Tyson and Miron have completed their Yukon River push and made it to Unalakleet and Peace on Earth PIZZA ( the pizza is speculation, but come on really…).  After multiple bivys on the river with questionable trail, miles of pushing and riding, (but also staying really positive) they were rewarded with a nice trail into town as their speeds indicate some swift riding.  Miron says it’s been “hard and soft”…. hard as in difficult and soft as in SNOW.  They are now on their way to Shaktoolik, and in the next day or so, Norton Bay.

Further down the trail, the convoy that took a break in Ruby (the Wild Iris BnB must have been busy) is now on the Yukon; they may be experiencing a slightly better trail than their predecessors.  Our first women's bike, Kinsey is traveling well.  She left Ruby around 8am and is already almost to Galena!  Our first men's ski division, Asbjoern is about 20 miles from Galena after a nice stop in Ruby, ahead of the next skier Jan Francke 30 miles from Ruby.  Interestingly, Jan plays in a punk band, and in 2019 finished the 350 on foot, and came back in 2022 for his first 1000 attempt on skis but dropped in Galena “due to mental injury.” I think we all want that story.   

The mental toll is a serious factor for all of our athletes, and unlike training their bodies, training the mind is a lot harder to pin down.  The tools they use to cope are as varied as they are.  Even though the days can take their toll, these athletes are also adapting to the life on the trail. At over 500 miles in, our first men's foot division athlete, Gavin Hennigan, noted “I’m out here giving this everything I got. The days are relentless, up to 20 hours on my feet. But I’ve  adapted to the routine now and I want more of this iconic trail.

“These moments aren’t lost on me, it’s really only a handful of times in my life I’m going to get to experience this feeling of going this deep, I’ve been to the brink before and I’m ready to go again.”  Gavin left Ruby a little after noon, AK time, forgot something, and is now on the Yukon. 

In addition to the mental strain, the body still needs to “stay happy” out there.  Food is a hot commodity on the trail, sometimes a drop bag does not make it to town,  sometimes the miles are slower and the athletes burn through calories at a higher than expected rate.  Multiple 1,000 mile finisher Ryan Wanless ran out of snacks earlier, and a strategic plan needs to be in place in order to get to food.  Without calories or water, the body is much more susceptible to cold, including frostbite.  The feeling of being a tiny dot on this planet and days away from food is acute. 

Just ahead of Jan is our Leading Lady in foot division, Faye Norby.  Faye and partner Jeff stopped for about an hour at Midnight Creek last night.  They were hoping to find a protected spot to bivy, but the only spot that quite a few racers have stopped at this year, is the abandoned ruins at Long.  They stopped for about 5 hours at Sulatna River crossing, which may have a protected spot, but being on a river was likely quite cold. 

Further back, Mark Hines, foot, and Joshua Brown, ski are at N Fork Innoko River cabin, Petr also on skis just joined them for a reprieve.  

Our Red Lantern, Sunny, continues to move steadily.  She is about 20 miles from N Fork Innoko River cabin, and about 26 miles from Cripple where racers often mail themselves a drop bag.  Sunny has no drop, but raiding the leftovers is one of the benefits of bringing up the rear.  Hopefully she will get some goodies.  She was at Carlson Crossing cabin last night and we hear the hilarious Iditarod sweep crew might have been there as well.  All of our athletes are settling into life on the trail and everything Alaska has to offer.  Settling in does not equal comfort however, and weather reports are saying another dangerous and deep cold is coming.  

Written by Kari Gibbons

Photo credit:Gavan John Paul Hennigan, taking time for a little comfort and food on the trail.

Today is International Women’s day, variously described to draw attention to women's achievements and the fight for gender equality, or as a global day celebrating the historical, cultural, and political achievements of women. If you’d like to learn more about women in sports, check out this article on 50 Years of Title IX, or this report by Asics on the gender exercise gap. However you define International Women’s Day, this seems like an appropriate time to highlight the women that pioneered human powered racing on the Iditarod Trail.   

One of the original bike races on the Iditarod trail took place in 1987 and was dreamed up by Joe Redington Sr. and the Mountain Bike Club of Alaska. That 210 mile race drew 20 men and 6 women, 13 of those racers finished and Martha Kennedy led the women’s field. We learned this and more from A Brief History of Iditabike [http://halfpastdone.com/.../20/a-brief-history-of-iditabike/] by Jill Homer.

