that bring people back. The Iditarod Trail fosters a sense of unity among those who share its challenges. At the finish line, racers often sit for hours recounting trail conditions, mishaps, triumphs, and the little details only fellow participants can truly understand. It’s that mutual understanding—of hardships faced, obstacles overcome, and the exhilaration of succeeding in a harsh environment—that bonds athletes from around the world.

Returning to Civilization

Re-entering everyday life can be surprisingly difficult. How do you explain to colleagues and family the profound satisfaction that comes with enduring subzero temperatures, battling blisters, or pushing through fatigue? It’s a simple but powerful existence: move forward, stay warm, and keep your body fueled. Shedding life’s usual distractions leads to personal revelations, confidence, and a renewed sense of what it means to be alive.

Why Athletes Keep Coming Back

It’s no surprise so many participants sign up again—often within weeks of finishing. Whatever discomfort or pain they endured quickly fades behind the memory of remote landscapes, the camaraderie with fellow racers, and the unique freedom of being miles from any road or crowd. For many veterans, this has become an annual pilgrimage, with some returning for a decade or even two. The pull of Alaska’s wilderness, the simplicity of daily survival, and the shared bond with like-minded adventurers form a remarkable phenomenon that keeps them returning year after year.

Race Update:

• 350-Mile Finishers
  Shortly after midnight, Melanie Vriesman and Stacy Fisk reached the finish line to become the 2025 ITI 350 Women’s Foot Champions. They shared many laughs in Nikolai before embarking on their final push via the overland route, completing their journey in 9 days and 11 hours.

• Red Lantern
  Sarah Hurkett claimed the red lantern, arriving in McGrath at 9:20 a.m. today.

• Race Withdrawals
  Jim Wilson scratched, unable to make the cutoff. Unfortunately, longtime ITI veterans Donald Kane (marking his 20th ITI anniversary) and Klaus Schweinberger have also scratched this year.

• Nome-Bound Racers
  Twenty-five athletes continue toward Nome. Peter Delamere leads the pack on the Kaltag-to-Unalakleet portage, and Magalena Pasche is currently in Ophir.

As we watch these incredible journeys unfold, we’re reminded yet again of the Iditarod Trail’s enduring magic. Every year, it offers both seasoned veterans and first-time racers a transformative experience—one that ends with stories only they can fully appreciate, and a longing to return to the Alaskan wilderness for yet another adventure.

We are nearing the end of the 350-mile race and 1000-mile racers are stretching out across the Interior and the Yukon River. Today Eric Thomason finished the 350-mile race on skis, and having finished on foot last year, he only has the bike left to complete the trifecta. Also finishing the 350 mile race today were Jacob Lankford, Jerry Palmer, and John Sharp. They enjoyed a few hand-delivered mancakes on their way to the finish. A few 350-mile racers are still on the trail, including Sarah Hurkett, who left Nikolai today after being powered by burgers and a chocolate owl. 

In the 1000 mile race, Pete Delamere continues to lead, having arrived in Kaltag. The rest of the bikers are spread out along the Yukon, with the last groups, including Janice Tower and Julie Perilla Garcia, arriving in Ruby shortly. In the 1000 mile foot race, Gavan Hennigan is leading and is currently stopped at the North Fork Innoko cabin. Also out on the course is Jon Richner, along with Kari Gibbons, Petr Inman, Magdalena Paschke, and Daniel Heon who all left McGrath this morning. Erick Bassett is from France, the lone skier in the 1000 mile race, and he is making good time currently north of Ophir. 

Warm, but stable weather continues. Past McGrath, the trails have been getting fairly soft in the afternoons but are still firming up overnight. There are also sections before Ruby where temperature inversions occur in the low spots, and racers are moving well. Today, Kari Gibbons reported that a bug hit her in the face; you could say that temps are “bug hits you in the face” warm. Looking ahead, this weather pattern is predicted to continue for the next several days. 

Without the Iditarod dog sled race using their regular route this year, it is especially lonely for racers in the Alaskan Interior, the section from McGrath to Ruby. Around 18 miles from McGrath is a small village named Tokotna, and after that, racers are unlikely to have contact with anyone except one another until Ruby. Racers go through the ghost towns of Ophir, Poorman, and Long. Along the way, racers are welcome to stay in two safety cabins built by the Bureau of Land Management - the Carlson Crossing Cabin (mislabeled as Collins on Trackleaders) and North Fork Innoko River Cabin. 

When racers get to these safety cabins, they have chores to do. They will likely need to chop wood for a fire if they wish to hang up and dry their gear, and they will also be busy melting snow for water. As a courtesy to the next cabin user, racers tend to chop more wood before they leave so the next person has dry wood to start a fire. It is indeed lonely in the Interior this year. The only other users of the trail we have heard about have been moose (lots of moose post holes by Poorman and further north), wolves (several sightings), and the reported encounter of a couple of gold miners on snowmachines (referred to as snowmobiles by those other than Alaskans). 

Wait - GOLD MINERS? Ghost towns? Where are we? 

Our racers are traversing the Interior on historic routes, a network of trails developed in the Interior after gold discoveries. Prospectors took the natural land routes or Native routes to explore the area south of Ruby and also north of the city of Iditarod, locations already being explored for gold. They struck out on their own to find their own claims and, in 1912, gold was discovered in the Poorman and Long area. This prompted trail development from Ruby south as miners flooded the region. A wagon road was built by the Alaska Road Commission, running from Ruby to Poorman, and can still be seen as an old road bed used by our racers. 

By 1913, a new junction at Ophir was formed going north from Ophir to Ruby via the gold camps of Cripple, Poorman, and Long. During the summer of 1914, fifty-five mines were in operation, employing 450 men in the Long and Poorman areas, the height of the gold boom in this area of the Interior. After World War I ended, the district never returned to its vigor of the pre-war period. Today, racers will see a few buildings still standing in these areas, including the town of Long, where houses and equipment still dot the landscape. According to the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, today’s Iditarod Trail is a symbol of frontier travel. Best wishes for our racers as they travel in solitude on this frontier, and may they strike it rich, if not in gold, then in memories and scenery. 

Written by: Faye Norby

Today marks the official restart for the Iditarod sled dog race, sending mushers and their teams out from Fairbanks, Alaska for the 1,100 mile re-route along the Northern Route. In typical Odd years, the Iditarod and ITI run the southern route, dipping down from Ophir to Iditarod, Shageluk, Anvik, Grayling, then north again to Eagle Island and meeting back up to the route in Kaltag. 

During Even years, the route heads north from Ophir to Cripple, hitting Ruby, Galena, and then Nulato before Kaltag. As we have mentioned, due to low snow, the Iditarod sled dog race needed to adapt; thus we have their 53rd annual event racing west from Fairbanks. A total of 33 teams will run west through Nenana, Manley, and Tanana before reconnecting to the route in Ruby, Galena, Nulato, and Kaltag. (We’re still not certain what the ITI racer’s drop bags look like in Cripple!) From Kaltag, the dog teams will head south to Eagle Island, Grayling, Anvik, and Shageluk before lollipopping back to Grayling, Eagle Island, and Kaltag. The dogs and their mushers will rejoin the same route that ITI athletes are traveling through the Kaltag Portage to Unalakleet, home of Peace on Earth Pizza and the first coastal village on the Bering Sea. 

2025 signals one of the smallest fields ever for the iconic sled dog race, tied with 2023. The first Iditarod was held in 1973, hosting 34 mushers in its inaugural year. The largest field ever was 96 mushers in 2008. Dorothy Page and Joe Redington Sr. conceived the idea of a long-distance race to honor the Iditarod Trail, which eventually led to the first Iditarod 53 years ago. This year’s Iditarod sled dog race reroute honors another famous route: the 1925 Serum Run. A century ago, a diphtheria outbreak hit the population in Nome. After serum was shipped by rail from Anchorage to Nenana, dog teams picked the serum up in Nenana and carried the medicine along the Yukon River and then mail trails to Nome.

We know one of the musher’s lining up for this year’s exciting Iditarod sled dog race: WWW member, Emily Ford from Duluth, MN, is excited for her first time lining up at this historic race! Emily has been a member of the Wild Winter Women since December 2020, and in the winter of 2021 she solo hiked the 1,200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Hiking Trail with her four-legged Alaskan Husky friend, Diggins. Emily Ford’s dream is to show that the outdoors is for everyone: “No matter your background, you deserve to feel comfortable and successful in outdoor spaces.”

Our friend Kari Gibbons made it to McGrath just after 3am, finding humor and loving life out on the trail. Kari was joined by Luke Thomas and Petr Ineman, also both 1000 foot participants. Today we’ve seen Magdalena Pascke make it to McGrath, and Jan and Petra Francke finishing their 10th honeymoon with mancakes in place of wedding cake. We’ve seen quite a few athletes finish in McGrath in the last 24-hours, so be sure to utilize the replay feature on trackleaders - so fun to see people choose the river versus the overland route to town! Or as I like to affectionately call it: the moose gauntlet.

Stacy Fisk and Melanie Vriesman bivied for roughly 6 hours last night while Sarah Hurkett got comfy in the Bear Creek cabin for hours. With this much time out on the trail, we’re seeing the athletes taking longer, and much needed, rests. The cold, snow, and precipitation out on the trail this morning was rough, causing Gavan and others to experience rainy bivy-times. Gross. The weather was much better later in the day, dry and warm for solid bivy sleep conditions. Another tactic athletes may find in the cold is sleeping during the day when temps are a little more comfortable.