The multisport ITI was formed in 2002, and since that time participation by women has slowly increased. In the first decade an average of 4 women finished each year, with a low of 1 and a high of 7. The second decade saw an average of 8 women finish per year, maxing out at 14 women in 2016. These accomplished women have set records out there. In the 350 the bike record set by Heather Best in 2014 is just 2 days 14 hours; Anne Ver Hoef set the foot record in 2013 in 6 days 12 hours; and the new ski record of 6 days 23 hours was set this year by Christy Marvin and Robin Beebee.

Record times in the 1000 mile event range from Jill Homer’s bike record of 17 days 3 hours set in 2016, to Loreen Hewitt’s foot record of 26 days 6 hours set in 2014. Think about this for a minute, that means walking (most foot racers walk most of the time, albeit quickly) something like 35-38 miles per day, for 26 days straight. Since we all know things like weather, illness and other less than ideal conditions happen, several of those days are likely much longer to make up for necessary rest and slow days.

Today finds our four remaining women along the trail between Ophir and Ruby. Sunny spent about 10 hours in Ophir, hopefully she was able to enjoy the hospitality of the Iditarod Kyle Forsgren’s cabin, his cabin has hosted this checkpoint for many years. As the last racer Sunny must be feeling pretty alone right now, and hopefully she had a warm welcome at Ophir. She’s currently less than 10 miles from the Carlson Crossing cabin.

Faye Norby rested at the North Fork Innoko River cabin for about 9 hours, after arriving around 2am. She and Jeff pushed straight through from Carlson Crossing to the Innoko cabin, a 42 mile, 19 hour trip. They left the North Fork cabin at about 11am, made a brief stop in Cripple to pick up their drops, and have about 67 miles remaining to reach Ruby. 

Leah Gruhn bivied last night for about 6 hours near Poorman Creek, and is about 22 miles from Ruby. Her pace has ranged from 1-6 miles per hour, indicating she’s probably found a mix of somewhat rideable but often not rideable conditions. Racers have generally been moving slowly through this section, there has been quite a bit of snow and hopefully the trail will firm up soon. 

Leading lady Kinsey Loan made good time this morning after sleeping last night before Long. Kinsey and Mark brought a tent and have been sleeping outside of checkpoints fairly regularly. Based solely on their social media posts, Kinsey and Mark seem to be having a great time out there. Fun fact, they are recently engaged, congratulations! Kinsey is resting in Ruby as of Friday afternoon.

Author: Amber Crawford

Photo credit: Selfies!

Somewhere between Bentalit and Skwentna, I came upon a message etched in the snow: “Follow your dreams.”  For those who dreamed of completing the ITI 350, those dreams are over, either fulfilled or not. And now we are left to dot-watch those remaining ITI athletes’ dreams which are still playing out. 

The Nome-bound athletes are spread across a stretch of nearly 260 miles, from Miron Golfman and Tyson Flaherty at approximately mile 598 (as of 7:49 AKT) leading the field on bike and Sunny Stroeer rounding out the remaining 23 competitors at mile 338 on skis.  It takes a special level of strength and determination to simply start a race like the ITI, especially the 1000-mile race. Increase that by several degrees for those who are willing to head out on untrodden trails and for those who know that they are the last ones on the course with no one behind to proverbially catch them if they fall. 

I’ve contemplated why some folks toe the line of a “race” like the ITI.  And I imagine there are many reasons.  For some, it’s the adventure where you can almost imagine what it was like to be an early explorer (without all the Colonialist underpinnings), reliant primarily on yourself and your physical and most especially mental stamina. For others, it may be the need to prove to yourself (and maybe others) that you have what it takes to push yourself to previously unknown limits. Maybe it’s an escape or a mental reset, the ability to spend protracted periods amongst the beauty of wintry landscapes and away from all the noise of our modern world…or maybe for others it’s just plain ego. There are as many reasons or combinations of reasons as there are competitors.  But I think they can all be summed up with one common theme … the one I saw on the trail … following a dream. Will some let that dream go because of gear issues or maybe physical ailments, or because at some point the dream just doesn’t seem all that “dreamy” anymore? For my part, I’m rooting for each and every one who continues on the trail, though with a special place for the Wild Winter Women.  There are four who remain and, even if unintentionally, they serve as inspiration for many of us. 

Kinsey Loan is leading the pack. She’s well on her way to Ruby with a mix of riding and bike pushing.  No dream comes easy.  She’ll hopefully arrive in the early morning hours to a nice warm space either in the local school or at a Bed and Breakfast that has catered to racers in the past. 

Leah Gruhn similarly faced some challenging bike pushing this afternoon with speeds varying between 1.1mph and 4.4mph.  In particularly rough conditions like what Leah and Kinsey must be facing where it’s a windblown, trail-obscured section similar to the miles between Shell Lake and Finger Lake this year, I wonder why folks don’t just ditch those really, really expensive hunks of metal (or whatever bikes are made of these days) and choose the pure, simple joy of pulling a much, cheaper piece of luggage, like a sled. And then I remember how those lead bikes normally arrive in Nome two weeks before the first foot person and check myself. (Not to mention how when pushing through a strong wind, that cheaper piece of baggage (mine may have earned the moniker “Fu%*ing Flippy” as I headed up toward Rainy Pass) tends to turn over repeatedly or get caught up on branches or hung up in the sastrugi.)

While I appreciate cyclists (some of my favorite people including my partner are avid cyclists), the foot division and our close kin, the skiers (they tend to walk a great deal too), have a special place in my heart. So, here’s a special shout out to Faye Norby, the only female foot athlete to make it to McGrath this year and who was then able to tear herself away from the warmth and comfort of the McGrath Outpost and proceed on to Nome, knowing that it would take her likely another 20 days at least to arrive at her final destination. Unlike the cyclists, those on foot or ski know only the same plodding pace of one footstep or one ski shuffle after another.  Faye’s 2.5mph pace is not much different than Sunny’s 2.7mph.  Faye is nearly 70 miles ahead of Sunny with about 20 miles before she arrives in Cripple, or eight hours of steady walking (eight hours!).

Sunny is 21 miles behind her closest competitor Petr Ineman, another skier who has also biked to Nome several times (and won once!).  Sunny is an experienced athlete who can ably take on this challenge.  Though part of me hopes that Sunny can catch up with Petr, a great traveling companion and someone who, if push comes to shove, could do what Sunny did for me at Rainy Pass, give a word of encouragement and a hug if needed.

I’m raising my proverbial glass to Sunny, Faye, Leah, Kinsey, and all the dreamers on the Trail. May your dreams come true.

Author: Carole Holley

Photo credit: Carole Holley with Sunny Stroeer in the distance on her way to pizza in Skwentna.

With Eric Thomason’s finish this morning around 2am, the 350 race is now completed. Eric scratched last year due to frostbite, but came back and got ‘er done this year despite a 10 mile detour on the Skwentna river. Doug Amidon and Brian Hamilton finished on Tuesday morning. As these final 350 racers enjoy the cozy confines of the McGrath Community Center, the 1,000 racers are dragging themselves away and striking out into the most isolated portion of the course. 

There are two routes for the Iditarod sled dog race, the Northern (even years) and Southern (odd years) Routes. Initially only the Northern Route was used, which could be difficult on small villages that had to manage large numbers of mushers, dogs, and other people. In 1977 the Southern Route was established, allowing additional villages to participate in the race and alleviating some pressure from Northern Route villages.

The Northern Route gets more local traffic than the Southern Route, such as local residents traveling from village to village. This means that racers on the Southern Route may experience more difficult trail conditions and be more isolated between villages or Iditarod checkpoints. ITI racers will typically follow the established Iditarod route as much as possible because increased traffic and resources associated with the Iditarod sled dog race makes the route passable.

On the Northern Route between McGrath and Ruby, racers have few resources other than what they carry. ITI provides a drop at Cripple that will include the racers drop bag as well as fuel for their camp stoves. The North Fork Innoko and Carlson Crossing (called Collins Crossing on Trackleaders map) shelter cabins are both located between Ophir and Cripple. 

There are approximately 12 shelter cabins along the Iditarod Trail west of Rohn. The cabins vary in construction and amenities, typically including a wood burning stove, wooden bunks, and hopefully a door that will shut. These cabins are not reservable, and are available for all trail users. Most of these are at least loosely maintained by the Bureau of Land Management, who is the designated administrator of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. 