1000-mile bike Peter Delamere is trucking right along, having taken 12 hours to ride straight from Ruby to Galena and beyond without any substantial breaks. He’s got the lead by quite a bit, roughly 45 miles ahead of Joshua Brown, Mike Beiergrohslein, and Casey Fagerquist, who took a longer rest in Ruby. 

Also on bike, Janice Tower and Julie Perilla Garcia made it to the Innoko cabin just south of Cripple for a rest before moving on. The cabin there has four bunks for the presumed five-some that stayed the night there (Ryan Wanless, Karl Booth, and we believe Matt Tanaka is with them despite his tracker showing a long rest at the Carlson Crossing cabin.)

Gaizka Aseguinolaza made it to Takotna and, after a rest, made his way back down the trail to McGrath. It has been confirmed that he has scratched from this year’s race. We’re happy to see that he’s able to self-extract himself from the course and that he was able to get to a good spot for his travels home.

Volunteer favorite, Alexandria Manley, left Nikolai towards her 350-mile finish in McGrath with an infectious positivity that left Amber Bethe and other volunteers absolutely glowing. “I love riding even when I hate it.” Alex has been traveling with thank-you cards for ITI volunteers and delivering them with sincere gratitude along the way. An attitude and appreciation like Alex’s is sure to get her anywhere she wants to go out on this beautiful trail. A Fairbanks local and ITI rookie, Alexandra is no stranger to winter ultras, with three finishes in her backyard event, the White Mountains 100, and a 2021 finish in the Tanana River Challenge. Competing in ITI has been a childhood dream for Alex, who fundraised and worked hard to make it to this year’s start line.

“There must be over two hundred people who have supported my racing and training in some way, from my friends and strangers on my Go Fund Me to the volunteers and race directors in various races. When I am riding, I bring with me everyone who has ever helped me, and I feel like I am never alone on the trail. The support is truly overwhelming.” Keep inspiring us with your contagious energy, Alexandria! Congratulations on finishing your first ITI. We can’t wait to see what you get up to next.

https://iditarod.com/race/2025/mushers/
https://apnews.com/article/iditarod-sled-dog-race-alaska-2025-9da0f472620a8fcf9d9a380273a2bdba
https://www.emilyontrail.com/about

Our friends were faced with impending deadlines for cut-offs the last couple of days, first Puntilla on Friday by 2pm, and then arriving in Rohn yesterday by 2pm AKT. The next cut off for our friends out on the trail isn’t until March 5th at 2pm - they’ve got to arrive in McGrath by that time. You could argue that being worry-free about these deadlines could be a relief for a couple of days, but I personally stress out about the time in between. Am I traveling quickly enough? Will I make it in time? The daily cut-offs are good to keep you on track. With a few nights now before the next crunch, athletes need to self-manage their schedules and make sure they’re moving accordingly. Looking at the dots on trackleaders, it seems as though our friends will be able to keep moving on schedule to arrive on time in a few more days. We’re confident in their abilities!

Gavan Hennigan, racing on foot, is making his second trip on the 1000 mile trek to Nome. In 2020 he finished in McGrath and last year he made his first trip to Nome. When he isn’t on the Iditarod trail or racing other ultras, he spends months of the year living in a saturation diving chamber and working subsea. The 2024 1000 mile men’s foot champion, he made last year’s finish in 24 days, 18 hours, and 9 minutes. When asked what his goals were this year, he stated that he wants to make it faster than last year. He also stated that he’d rather see a wolf than a moose while on trail and 10 miles outside of Nikolai, he did just that. Gavan was able to catch a video of a gray wolf in the dark at 3am, and it curiously followed him for a little while. Leading the way for the men’s foot race, we’re hoping that Gavan still has all of his toenails despite trying to lose them before ITI this year. After a quick stop in McGrath, he hit the trail before dawn to continue towards his goal.

Jessie Gladish, the second female skier to finish the 350 mile distance, came in at 6 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes, solidifying her induction into the Triple Threat Club! (Finishing ITI in all three disciplines: bike, ski, and foot!) Lars Danner was the first to be inducted into this incredible group in 2020 for the 350-mile ITI, and our very own WWW Amber Bethe was inducted in 2022! Gavin Woody joined the ranks in 2023, and now in 2025 we’ve just seen the second woman ever, Jessie Gladish, finish on skis in a low snow, and a difficult year packed with fu$%ing tussocks! Congratulations, Jessie, we can’t wait to hear your stories of the trail! It’s such a cool thing to see that out of the four people who have been inducted into this amazing club, 50% of them are women. Out on the trail in the wild, it comes down to grit, determination, and perseverance, and we are so stoked to see Jessie join the ranks this year.

In the women’s 1000 mile race, we have Janice Tower leading the way towards Cripple with Julie Perilla Garcia not far behind. Typically, racer’s drop bags are left at the Iditarod sled dog checkpoint in Cripple, but due to this year’s re-route the dogs are racing from Fairbanks north of their typical route, re-connecting on the northern route in Ruby. In a year where our athletes were hoping to traverse the southern route, the tough decision was made to stick to the more popular northern route due to the sled dog reroute and the lack of snow along the southern route. For the ITI human-powered athletes, Ruby is mile 495 on the trail to Nome. For the dogs, Ruby will be mile 319 of their 1,100 mile route - 100 miles longer than typical due to the re-route.

The Cripple checkpoint is roughly 70 miles south of Ruby, where the dogs usually pass through, (but won’t this year) - meaning that drop bags are left somewhere along the trail…but we’re not quite sure where! We’re seeing people continue past the regular Cripple turn, meaning the bags must be dropped along the trail somewhere. Watching dots is always such a speculatory event! Stay tuned to hear if we ever find out what our friends are coming across out there!

Talking about speculation, we did see that Gaizka Aseguinolaza in the 1000 mile bike spent nearly 36-hours at the Carlson Crossing Cabin (labeled as Collins Crossing on Trackleaders) before turning around and making his way back to McGrath. He seems to be making decent speed retracing his steps back on the course, though we did receive confirmation that he is scratching from this year’s event. We’re happy to see him making good time back to McGrath and don’t have any reason to worry about his well-being. One of the most important aspects of doing an event of this caliber is the ability to self-extract if needed. Lessons are learned in scenarios like this and we’re proud of Gaizka for taking care of himself out there!

Returning to talk about snow cover in Alaska, there is a weather advisory for Ophir calling for mixed precipitation and blowing snow. They’re calling for 3 to 5 inches and ice accumulations with poor visibility along the Lower Yukon River, the Yukon Valley, and along the Innoko Valley. Our friends may see up to 30 mph wind gusts through the night and tomorrow, with more mixed precipitation tomorrow. This weather advisory extends up to Ruby, but luckily does not go as far south as McGrath. This should make for an interesting next couple of days for our athletes racing ITI.

This evening we see about 9 of our athletes making their way to McGrath from Nikolai, choosing either the overland or river routes. We heard that the overland route was in decent shape, and it appears that WWW Kari Gibbons had heard the news as well, moving steadily towards mancakes and a nice rest off of the river. Kari had a tough, hard stretch moving across those tussocks but claimed, “Never miss leg day!” and seemed to be in great spirits when Amber met her in Nikolai! She looked bright, and although she planned to leave earlier in the day today we believe she got some Zz’s before heading back out on the trail!

Magdalena Paschke from Germany is another athlete heading towards McGrath after leaving the snack haven of Nikolai, having set her sights on Nome this year. Our favorite 10-year anniversary party animals, Jan and Petra Francke, are about to get to Nikolai for their choice of salmon, veggie, or beef patties. Humorously, there seems to only be one toilet at the checkpoint in Nikolai and the volunteers have placed a sign on the toilet so all athletes know so! The little comforts in an endeavor such as this are always good for a laugh, we’re sure the comedic relief of a sign like that helps to keep racers chuckling despite whatever ailments they may be feeling after more than a week on the trail.

Alexandria Manley, in the 350 bike, is also steadily cruising towards Nikolai, we expect her to also arrive there this evening. Not far behind, Stacy Fisk and Melanie Vriesman are on foot, steadily traversing and we imagine they may rest before getting to Nikolai. It appears that a handful of 1000 mile foot racers are taking a break at the Bear Creek cabin before moving on, with Sarah Hurkett and Jim Wilson less than 45 miles from Nikolai as well. Stay warm out there, friends, and we’ll be watching your dots!

Isn’t that what they say in those call-in radio shows? Well, long-time dot watcher and first-time contributor here! If you’re a fellow dot watcher you’ve probably settled into a daily pattern that’s become more sustainable after the constant dot watching (refresh, refresh, refresh) of the first couple days. Course speeds now average around 2 miles an hour in the 350 distance as most of the bikers have made it to McGrath and skiers and walkers continue their journey. Life for our racers has taken on a similar sustainability as life on the trail settles into a routine.

Scott Hoberg, our first foot finisher, made it to McGrath just after 8pm yesterday (February 28). Scott was also the first person to take the overland route to McGrath (the orange route on Trackleaders) as opposed to the river. After having made it within 25 miles of McGrath in 2018, not sure if it was unfinished business or good intel that led to his choice. Tracie Curry, on skis, made a similar choice and is not only the 350-mile women’s ski winner but the new 350-mile women’s ski record holder with an unofficial time of 5 days, 22 hours, 4 minutes, knocking a full day off the previous record of 6 days, 23 hours, and 13 minutes held by Robin Beebee and Christy Marvin.

This was not predicted to be a great year for skiing given the lack of snow along parts of the course. Hopefully Leah can get an interview with one of the three women skiers in this year’s 350-mile race for the WWW YouTube channel. Jessie Gladish, the next female skier, just left Nikolai and is poised to become the second woman to complete the 350-mile race in all three disciplines, having completed it on foot in 2018 and on bike in 2024. She has also completed the Yukon Arctic Ultra in all three disciplines. Our final skier, Petra Francke, is 40 miles outside of Nikolai, completing this year’s race as a 10th Anniversary trip with her husband Jan!

For our bikers, Beth Freymiller, Amanda Harvey, Lynn Hall, and Colleen Kersgard made it to McGrath, almost closing out the field on our women’s bike division. Two women bikers, Janice Tower and Julie Perilla Garcia have left McGrath on the next stage of their journey to Nome. The Iditarod sled dog race starts tomorrow in Fairbanks and will join the ITI race route in Ruby.

Kari Gibbons and Magdalena Paschke, both in the 1000-mile race, continue the push from Rohn to Nikolai. While many of us were sleeping, the three 350-mile female foot racers made it into Rohn well under the 2pm cut off this afternoon. If you’re a family or friend dot-watcher, you’ve probably asked what on earth made them decide to do a race this long? Perhaps you’re a previous racer who’s been asked this question. For most, the choice isn’t an immediate one. There were likely early warning signs such as a marathon, an ultra race, and another ultra race. Each new goal, once faced and overcome, leads to the next and one day they find themselves signing up for a 350-mile race, in the middle of winter, in Alaska.

These goals though, aren’t always met with immediate success. Each of our three female 350-mile racers has tackled this race before and come up short. So we are excited to watch them tackle this difficult race again. Getting to Rohn was always going to be a mental challenge for Melanie Vriesman and Stacy Fisk, after being thwarted by weather and difficult conditions over Rainy Pass in 2024. Sarah Hurkett is still resting in Rohn and has an interesting push-sled set-up that, after seeing it at the start, I want to know more about (and am hoping it performs well in the tussocks)! Speaking of which, the fu$%ing tussocks are not going to make the trek out of Rohn easy, but we know they are tough and determined women!

Day 6 of the Iditarod Trail Invitational

Ever wondered what checkpoints are like? Prepare yourself for an update from Checkpoint Nikolai! Just a few days into racers arriving here at route mile 259.3, a daily pattern has emerged. In the early morning hours, one or two at a time, athletes emerge from their naps and slowly put themselves together. There’s coffee to make, oatmeal to consume, gallons of water to decant into thermoses, hydration bladders, water bottles, and of course people. Feet are cared for, faces and smiles get a smear of skin protectant, gear is organized (and re-organized, and tweaked again). Racers get rid of a few extra trail snacks, or perhaps snag something that was left behind. By daybreak most have set off on their final 50-60 miles to McGrath.

Days tend to be quiet. During the afternoon, exhausted after their battle with tussocks, athletes start to trickle in. Hot Tang or hot chocolate are offered, and they make a choice between salmon, beef or veggie burgers. Cold layers are peeled off, clothes are hung, and dazed athletes eat and drink and start to come back to themselves. Racers chat about tussocks, where they slept the night before, and when they’ll continue on to McGrath. They ask for information such as directions out of town, overland or river route, trail conditions, or the weather forecast. After eating what they can (GI distress is a real thing), they crash out on a mattress or cot if one is available (we have three mattresses and two cots, luxury!), or on their sleeping pad. By late evening clothes are hung everywhere, the floor is crowded with people napping and floor space is at a premium, the lights are dimmed, and those awake chat quietly.

We volunteers fetch water from the clinic (the water at our location is not potable), make sure there’s plenty of hot water available, tidy up behind athletes scrambling out the door, and try to make sure they are drinking and eating. The volunteers here are amazing. One example, we walked over to the dump, retrieved a rusted out saddle from an old bike, and fixed it up as a possible replacement for broken saddle rails. Jay Cable is a master of building rapport with the local community, speaking to kids at the school, coordinating to take students out for a ski, and always game for chatting with locals.

Back to the trail. We’re going to digress from our usual WWW programming to talk about Tucker Costain. First place skier Tucker Costain finished at 6:56am this morning, joining Jim Jager and Chet Fehrman as just the third person to ski to McGrath in under five days. Every racer has a reason to get to the finish line, some rush, some not. Tucker had a unique reason to be in a hurry, his partner is starting the Iditarod sled dog race in Fairbanks on March 3.

Had the Iditarod used its normal route from Anchorage, he would have been in McGrath when she came through; an ideal scenario. Thanks to extremely low snow (basically none) in sections of the course, the route was changed at the last minute and the new course doesn’t run through McGrath. This left Tucker in a bind, how could he get to Fairbanks in time when there are limited flight options out of McGrath? He had to make the last scheduled flight out of McGrath at 3:00pm on Friday. He did that handily, despite breaking a pole before getting to the first checkpoint, refusing a replacement pole and instead skiing with a DIY pole made out of a small tree trunk (really, check out the photos).

Nome racers Janice Tower and the always cheerful Julie Perilla Garcia left Nikolai this morning in good spirits. The difference between 1,000 and 350 racers is becoming more and more apparent. Julie and Janice rolled in with good spirits after the tussocks, noting that a similar section of trail was much worse in 2022, and that you always know the trail will throw something difficult at you. Magdalena Paschke and Kari Ann Gibbons are deep into the Farewell Burn, about to hit those tussocks. With the larger sleds Nome-bound athletes often have, this section of trail will be challenging.

350 racer Henriette Geel finished early this morning, the first of several racers that went through the 2024 ITI winter training camp. Kendall Park finished late this morning, and Gillian Smith and New Zealand racer Nina Stupples this afternoon. Beth Freymiller is resting in Nikolai. Foot athletes Stacy Fisk and Melanie Vriesman are making their way over the pass on what looks like a snowy day with light winds. Sarah Hurkett rested at Puntilla Lake(Rainy Pass Lodge) for more than16 hours, but is now on the move and headed for Rohn.

Leader for the ladies ski field, Tracie Curry, is closing in on Nikolai. If she doesn't vary her pace too much she should arrive in Nikolai late tonight. Jessie Gladish is through Farewell Burn and working her way toward Bear Creek cabin, and Petra Franke is just a few miles from Rohn.

In Nikolai, the forecast calls for a 20% chance of snow tomorrow and rising temperatures. The area between Salmon River (where the route from Rohn to Nikolai makes a 90 degree turn to the north) is known for cold February winds, and indeed there’s been a continuous breeze since we’ve been in Nikolai.

Day 5 of the Iditarod Trail Invitational

One of the best things about the ITI is that there is enough suffering to go around and no one is immune from it.  For some, it may be simple exhaustion, for others blistered feet, and even others a gastrointestinal system that is in such distress you can’t imagine eating anything despite a 70+ mile slog before you. (Always bring Tums in your first aid kit!)  And for nearly everybody on this year’s trail, the 20+ miles of “fu$%ing tussocks” was the great equalizer of suffering.  Some who would’ve pushed the pace to pass an athlete who was seemingly within reach gave up after the demoralizing tussocks.  Those on foot or skis (who were honestly just foot people at this point) may have had to suffer longer than their counterparts on bikes, but still…there was that fantastic and humbling experience of pain and misery.  And why is it that pain, suffering, and misery is such a gift? It’s because, for example, when you get to a place like McGrath and someone offers you your first cup of French pressed coffee in three, four, or even ten days, it is the best thing you have ever tasted. There is a renewed appreciation for the little things.

With that in mind, let’s celebrate some of our Wild Winter Women sufferers. Yesterday, we anticipated Carol Seppilu’s win in the ITI 150 and it in fact happened.  Carol became the Women’s Foot Champion for the ITI 150 at approximately 10:27pm on February 26th.  Carla Gabrielson joined her in second place at the finish line (though honestly Carol was probably asleep) at approximately 4:43am on February 27th.  I hope the cute fox who I’ve heard is serving on the welcoming committee at Puntilla/Rainy Pass Lodge was there to cheer both these strong, Wild Winter Women over the finish line. Congratulations, ladies!

The track leaders map is this wonderfully, colorful Conga line of athletes from Puntilla to somewhere past Ophir.  (Go Troy and Peter!)  The tail of our Conga line (let’s call them our party people, as in business in the front, party in the back…subtle, I know) consists of some of the best of the best. Jan and Petra Francke are still fully enjoying their anniversary tour of the trail. (They don’t get to avoid suffering just because it’s their anniversary. They are on skis after all.  And there’s the “fu$%ing tussocks” in their future.)  Sarah Hurkett, Melanie Vriesman, and Stacy Fisk (our last three Alaskan women foot athletes on the trail) are taking a little break as well, enjoying the amenities of Rainy Pass Lodge (an outhouse and electricity…it’s the little things). Sean Brown is also in the party people house.  He’s on his way to Nome along with two guys who really bring the capital “P” party to the foot division, Klaus Schweinberger and Donald Kane. I’ve spent many miles on the trail with these two gentlemen and two finer individuals you will not find. They are good for a beer, gummy bears, and, in a quick pinch, fixing your broken trekking pole with the metal wind protector from your camp stove (hypothetically speaking, of course). Our party people are doing just fine with time. They have until Friday, February 28, at 2pm to depart from Rainy Pass and must leave Rohn by 2pm on Saturday, March 1. That will be the sixth day of our sufferfest and you have a total of ten painful days in which to enjoy the trail to McGrath.