If lucky, racers will find a warm place to rest at the Iditarod checkpoints of Ophir and Cripple. Checkpoints are set up for mushers and ITI racers can’t count on using those resources, especially if mushers are present. As of this writing, Iditarod leader Dallas Seavey (if you haven’t heard, go read about his moose encounter, yikes!) has left Ophir and many mushers are between McGrath and Ophir. This means most of our foot and ski athletes, and soon the rest of the athletes, will be in the mix of some 38 dog teams. 

Sunny Stroeer arrived in McGrath late yesterday evening and is currently resting and enjoying the company of her husband, undoubtedly a welcome respite from miles of skiing which is very hard on the feet. Her race is going slower than she hoped, and like many racers that crossed Rainy Pass Friday night is plagued by cold injuries. Sunny does an excellent job of taking care of herself and hopefully they are relatively minor injuries.

Petr Ineman, Joshua Brown and Mark Hines are all just a few miles outside of McGrath. Jeff Luewerke, Faye Norby, Christof Teuscher are all approaching the Carlson Crossing cabin, while Beat Jegerlehner is already there. It’s tough to guess whether they’ll rest at the cabin or push on, as they may arrive during daylight. 

Leah Gruhn, Ryan Wanless, Brandon Lott and Gavin Hennigan, Asbjoern Skjoeth Bruun, Kinsey Loan, Mark Moeller and Thomas Miller are between Carlson Crossing and North Fork Innoko River cabins. Tiziano Mulonia and Ben Pysto are just a few miles from their drop in Cripple. Phillip Hofstetter has been in Ruby for several hours. Leaders Tyson Flaherty and Miron Golfman took about 26 hours to travel ~50 miles from Ruby to Galena. It does look like they were able to ride a bit, but must have been a slog with all the new snow the area has received. 

Temperatures are currently forecasted in the teens during the day and a little above zero at night, with snow showers predicted through Thursday. There is a special weather statement from the National Weather Service for the coast and Yukon River included below: 

A deep arctic trough will move south over the Western Interior and West Coast and bring well below normal temperatures beginning Friday night. High pressure over the Chukchi Sea will bring strong north winds starting Friday night as well. Low temperatures by Saturday morning will be in the teens and 20s below zero and remain that way through Wednesday morning. Highs will range from near zero to 10 below. North winds of 10 to 30 mph with higher gusts will bring wind chills as low as the 40s to near 50 below zero.

Author: Amber Crawford

Photo credit: Miron Golfman 

The cut off to reach McGrath is 10 days from the start of ITI to Mcgrath, meaning that the 350 mile race will officially be over by 2pm AKST tomorrow. Brian Hamilton on foot, Eric Thomason also on foot, and Doug Amidon on ski are the remaining 350 mile ITI athletes still making their way towards the chicken pasta in McGrath. They’ll be there soon! 

In the 1000 mile event, we’ll see Joshua Brown on ski finish before the evening, taking the river trail rather than haul road to the village. Behind him on the river trail is Hendra Wijaya on bike, and Petr Ineman on ski. These three slept on the Kuskokwim River last night. 

Opting to take the haul road are Mark Hines on foot followed by 350 mile Brian Hamilton, and our other 350 mile footer Eric Thomason. 

Why take one way to get to McGrath over the other? The haul road route consists of meadows and forest, meadows and forest, and sometimes moose post-holes. This segment is a simple snowmachine trail, although closer to McGrath it begins to feel like a road that isn’t very well plowed until closer to the village. There are some hills, though not too many, and eventually the trail drops into town. A red flashing light on a tower in town flashes as progress is made towards the racer's destination, though they beware because it can be seen from miles away which sometimes makes advancing feel slow. The river trail follows the Kuskokwim River and occasionally through sloughs and wooded parts. There are several small steep climbs on or off the riverbank, which can make those traveling with rolling suitcases (aka bikes) work a little harder than if they were on the haul road. Do racers prefer the river trail or the haul road to get to McGrath? It’s tough to say, and each person may have their own opinion! It truthfully comes down to the weather and which route athletes think will get them to the next checkpoint swiftly and safely. 