Now back to the heart of our Conga line, and focusing on our Wild Winter Women (I wish I could talk about everybody. I’m sorry! Suffering isn’t limited to the trail), stretching between Puntilla and Nikolai.  Alexandria Manley, our final female 350 biker, is descending through Dalzell Gorge as I write and on her way to delicious brats (both veggie and meat…just two, no more…pile on that suffering) and hot tang ( the little things…nothing tastes quite as good as hot tang in Rohn).  About four miles ahead of Alexandria and only four miles outside of Rohn, is our own WWW Kari Gibbons.  We’ve heard from Jessie Gladish that skiing over the pass was great.  I hope the foot division has a similar perspective.  Kari will soon join Magda Paschke, female 1000-mile foot division, who has been resting for the last 40 minutes.  Currently, there are five athletes in Rohn, snuggling up in their sleeping bags on the spruce bows…and that’s just about capacity for that wall tent.  As folks start trickling in from the pass, those who are trying to get just a little shut-eye before the tussock hellscape will be gently (and then not-so-gently) prodded to move along and make some space. It’s time for the suffering to begin.

And, we’ve heard, that it doesn’t take long once you leave that lovely wall tent to start experiencing your first moments of fear and anxiety…suffering even.  You may have noticed, for example, Beth Freymiller on bike leaving Rohn, her dot seemingly wandering around, staying way too long on the Kuskokwim River, most likely then trying to bushwhack over to get on the right trail, and in the end just circling back to Rohn for a “take 2.”  That’s because there is no real trail right now.  Imagine a sheet of bare ice, possibly a scratch mark here or there, but nothing solid to point you in the right direction. And the only real guidance you get is “get off the Tatina as fast as you can.”  (I mean there’s always GPS but GPS doesn’t tell you where the open water is and the best path forward.)  So, before you hit the “fu$%ing tussocks” you get the ice and water and indecision.  I’d like to say that makes the tussocks a little less painful but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

One good thing about the tussocks (aside from a greater appreciation for all things), is that they are serving to give our dedicated volunteers in Nikolai some breathing room.  They seem to be spreading that Conga line out, nice and even, so that Amber can continue to make burgers but also sneak in a shower every other day or two. Colleen Kersgard on bike has a little while before she gets to experience cleanliness and a meal cooked on a stove again. She’s about 43 miles out. Tracie Currie, on skis, is about a mile and a half in front of her, moving very slowly (1.4mph…maybe she’s eating, perhaps sleep walking, but most likely it’s the tussocks) for a woman who just the day before was able to ski up and over the pass.  Beth Freymiller, Amanda Harvey, and Lynn Hall, all on bikes, are taking a well-deserved break on the side of the trail about 37 miles outside of Nikolai.  Never fear that Amber Crawford has nothing to do at the Nikolai checkpoint, Nina Stupples is about seven miles out and should arrive in the next hours.  And while Amber awaits her arrival, she has a full house of Wild Winter Women (Julie Perilla Garcia, Janice Tower, Kendall Park, Gillian Smith, and I’m guessing Henriette Geel…because she’s only .9 miles from Nikolai and she’s been there for 5 hours) and men. PSA: trackers are fallible devices.  For instance, Scott Hoberg is not where his tracker says he is.  We have reports that he’s on the trail and moving. We are guessing that he will stop before Nikolai because that’s a long stretch between where he stopped for a bit last night and the checkpoint (more suffering for family, friends, and casual dot watchers alike).

Let’s get to the business end of this Conga line of suffering.  Erin Mingrone left Nikolai around 8:15 am this morning for the final push along the river into McGrath.  She was tired and slept a full night (the little things!) and left in great spirits. She, we believe, is the first finisher from the 2024 ITI Winter Training Camp, rolling into McGrath at 4:35pm this afternoon. Congratulations, Erin!! A note about the river route, it follows the Iron Dog route the entire way and is longer than the overland route. It’s about 58 miles.  And while it might be longer, racers are reporting that the trail is in great condition. What a relief after (can you guess?) the “fu$%ing tussocks”! We expect the foot racers to take the overland route (it’s shorter…don’t add the miles at the end…at some point you get diminishing returns for all that suffering), but we have no information yet about conditions.

One last shout out and congratulations to our wonderful, Brazilian, Wild Winter Woman, Mayella Krause, who finished her second ITI 350 (first was last year!) at approximately 12:49pm this afternoon.  Because of her posts, I am now transitioning to calling the “fu$%ing tussocks,” “Chewbacca heads” and smiling every time. It is indeed the little things. Enjoy your finish and your rest, Mayella! Plus, I heard a rumor that there will be mancakes in the morning!! That’s not actually a little thing but definitely something to celebrate. Party on!

Day 4 of the Iditarod Trail Invitational

What a fantastic day! Day 4 brought us thrills and chills (it is a winter ultra in Alaska after all) plus our first two Wild Winter Women (WWW) finishers. (Warning this post is all about our women athletes.)

Lael Wilcox is a phenomenon unto herself. Her list of biking accomplishments is long. Just look at her Wikipedia page. And on top of that, according to this lovely woman who I chatted with near Big Lake while waiting for the bikers to pass by on day one, she is also especially humble and kind.  She is this year’s Women’s Bike Champion for the second year in a row, coming in with the third fastest time in race history. She did her home state proud.  We love our local Alaskan, bad-a$$ women.

In second place with an equally impressive time (the sixth fastest to McGrath) and list of accomplishments to her name is Minnesotan, Kate Coward.  According to our very own WWW Leah Gruhn, what is most impressive about Kate is that she digs deep. And she dug deep this year much like she did in 2020.  Reports from the trail suggest that she experienced something very similar to what she experienced in 2020, blurring of vision and inability to just see what was around her.  Luckily, she has a great sense of direction and intuition and gutted it out to a second place finish.  BTW, when she was experiencing all that blurry vision in 2020, she also just happened to win the women’s bike race.

Every year this race is different depending on snow conditions, temperatures (cold to very freaking cold), rampaging moose, and whatever else Alaska can throw at you.  But there are a few “good” (in quotes because they’re not good for everyone [foreshadowing alert]) years where the bikers get to push their limits.  And this was one of those years.  Both Lael and Kate join an exclusive group of women who were lucky enough to get low snow years and make it to McGrath in less than three days.  The women who came before them were Heather Best in 2014 who owns the current women’s bike course record and Tracey Petervary in 2015. I want to honor not just Lael and Kate but also Heather and Tracey. My hats off to these incredibly strong, dedicated, and powerful women!

While Lael and Kate are hopefully resting their legs and planning their next meals, the race continues for many.  Athletes are trickling through Nikolai at a slow but steady pace. (Kara Oney just left and, according to our own WWW Amber Crawford who is volunteering at Nikolai, she is looking good! And she will be our third WWW bike finisher sometime late tonight or early Thursday morning. Knock on wood!)  Many are coming in exhausted, and with plenty to say about tussocks. (As an aside, my partner finished his first ITI today [allow me a momentary cheers to Mike Monterusso - congratulations, babe!], and the first words he texted me from McGrath were “fu$%ing tussocks.”) 

You may wonder what could cause such consternation. What In fact is a tussock? Well, they are ball-shaped clumps of sedges formed by Eriophorum, also called cottongrass. If you will, imagine top-heavy mushrooms that threaten your center of gravity to such a degree that no amount of balance can stabilize you atop their crests.  Add to this that some are thigh high so trying to push a bike or pull a sled could drive one slightly mad.  So, you can perhaps empathize with athletes who are going through dozens of miles of “fu$%ing tussocks.”

Beyond the tussocks, and focusing on the positive, some racers enjoyed a wondrous display of northern lights while traveling along what has been described as an ice highway with plenty of bison poop and bison holes. (Doesn’t that sound just lovely?) And that’s what the rest of the field can expect.  Luckily for the skiers, there’s no snow, so they won’t be skiing through that bison poop. The skis will stay clean. (I really hope all of our skiing athletes either have really comfortable ski boots or brought their running shoes (join the foot people, we’re a friendly bunch!). Unluckily for anyone pulling a sled, however, expect some destruction. I hope repair kits, gorilla tape, and a healthy vocabulary of swear words were all part of the race preparation.  It is a long journey for anyone from Rohn to Nikolai and for those on foot, or carrying skis, (remember what I said about foreshadowing) it can take three days of trudging along and cursing those “fu$%ing tussocks” and maybe the bison poop too. 

Speaking of skiers, Tracie Curry is our lead female skier.  She left Rohn after a super brief pit stop this evening.  She was looking great, and prepared for some walking (perhaps a shuffle thrown in for fun). Resting at Puntilla Lake/Rainy Pass Lodge is Jessie Gladish who appears to have been preparing herself mentally for the “fu$%ing tussocks” (just what I’m imagining here) for nearly 10 hours. She’s got plenty of time. The Rohn cut-off isn’t until Saturday at 2pm.  Just a word to the wise though, the tussocks don’t get any smaller the longer you wait. So, go get ‘em, Jessie! Our third female skier is Petra Francke who we previously reported is celebrating her anniversary with her husband, Jan. And they’re doing it the right way, seemingly enjoying their time on the trail and not rushing to the finish. It is special to be out in the backcountry of Alaska, disconnected from phones, and the constant demands on your time. All you have to do is take care of yourself and move forward. It’s liberating. I hope that’s how Petra and Jan feel too.

Moving on to our foot division, Magdalena Paschke is leading all the Wild Winter Women on foot on her way to Nome.  She’s currently getting a well-deserved rest in Puntilla. She’ll be joined shortly by Kari Gibbons who is also on her way to Nome. (I’m really looking forward to hearing their take on the tussocks.) And not far behind Kari is Carol Seppilu from Nome (who may actually greet Magda and Kari when they arrive…wouldn’t that be cool?). Carol is competing in the 150-mile race and will soon be declared (in about two hours), the women’s champion for the “short” race.  Here’s an early congratulations to Carol! Enjoy Rainy Pass Lodge and the beautiful Puntilla Lake. You earned it! 

The rest of our women’s foot division is spread out between Finger Lake and Puntilla Lake.  Sarah Hurkett has been resting in that great wall tent on Finger Lake for nearly 3 hours as of this writing and Carla Gabrielson for nearly two hours.  Stacy Fisk and Melanie Vriesman are on the move with only a short 23.5 miles before reaching Puntilla Lake and Rainy Pass Lodge.  I’m wishing them a cold, but not too cold, evening of walking with a magical display of northern lights to brighten the sky.

I always hate to mention it…and it would’ve been incredible if there were none … but we do have some scratches to report.  I will say that it’s an unusually low number of scratches this year. So, that’s good, only four so far. Cheryl Wallace scratched at Finger Lake and Jason and Jennifer Hanson pulled out at Puntilla due to one of them developing a cough. Shaun Barnes also scratched at Puntilla. I’ll just add, as a person who has scratched twice at Puntilla, there really isn’t a better place to scratch if you’re going to do it. I hope everyone that left the race today enjoyed the parts that they experienced and have their credit cards ready when April 1 rolls around again (registration time!!).

We’re highlighting our women athletes primarily but I want to end on a high note and also just point out how wonderful our community/trail family is and what an example they set for how to go out into this world.  Joshua Brown is biking to Nome and is currently enjoying the hospitality of the Nikolai checkpoint where Amber is grilling up a lot of hamburgers (leave some for the foot division, Amber!!). He has a friend (at least one), Jon Richner, who is also on the trail. Jon is doing the race in what I normally consider the best possible fashion (“fu$%ing tussocks” aside), on foot.  Joshua Brown is concerned about his friend because of those “fu$%ing tussocks” and how long it will take Jon to get to Nikolai. So, Joshua is leaving Jon a bonus bag of food for him to enjoy once he gets to Nikolai because it’s a long 50 miles on foot to McGrath.  That’s a true friend, Joshua.  May we all follow Joshua’s example by thinking of others who may follow on the metaphorical trail behind us. Be generous and kind…and leave some yummy treats when you can.

Day 3 of the Iditarod Trail Invitational

There’s fast, and then there’s Tyson Flaharty fast. Congratulations to the 2025 ITI 350-mile men’s bike champion, Tyson Flaharty. He finished in McGrath this morning just before 11am with an unofficial Trackleaders time of 1 day, 20 hours, 53 minutes, making this the 2nd fastest finish in McGrath. Amazing! He says he slept for 12 minutes in Nikolai since he had been fighting the sleepies coming in. He took the river route to McGrath where he was greeted by a number of people outside. This is his fastest time by 3 hours, and the 2nd fastest bike time to  McGrath just beating out Kevin Breitenbach’s second place finish time in 2015 of 1 day, 21 hours, 30 minutes. Congratulations, Tyson!

Also finishing today are Clint Hodges, Tim Berntson, and John Lackey (current record holder at 1 day, 18 hours, 32 minutes). All of these guys are former champions of the 350-mi race. This group of four led the race from the gun; congrats to all on a great ride.

Lael Wilcox left Nikolai this evening and is expected to finish in McGrath tonight. Lael is near a record-setting pace for the women’s 350. Kate Coward is nearing Nikolai. 

A few things to note on the route from Nikolai to McGrath: The lead bikers have taken the river route instead of the overland route. Astute dot watchers will notice that the racers have usually followed big bends in the river vs. the Trackleader's “red line” of the route that often cuts overland between river bends. This is because the usual overland cutoffs that are on the river route have not been put in by the Iditarod trailbreaking crew since the Iditarod Dog Sled race is not taking the route to McGrath this year. These cutoffs usually take off several extra miles. This section looks to be around 58 miles this year, so around 10 or so miles longer than normal. Nonetheless, travel on the river appears fast and racers are making good time. 

The great weather is holding. The next few days on the west side of the range (Nikolai and McGrath) call for highs in the teens and lows from 0 to -10 degrees F. with calm winds. Temps on the east side of the range have been a bit warmer with some soft trail conditions during the afternoons, but everyone is still making great time. Unfortunately, we’ve heard the trail is dirt from Rohn to the Salmon River, which may slow people down in that section. 

Two bike racers, Cameron Ramey and Philip Roadley, missed the turn to Rainy Pass and we imagine at a certain point, they decided to see if the scenic route through Hell’s Gate was doable. Alas, it appears they hit open water that was unable to be crossed, and are backtracking to the main trail now. We believe this is the first time that Ptarmigan Pass has seen bikers since 2017, so we hope they have a good story to tell and pictures to share. A double- Hell’s Gate trip would be something we haven’t seen before! The Iron Dog race uses this route during their race, and it was likely last traveled at least 4 days ago. 

So, what happens if you take a wrong turn? - Sometimes, there is a way to get back to the route. For instance, in recent years, there has been a SnowCat machine trail by the Happy River Step area that leads out onto the Skwenta River. Racers will sometimes miss the ITI trail turn, but can keep on that Cat track and join back up with the Iditarod Trail on the other side of the Happy River without adding much additional mileage, if any. Other times, racers must forge their own route, which requires much energy to bushwhack and can be dangerous in areas with unstable ice. Other times, racers will need to backtrack. There is no set route for this race; the only rule is the racers must sign in at each checkpoint and they must go to each checkpoint in order. 

On a side note, the SnowCat track, often used in the mining area roughly between Skwentna and Finger Lake, appears to not be in this year, resulting in very few deviations from the trail thus far. 

In the men’s foot field, 350-mile racer Scott Hoberg continues to set the pace with 1000-mile foot racer, Gavan Hennigan, not far behind. The women’s foot race is currently led by 1000-mile racer Magdalena Paschke, then fellow 1000-mile racer Kari Gibbons. Ski leader Tucker Costain is making excellent time. 

This year we have five athletes taking on the 150-mile course, which ends at Puntilla Lake. Biker Jason Munns finished today, congrats Jason! One of the 150-mile racers on foot, Carol Seppilu, is an inspiring person we want to highlight. Carol was born and raised in rural Alaska, and is a Siberian Yupik Alaskan Native living in Nome, Alaska, the end of the 1000-mile race. Carol turned to running as a way to cope after a life-altering event. Determined to push her limits, she runs long distances despite a permanent tracheostomy, which is a narrow tube she breathes through. This can be a particular challenge in extreme cold and winter weather. Despite this, Carol continues to break barriers and inspire us with her tenacity and drive. She says she hopes to inspire everyone to keep moving forward. “Many times in my life I thought I couldn’t take another step but here I am. We just have to breathe through any storm we may face, and every time I’ve done that, the beauty and calm of life makes me feel so blessed to have made it this far.” 

Last year, Carol greeted every racer who made it to Nome, and in a few years, it is her goal to “walk all the way home.” 

 You can follow her on Instagram @nasqaq and can learn more about her story at these links. 

https://www.trailrunnermag.com/people/hope-pass/

https://themoth.org/storytellers/carol-seppilu

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 videos from the trail. The Iditarod Trail Invitational Instagram page has been able to livestream from Rohn and the finish, giving you amazing looks inside the action. 

Author: Faye Norby

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.

Greetings dot watchers, we hope you’re as excited as we are for another year of edge of your seat dot watching, racer adventures, and a healthy dose of FOMO. The Wild Winter Women (WWW) are back this year to write daily updates primarily on the women’s field. Who are we? WWW supports and celebrates women in the winter ultra-endurance space and provides a community for these athletes to share knowledge, skills, and ideas to help others succeed. That’s who we are collectively but during the ITI, specifically, we’re a crew of eight dedicated ITI nerds. Together we’ve finished either the 350 or 1,000 mile race 15 times and look forward to even more. Enough about us though, let’s get to the action.

At 2pm on Sunday, February 23, 104 athletes embarked on their Iditarod Trail adventure. Most are bound for McGrath, others Nome, and just a few will end at Puntilla Lake with a 150-mile adventure. These include two women in the 1,000 mile bike race and two in the foot race, one is our very own WWW Kari Ann Gibbons. This year a total of 28 women started, most chose to bike (probably a wise choice as you’ll see below), some are on foot, and even fewer chose to ski (also a reason for that…see below).