Out in front on the adventure to Nome, Tyson and Miron took off down the Yukon at 10am AKST, after a nice rest in Ruby. In that amount of time they’ve made it about 11 miles on bikes, and we do hope they keep pushing towards Galena this evening - with Philip Hofstetter 30 miles behind them on the trail they’d likely prefer to keep moving forward! Kinsey Loan, on bike, left Ophir this morning and is making her way towards Cripple, currently resting at the first shelter cabin along the way, traveling with Mark Moeller. Speeds along the Innoko River looked like racers were working through tough conditions, though as soon as the trail heads north it appears that the trail firms up. Tiziano Mulonia and Thomas Miller have been holding promising speeds on bikes today (nearly 5mph!) There are two cabins along the way to the Iditarod checkpoint, the Carlson Crossing Cabin, where Ben Pysto took a nice rest, and the N Fork Innoko Cabin not too far from Cripple. *Carlson Crossing is called Collins Crossing on the Trackleader’s map, FYI!

Asbjoern Skjoeth Bruun on ski is trudging on, followed by Gavan Hennigan on foot. Brandon Lott on foot is moving past Ophir. Ryan Wanless has caught up to Leah Gruhn, 2023’s 1000 mile women’s bike champion, and she now has a tracker for us to check in on. PHEW! We were starting to get nervous. “Do what brings you joy, and help others to find joy. … and don’t be afraid to dig deep and bury yourself from time to time.” Leah posted an update early this morning with some beautiful photos rolling into McGrath. Beat Jegerlehner on foot is steadily making his way towards Ophir.

Faye Norby and Jeff Leuwerke left McGrath this morning towards Nome. Faye admitted to us that she loved sitting in McGrath for a bit to see the excitement and exhausted faces of some of the 350 finishers. Julie is doing an amazing job taking care of everyone and the outpost is looking great since she was there last in 2022. She expects to be on snowshoes for the next few days and is hoping that the trail firms up when it cools down at night. As put by Jan Francke who is in the 1000 mile ski and chose to travel the river route, “this is just Alaska and these are decisions you have to make and fight with.”

In McGrath, new and old friends are sharing stories with warm food and comfortable accommodations. What we wouldn’t give to be in that vicinity sharing stories and feeling shelled with those athletes! Our red lantern racer has just about 21 miles to get to McGrath before the 2pm cut off, and we’re cheering them on with all of our hearts! 

Written by Jill Martindale

Photo of the haul road from Amber Crawford in 2020.

Day 9 of the ITI continues to bring in athletes to McGrath, either to celebrate their finish of the 350 distance or as a stopover on their way to Nome. Currently there are 13 bikers and one skier north of McGrath. Miron Golfman and Tyson Flaharty are further north, and have been traveling together since the start. 

Miron and Tyson arrived in Ruby around 1:00am. After resting, repacking, and a few bike adjustments, they set out on the mighty Yukon river towards the village of Galena, 50 miles away. Travel on the Yukon was difficult and they returned to Ruby to hunker down and wait for the weather to clear, not wanting to “get stuck on the river” overnight. Once they leave Ruby they are on the exposed Yukon river until Kaltag, which is almost 135 miles away. Even with opportunities for respite in the small villages along the way, they have to be smart about how they tackle this next section. As Miron pointed out, the energy output to battle the conditions might be greater now than if they were to wait and tackle it the next day, with conditions that would allow them to conserve energy, and find and stay on the trail. 

They have a significant lead and the next biker, Philip Hofstetter is 50 miles south. Skier Asbjoern Skjoeth Bruun is making his way to Ophir. Asbjoern is extremely systematic when executing this race, and he was part of the The Unalakleet Eight, several 1,000 mile athletes that were stopped in 2020 at Unalakleet due to a storm surge had made all routes over the Sound from Shaktoolik to Koyuk impassable due to open water or overflow.

The two 1,000 mile womens bikers, Kinsey Loan and Leah Gruhn are also making their way to Ophir. Leah’s tracker was left in McGrath, and is being brought to her by fellow racer Ryan Wanless, they should meet at Takotna and we will be able to track her then. Two foot division men have left McGrath, Gavan Hennigan and Brandon Lott. 

In McGrath several more athletes have finished, including Amanda Harvey (2nd start, first finish) and Jennifer McConnel (rookie and world's best aunt)! Amanda has had some pretty bad knee pain and was definitely relying on her inner and outer strength. She completed the ITI winter camp in 2022 and came back to race in 2023 but suffered “a catastrophic mechanical failure on the Yentna River. So I hiked my bike like a backpack for about 7 miles”. Her advice to rookies: Get used to taking care of yourself in a variety of conditions. Start strength training. 