This winter has been unusually warm with very little snow. There was so little snow in fact that the Iditarod sled dog race made the difficult decision to move the official start to Fairbanks “due to the absence of snowfall” and bare ground in portions of the route. They cited safety concerns to the mushers and the dogs. In Anchorage, the National Weather Service recently reported that the 4.3 inches of snowfall this year is the lowest amount recorded between Dec. 1 and mid-February since at least 1953 when the agency started keeping records (Anchorage Daily News).

As you may know, the ITI has no set route, athletes make their way through a series of checkpoints and generally follow the historic Iditarod trail. Thus, you’ll see them taking a number of different routes. The area between the start and the Susitna River is very popular for snow machines, and generally is a maze of different trails. Navigation skills will be tested, and some athletes may get turned around or lost.

From the start, we’re seeing several misdirected athletes on Cow Lake, resulting in a fair bit of backtracking. Where Fish Creek was initially an ice skating rink on the way to Big Lake, Fish Creek must be impassable further on. Athletes are turning around at the crossing and heading back south, towards a better traveled snow machine trail that will lead them to the Susitna River. Once they reach the Susitna River, there’s a well traveled and nicely marked trail all the way to Skwentna.

Kate Coward is leading the ladies pack with Kara Oney following close behind. I didn’t see Kate at the start, but with the warm weather, Kara was traveling very light (though wisely wearing a helmet due to the icy conditions) and both have been making excellent time. The foot and ski women are in a relatively tight pack just past Flat Lake, cruising along on what I’m guessing are trails of ice and hard pack mixed snow and ice. They should be making their way into Butterfly Lake, the first checkpoint, within a few hours.

There are so many amazing women out there on this first night that we can’t write about each of them individually, we’ll leave you with a teaser of photos from the start. Most athletes will push through this first night, and by tomorrow racers will likely be strung out along 150 miles of trail. The forecast tonight for the Butterfly Lake area includes light winds and a low of 17 degrees; it may be closer to 5 degrees further up the Yentna River. Compared to last year when temperatures dipped to -25, these ladies are in for a treat.

We’ll be back tomorrow with another update and more stories from the trail. Happy dot-watching!

Author: Amber Crawford

Photo credit: Amber Crawford

As we witness the last finisher stand beneath the famous burled arch in Nome, it feels very much like the end of the 2024 Iditarod Trail Invitational. Still, it is far from over for some, athletes begin their long journey home, volunteers and staff start the arduous process of buttoning the race up, and we, the Dot Watchers, try to get back to normal life albeit with a little more inspiration under our belts. 

We wanted to send you off with a heartfelt thank you for coming on this journey with us, and gratitude to those who have spent the last 30 days writing our daily recaps.  On the back end we research, discuss, and exchange information literally all day long, and the reports usually take several hours to write. It is too much for one person to do, so six women whose priceless experience and insight joined up to tell the story of this adventure as it played out. Even though they need no introduction, they humbly acquiesced to answering three questions; about their winter experience, why the ITI is special to them, and what they enjoyed about writing our daily recaps. Enjoy!  

Jill Martindale:

I finished ITI in 2020 with Petr Ineman and Casey Fagerquist when everything was shutting down during the pandemic and the storm surge that broke the sea ice prohibited anyone else from finishing in Nome that year. Prior to that, I had raced the 350 mile to McGrath in 2018. I was the first woman to finish Jay P’s 200 mile Fat Pursuit, which they don’t offer any more (it is now a 200k). I have 3 Arrowhead 135 finishes (current women’s record), 3 Tuscobia 160 finishes, 2 Polar Roll Ultra finishes, 1 White Mountains 100 finish, and several multi-day winter bike-packing trips under my belt. I also have 3 Arrowhead 135 DNF’s and 1 Fat Pursuit 200 mile DNF - I learned more from not finishing those events than I have finishing them!

Alaska is sort of the great last frontier. The ruggedness, the raw and brutal wild, the beautiful snowy landscape that not many get to witness it’s all so alluring to me. The locals who live along the historic Iditarod trail are incredibly generous and make me feel so fortunate to be experiencing this little piece of the world. I can’t wait to make it back.

For me, reminiscing about my time on the trail is one thing that I enjoy whole-heartedly about writing the ITI recaps. I also really love that the daily recaps are written with female athletes in mind! So many times news articles or the media highlight the men, with the women feeling like an afterthought or like a lesser portion of the adventure. When I was interviewed after my ITI 1000 finish, some reporters thought it important to ask about my husband, while Petr and Casey were asked other questions and not what their spouses thought of them spending a month out in the cold. I love that Leah Gruhn began writing the WWW recaps with the motivation of bringing women to the forefront, and I’ve loved watching Leah traverse the trail and watching her dot each day. The community and kinship built out there is incredible and these recaps have helped to strengthen those bonds between the athletes on the trail and those who have experienced it in the past (or who will get out there in the future!)

Amber Crawford

My winter experience began with short bike races that got progressively longer including several finishes in 100 mile races like White Mountains 100 and Susitna 100. An injury prevented me from doing the ITI on bike in 2020 so I decided to do it on foot. During that race I hatched the idea to ski in 2021, and finally I biked it in 2022. I believe having experienced the trail in so many different ways gives me a unique perspective. 

Writing race recaps gives all of us the opportunity to nerd out on the ITI, and it’s a lot of fun to dig into different aspects of the ITI, and also winter endurance racing in general, winter survival, and many other unexpected side topics. We often don’t know where the next day of writing will take the story, which is a lot of fun! Scratching from a race is hard, and after scratching this year the updates were a great way to give back and stay involved with this community.

Carole Holley

My winter experience started doing the Little Su on a mountain bike in 2008. After pushing my bike for nearly 10 hours, I decided that if I was going to continue enjoying winter ultramarathons, I’d prefer to not do it hauling around an occasionally-rolling luggage rack. I then went on to enjoy the Susitna 100 several times, White Mountains 100, and finish two ITI 350s.

I first moved to Alaska in 2001 where to Galena on the Northern Route of the Iditarod Trail. I remember while I was volunteering for the sled dog event one year, seeing this person biking along the Yukon River and asking folks if I was imagining it. And the response was that there were these “crazy people” who would bike the Trail. When I moved to Anchorage in 2006, I was lucky enough to become friends with some of those crazy people who lured a Florida gal into a love for winter ultramarathons.

I enjoyed connecting with an awesome bunch of female athletes who love this race as much as I do.

Kori Marchowsky

Until a few years ago my winter experience was not race-related, but focused on multi-day trips traveling to remote places in the mountains on foot or skis. Then in 2015, winter biking came into my life. I have since completed the Homer Epic, the Susitna 100 twice and the ITI to McGrath in 2023, all on my bike.

The history of the trail, the idea of traveling through the Alaska Range and interior and northwest Alaska in winter, the communities along the trail, the race community itself…it all comes together in a very unique and special way to create a powerful experience not just for racers but for everyone involved.

I loved getting to dive into the details of this race and its people with some truly inspiring women. I only wrote a couple of recaps and was a rookie writer amongst some very experienced and talented people in this group. I thought this would be a way to give back to this community.

Jill Homer

When I moved to Homer, Alaska, in 2005, I was convinced I wouldn’t survive the long, dark winters unless I took up a winter sport. What I discovered was fat biking and endurance racing on the Iditarod Trail — such an enchanting and audacious idea that it more or less took over my life. I made it my goal to ride the ITI 350 and did so in 2008. I’ve since been back six more times. I’m a two-time finisher of the 350 on a bike, twice on foot, and in 2016 I rode my bike to Nome. I also have two DNFs.

My husband, Beat, also became enamored with the endeavor and just completed his eighth walk to Nome. There’s something magical about the Iditarod Trail — a place so relentlessly challenging and remote that you have to gaze deep into the darkness just to get through it. And yet it’s also a place of beauty, joy and kindness. Some of the most generous people I’ve met live in this harsh and unforgiving place. 

I was grateful for the opportunity to write recaps since I already obsessively follow the race and its little dots — specifically Beat’s. It was wonderful to get to know more about the folks out racing this year, as well as the other women participating in the recaps. The discussion threads were gold! It was a landmark year for the ITI and I was glad to be a small part of it. 

Kari Gibbons

Two time finisher of the ITI 350, the pandemic year and the Out and Back which was a true 350. A nice pile of finishes in our Midwest Winter Ultras but I learn more from the DNF’s, of which I have many, not to brag. Founder of the Wild Winter Women Facebook Group, join us we’re fun!  

ITI has a special place in my heart because of the remote beauty of Alaska. Additionally our interactions and connections with each other during the race are more acute, and that is very special to me. But I go out there to be alone in nature, and be pushed by nature, who may want to kill me but it’s nothing personal.

I learn so much much from each athlete, their story, what it took just to get here let alone a finish. We are all so different, and have different challenges and yet are so much the same. I absolutely love hyping women up and find it an easy task at ITI. Doing the recaps is important to me because I want to show how easy it is to have equal representation in sport, plus I love a good story, and we are never left wanting for a good story.

That is a wrap on ITI 2024!  Special thanks to Kyle for reaching out, seeing the value in what we did in 2023, and letting us take the reins in 2024.  Who will we be reporting on next year?  Will you answer the call?  Registration opens April 1st.

I don’t know about you, but it’s a little sad to look at the race tracker and not see any racers left. Today was another epic, history-making day in ITI history. Let’s back up though - what’s been happening out there? Since yesterday’s update a bevy of tired athletes found their way to the burled arch. 

Mark Hines left Topcock Cabin just after 1 am yesterday with 45 miles between the cabin and Nome. With only short breaks, he pushed straight through to arrive at the finish at 9:30pm. Hendra made a very similar push, leaving at about the same time and arriving in Nome at 10:30 pm. On skis, Petr also made a long push from Topcock, departing at 8:30 am and steadily making his way along the coast yesterday. Petr arrived in Nome this morning at about 7:30 am, apparently with a hankering for the local bakery. I suspect we’d all have a hankering for baked goods as well, after yet another 24 hour long ski. Brandon also made the push from Topcock to arrive just before 11am this morning. 

Taking a hard pass on a long 24-hour push, Sunny left Topcock around the same time as everyone else, but stopped for a nap at Safety before her final 22 mile ski into Nome. Sunny arrived in Nome at approximately 11:55 am today, plenty of time (3+ hours) to spare before the 30-day time cutoff. With her finish in 29 days, 23 hours and 6 minutes, she became the first female ever to ski the ITI to Nome. If we look back to Lars Danner’s blog about skiing on the route (http://larsdanner.blogspot.com/2020/07/skiers-who-have-skied-iditarod-to-nome.html), we see just two other women, and indeed only one that skied the full northern route. Let us all take a moment to commend Sunny on her monumental achievement; congratulations, Sunny! Hopefully she’s now taking in some well deserved rest and relaxation (and food, lots of food). 

Where to start with Sunny? She founded the AWE Summit Scholarship Foundation, originally created by women in order to break down barriers for women in the big mountain realm. Gender equity is at the heart of their mission and they strive to empower all marginalized genders. Sunny also manages the Foundation’s sister organization, AWExpeditions, a for-profit mountaineering and adventure guiding business for women, by women. AWExpeditions plans and leads the all-female climbs and adventures that Summit Scholarship recipients participate in free of charge. 

She entered the ITI 350 in 2021 with the eventual goal of skiing to Nome, then on her freshly purchased not-yet-3 week old pair of mostly unused skis. Did we mention that this was her first pair of skis? I was also skiing in 2021 and crossed paths with Sunny several times. I was struck by how well she took care of herself despite the challenges, something I could learn a thing or two about. 

While recuperating in Nome today, Sunny shared these thoughts. “It’s all in the mind. The physical challenge is just the stage for facing the emotional and mental challenge of doing something like this. In the end, I was juuuuust fit enough and just stubborn enough to keep on keeping on day after day - and at the end of the day that’s all you have to do in an event like this. If I can do this, so can many others.” I was thrilled to see she donated her skis to a local at the finish, though perhaps this was as much of a gift to them as it was to her?

As we contemplate the last 30 days, there were highs, there were lows, there were certainly edge-of-the-seat moments of anticipation as we watched racers overcome extreme cold, wind storms, blizzard conditions, overflow, rain, and so much more. Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Starters represented 11 countries from across the globe, including Australia, Canada, and several European countries. 103 starting athletes ranged from age 27 to 68 and were 78% men and 22% women. 42 athletes or 41% scratched. 66 starters were on bike, 27 on foot, and 10 on skis. Mean age was 45.5 with an even distribution more heavily weighted towards 36 - 43 years old. Of the 61 finishers, they were 18% women and 82% men. 65 people started the race for McGrath, and 38 for Nome. 

Looking a little more closely at finishers, they had a similar age distribution to above, with age 36 to 53 seeing the most finishes. In the 350 and 1000 mean age was 43.  Winners tended - but inconsistently - towards the younger end of the age range.

Sunny was the youngest (38) and only female ski finisher this year (and the first ever ITI 1000 female ski finisher). Ski finishers were generally a young bunch, with a mean age of 41 years. Amazingly, there were only two McGrath ski finishes, and five Nome finishes. 

Amongst foot finishers we see a similar trend, just four 350 finishers and seven 1000 finishers. Mean age of Nome finishers was 46, mean age of McGrath finishers was 44. Ryan Fox is an outlier at only 26, without him the mean age of this group is 51. Mean age of Nome finishers was 46, again with the lone female finisher also in the youngest age bracket of 42.

Numbers in the bike category are more robust, with a much larger sample size. In the 350, the mean age was 43 with 32 finishers. In the 1000 distance there were 11 finishers, mean age 42. Females here tended to be younger, 30 and 43. Top finishers tended towards the younger end of the age range, but 3rd place bike finisher Peter Delamere is 53.

I could spend all night playing with the numbers, but after religiously following dots for 30 days, the Wild Winter Women update writers are tired, the athletes are tired, race volunteers and staff are tired. We heartily congratulate all the racers and all their supporters. We may be back tomorrow for one more recap, and we’ll definitely be back next year to bring you the highs, the lows, and everything in between.

Sign up starts April 1, will you be there?

Author: Amber Crawford

Photo Credit: Iditarod Trail Invitational

It’s been a busy day in Nome as fans welcomed five finishers, all within the looming deadline of the 30-day mark. Kudos to these enduring athletes for braving the most severe conditions and successfully concluding their Iditarod Trail adventures to Nome!

Mark Hines finished in 29 days, 7 hours and 39 minutes for his first successful ITI 1000.

Hendra finished in 29 days 9 hours and 37 minutes as the first Indonesian to complete the ITI 1000.

Peter finished in 29 days, 17 hours and 43 minutes as the first person to finish the ITI 1000 on bike and skis.

Brandon finished in 29 days, 21 hours and 6 minutes for his first successful ITI 1000.

Sunny finished in 29 days, 23 hours and 6 minutes as this year’s Red Lantern, the Women’s Ski Champion and the first woman to complete the ITI 1000 on skis.

Even though we are a small but mighty community of winter ultramarathoners, it feels like the whole world is watching our athletes traverse the last 30 miles of the 1,000 mile course.  Diligently refreshing the screen, hoping we can somehow will them on.  It all seems so doable, and yet, it is up to them to gear down and push through the last ultramarathon of the course.  

It was not strength alone but patience and presence of mind that got them all to this point.  Last night, Hendra, Joshua, and Mark were “stuck in the (Topcock) Cabin” trying to avoid the most brutal part of the weather, with the intention of leaving at midnight.  Even though it was frustrating for them, the wait definitely paid off. The infamous Blowhole still had enough to say with high winds but, according to Mark, it was “nowhere near as grim or dangerous as they would've been yesterday.”

Later, Sunny, Petr, and Brandon had a rest as well at Topcock Cabin totalling around eight hours.  The rest seemed to have done the trick for all of our athletes as all six have been moving consistently well throughout the day.  Petr, Sunny, and Brandon are less than 10 miles to Safety.  Mark and Hendra have passed through Safety and are on their way to Nome.  Remarkably, even though they all left Topcock together, Joshua Brown has put an incredible 13 miles in between him and his compatriots, and at the time of this writing, is two miles to the finish.  

This is not Joshua's first time to Nome.  He successfully completed the foot division race in 2022.  Once he finishes, he will become the third 1000-mile ski finisher in ITI history and the first person to finish the 1000 on foot and skis, even after having virtually no background in cross-country skiing until two years ago.  Completely new to skiing, Josh started researching what it would take to make it to Nome in 2022 and has been training ever since, including skiing for several hours in the morning before work and training with the Alaska Pacific University team in the evenings. When he wasn’t skiing, he was testing equipment and even creating his own out of raw materials. 

Known for his relentless determination and hard-working ethics, Josh is an active-duty Lieutenant Colonel who serves at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson as a medical advisor in the Air Force’s Arctic Warrior program. He helps develop new techniques and technology for the military to sustain operations in cold weather.  He enlisted in the Army as a medic nearly 20 years ago and later transferred to the Air Force as an officer after attending nursing school. He, his wife and their three kids live in Eagle River and spend a good deal of their leisure time exploring the Alaskan wilderness. 

If you remember from an earlier report, Josh had GI issues almost immediately from the start of the race, and went over 30 hours before he was able to fuel properly.  A similar issue from 2022 occurred when he developed food poisoning and ate very little for over three days on the Yukon. His body rejected almost everything he put in his gut but Josh did not stop.  Being able to work hard under adverse conditions is one of his super powers.

It isn’t all about participating in the race for Josh.  Last year he took off from racing in the ITI because he felt that it was important to give back to the community. So, he spent nine days running the Nikolai checkpoint with Jon Richner, another ITI and military veteran he has known for 20 years.  Rounding out this incredible athlete, he is “a humble, relentless and dutiful example that we would all do well to emulate.”  As it has been implied before, completing the ITI is not just a physical endeavor.  And it is more than a race.  Because of that, it calls to many of its participants to give back, by way of volunteering or mentorship among other things.  

For Josh, he has done the work and the research. He has run through the gauntlet of all Alaska has to offer this year, and he will make history very soon.  As RD Kyle states, “He just gets the job done, regardless of the obstacles faced and never makes a sound about doing it.”  We will all be watching, and it may not be the whole world, but it is OUR whole world.   

Written by Kari Gibbons

Intel of the illusive Johua Brown by Kyle Durand

Photo credit Kyle Durand

As Josh Brown made his way across the finish line in Nome after 29 days, 2 hours and 2 minutes on the Iditarod Trail, he became the first person to complete the ITI 1000 on both foot and skis. This monumental accomplishment came less than 2 days after it appeared he might be trapped by flooded trails and 24 hours after being pinned down by 60 mph winds on the coast. Demonstrating his characteristic resilience, Josh overcame those adversities, just as he had with all previous challenges along his journey. Ultimately, under the Burled Arch, he embodied the spirit of unwavering determination.

For weeks now, the first thing I do in the morning is check to see where the racer's Dots are. Typically this is in the middle of the night for them, I document how long they have been tucked in and (try) to keep track of when they move. Yesterday and today however, there were no sleeping Dots, the last six athletes have consistently been on the move. Yesterday we saw increased speeds, racers in every division, foot, ski, and bike, were finally able to open up. We can actually feel the urgency they are experiencing. Collectively, they are moving when they can and pushing hard when they need to. Two full days and a few hours to the 30-day cutoff. 

This morning Hendra, Mark, and Joshua were 30 miles from Safety, currently they are all at Topcock Cabin 22 miles from Safety and 42 miles from Nome. Joshua arrived at the cabin first after a bivy of at least six hours today. Skiers often take the brunt of trail conditions because the margin of “good trail” is smaller, so I personally find it very satisfying that although everyone is finding improved conditions, skiers seem to be benefiting the most. 

Twelve miles further from the finish and on foot is Brandon, behind him, skiers Sunny and Petr. Sunny reported excellent conditions last night and a bit of “actual skiing”, they are all approximately 30 miles from Safety. These speeds and purposeful forward motion would be enough to secure a finish before the cutoff, but for the weather. Unfortunately another storm is imminent and they may need to hunker down. In the ITI Racers Facebook group Beat, eight times 1,000 mile finisher and literal opposite of the Boy Who Cried Wolf, sent out a warning for what’s to come. 

Once our athletes leave Topcock Cabin, even though the wind might seem manageable, they will soon be entering the infamous Blowhole, channels of cold air created by the mountains. Beat speculates what they will encounter will be severe. He noted “[c]urrently it looks like 40 mph gusting to 50 mph which isn't great. At least it's not super cold atm (14F) but there are probably near-whiteout conditions due to blowing snow.”

Athletes are fully unsupported now, previous towns and warm checkpoints are a distant memory. As the athletes have moved through this trail, they leave behind a massive effort of 38 volunteers and staff that have worked tirelessly to help their dreams become a reality. Whether it was serving one of the 1,200 meals that were prepared and served during the race, or monitoring the phone, email, and trackers 24 hours a day for 30 days, their jobs are nonstop until the race is over. 

As Race Director Kyle Durand states, “Organizing the ITI is like coordinating an athletic event while running an airline, a travel agency, a remote expedition and a B&B.”

Remember those delightful tents at Finger Lake and Rohn our athletes visited? Everything including food, tents, wood stove, sleeping gear, and more must be flown out to the checkpoint, set up, broken down, and flown back.  In 2021, flying everything back meant EVERYTHING including the multiple portaloos and their contents. It was all bagged, gathered, and packed into a plane. That might make the rest of the volunteer gig seem a little sweeter which consists of spending three days breaking trails, digging out the campsite and setting up the checkpoint.

There were six snow machines and 72 flights shuttling volunteers and gear, so when an athlete went over Rainy Pass, they were greeted by welcoming volunteers and a warm tent. They could crack open their drop bag and delight in the tube of Girl Scout Cookies packed weeks before (actual events). All told, for the duration of the race 17,500 pounds of material was moved across Alaska.

Everything needed is now in Nome, everything except our six remaining athletes. 

Two days and a little bit. 

Written by Kari Gibbons

Stats provided by Kyle Durand

Photo credit Kyle Durand

What makes the ITI “so groovy” is the community around this event.  It really is about “people getting together.” (https://youtu.be/RBjQhEME0LQ) That’s what resonated with me as I read recounts of athletes’ experiences and heard how community members from Elim to Nome have rallied around those who are still on the trail. This sense of community is found in something as simple as a Facebook message from Joanne Wassillie inviting her friends in Nome to cheer on the three amazing athletes in the home stretch last night and this morning.  And then that sense of togetherness - that “reach[ing]] out of the darkness” - was amplified by learning the mayor of  Elim heard our racers couldn't get to Golovin because of the 3+ feet of fresh snow that had fallen, so rode his snowmachine from Elim to the Golovin Bay and back so they had a trail.  Frank Amaktoolik Sr. in Golovin has been meeting racers coming off the ice and escorting them to the school. There are a number of reasons why the ITI is just a spectacular event from the landscapes, challenging conditions, our fellow athletes, but for me, what has really made it almost beyond comparison (“almost” because I just compared it to Barkley yesterday and I can’t be a complete hypocrite) are the people in the communities, at the roadhouses, all of the “trail angels” that we get to meet along the way. They “reach out of the darkness” and, as Ryan Wanless commented, even when “you feel like you’re all alone…in truth there are people all over the trail supporting and following your adventure. You are never truly alone. The support is enough to fill one’s heart.”

In that spirit of togetherness, let’s celebrate the three incredible athletes that ended their voyage from Knik to Nome since yesterday’s update. 

This morning under swirling rivers of greenish-blue light, Leah Gruhn finished her second ITI 1000 (26 days, 10 hours, 6 minutes) and was the second woman this year to complete the journey on bike.  The aurora, however, wasn’t her only escort to the fabled burled arch. Hearkening back to our amazing community, the mayor of Nome must have done a little dot watching of his own (you’re in good company, Mayor Handeland!) because he also accompanied Leah to the finish.  Leah reported that “the whole thing was brutally hard and took every last bit of willpower [she] could muster, plus the support and love from MANY.” Once again, congratulations Leah Gruhn! You are an inspiration.

Our winner of the women's foot division, Faye Norby, arrived in Nome after 26 days, 19 hours, and 6 minutes on the trail.  Just nine hours after her own finish, Leah Gruhn was out cheering on Faye and her partner, Jeff Leuwerke.  Faye is a consummate athlete.  She’s been competing in winter races for over ten years, with experience racing Tuscobia, Arrowhead 135, Actif Epica 100 miler, and the ITI 350.  What you may not know about Faye is that she is also an epidemiologist. So you won’t be surprised by her answer to the question of “what does the ITI mean to you?” For Faye, the ITI’s connection with the 1925 Serum Run is what made this race so special. For those who don’t know, the Serum Run was an incredible public health story that once again reiterates the power of community.  

A century ago there was a diphtheria outbreak on the west coast of Alaska.  Curtis Welch, who was the only doctor in the area, put out an urgent request for diphtheria antitoxin after he realized the region’s entire supply of serum had expired. A thousand miles away, there was a stockpile of serum in Anchorage, and a plan to transport it came together. A parcel containing the serum left Anchorage on the Alaska Railroad bound for the small town of Nenana, in central Alaska. From there, a relay made up of 20 mushers and around 150 dogs took over, and using established mail and freight routes, raced the serum westward 674 miles to Nome. These teams braved extreme cold and dangerous conditions to transport the serum in only 5.5 days. The epidemic was halted and lives were saved.  For Faye, once she arrived in Ruby on the Yukon River, she followed a similar route to Nome that the serum traveled 99 years ago. And so she was proud to have the privilege of traveling a leg of this same remarkable journey. Congratulations, Faye, for being more stubborn than the weather and the trail and being this year’s women’s foot champion!!

Faye was not alone on her journey.  Every step of the way, she traveled with her partner, Jeff Leuwerke.  He also is no slouch in the winter ultra realm, finishing the Tuscobia 160 six times, Arrowhead 135 twice, Actif Epica twice and the ITI 350 twice.  When asked to share a bit of wisdom when things are looking dark, Jeff said that it’s important to remember that “it’s almost always never going to get worse. More than likely, it’s just time to eat some food, maybe have some caffeine, or take a quick three-minute sled nap.”  I’m pretty sure Jeff had to follow that advice a number of times over the last 26-plus days.  Congratulations on your amazing finish, Jeff!

There are still six very motivated racers on the trail with less than three days to get to Nome.  Sunny reported this morning that the trail had set up well with the temperature drop.  Once they reached Golovin, Frank Amaktoolik Sr. made sure they all had breakfast. Hendra Wijaya is currently leading our merry (I may be overly optimistic) conga line of athletes at mile 892 with Joshua Brown not far behind.  Sometimes having a bike can be beneficial and today seems to have been one of those days.  Hendra reached speeds over 7 mph today crossing Golovin Lagoon and Joshua Brown wasn’t much slower.  

Mark Hines, on foot, did not reach a speed of 7 mph today.  But he did keep a pace well over 3 mph for a good part of the day.  He’s currently resting in White Mountain alone.  But not for long.  “People are getting together” with Sunny Stroeer, Brandon Lott, and Petr Ineman on their way to join Mark soon.  I hope they all get a good rest and enjoy the hospitality of some of the amazing trail angels because they’re going to need it.  There’s a winter advisory which goes into effect at 10PM tonight and remains in effect until 4AM on Monday with snow and blowing snow and (blech!) freezing rain possible.  Wind gusts as high as 40 mph are expected.  Hendra and Josh made the smart move to press on while they could.  Equally smart is for our remaining ski and foot athletes to get a good rest (but not “too” good) before they again venture out in the darkness.  Hopefully by now they know that they are not alone.  They just need to “reach out in the darkness” and they will “find a friend.”

Written by Carole Holley
Photo credential: Cynthia Durand