There are several 1,000 mile foot athletes resting in McGrath. Lone foot woman Faye Norby was greeting the finishers and resting up for the long push to Ophir, along with cyclist Missy Schwarz, and fellow foot comrades Jeff Leuwerke and 7 time finisher Beat Jegerlehner.

Headed towards McGrath are the first four athletes taking the river route to town, 350 foot athlete Daniel Héon, 1,000 mile bike division Hendra Wijaya, 1,000 mile ski division Jan Francke, and 1,000 ski Joshua Brown. They appear to be moving well, which indicates the trail may have been groomed or set, and this route can be very pleasant when it is! I took that route in 2020 with Mark Hines, so I am curious which route he will take, his choice is coming up in a few hours. He slept and woke up to wolves howling yesterday after a bivy, maybe that is why he is making such good time? 

A few athletes remain in Nikolai, and red lantern Sunny is 3.5 miles out! I bet she is really looking forward to the warm and welcoming community. She slept on the trail past Bear Creek Cabin today, and was primed for a strong day today! 

The drama of the cold, wind, and Rainy pass seem far away. But lingering damage from the past days are plaguing those that scratched and those that are continuing on. Tales of frostbite and deep fatigue, knee pain, shin splints, edema/swelling, have been mentioned more than once. For those continuing on, their task is to find a way to keep the body happy while they attempt to cross an often unfathomable distance. 

Written by Kari Gibbons

Photo of the amazing Nikki Potter, who dropped at Nikolai, crossing Rainy Pass, by finisher Daniel Perry.

To borrow a sentiment from the 2024 Fat Pursuit, sometimes a scratch doesn’t tell the whole story. More than 30 athletes have scratched this year, not an exceptional number for the ITI. A scratch doesn’t tell you about the athletes who fought their way to exhaustion, through winds that could knock a person over, blowing snow, thigh-deep drifts, and trails that were completely blown in. 

Scratch doesn’t describe one anonymous skier giving a big hug to a sobbing runner who just couldn’t push into the wind any longer, all in the midst of screaming wind and snow. Nor does it  tell you about the incredibly difficult decision each one of these athletes had to make to give up on their ITI dream for this year. 

The forecast today for McGrath is cloudy and warm, with snow showers predicted. Warm weather can be a relief, but can also make trails soft and travel more difficult. Conditions seem relatively mild and racers perhaps are enjoying a respite from strong winds and cold temperatures.

Skier Sunny Stroeer left Rohn around 8am after about 18 hours of rest. She steadily made her way through Farewell Burn and seems likely to stop at Bear Creek cabin tonight. Sunny is fighting a few surprises including a cracked tooth crown. Racers have to get special permission for something like going to the dentist, which hopefully Sunny will be able to do in McGrath. Laura Rushfeldt has scratched. Asbjoern Skjoeth Bruun arrived in McGrath this evening, and the remaining skiers on the course are between Rohn and Nikolai.

Faye Norby is the sole remaining women’s foot athlete. Faye arrived at Nikolai around 2am and stayed for a modest 6 hours before pushing on towards McGrath. She continues to travel with partner Jeff Leuwerke. Gavin Hennigan and Brandon Lott are leading the men’s 1000 foot race and are about 20 miles from McGrath. Ryan Fox is leading the foot 350 and is about 33 miles from McGrath. Nome foot racer Herman Watson has scratched due to a stress fracture. 

Bikers Missy Schwarz and Kinsey Loan arrived in McGrath Saturday evening and are resting there today, Leah Gruhn arrived this afternoon. Stephanie Schmidt and Mayalla Krause finished during the day today. Amanda Harvey and Jennifer McConnel arrived in Nikolai before noon.

Nome racers are slowly starting to trickle out of McGrath; as of this writing, only five have departed. Tyson Flaherty and Miron Golfman are leading the race to Nome and are only 30 miles from Ruby.

Becca Moore finished her second 350 today; the first was in 2022. Few ITI racers can say they’ve also mushed the Iditarod trail to Nome, and Becca is one of them. Not only has she completed the Iditarod twice, but she’s also finished the Yukon Quest. 

Temperatures are predicted to remain above zero for the next few days, with light winds and chance of snow. This bodes well for trail conditions and racers, who we hope will be enjoying trail friends and the camaraderie only a shared ITI experience can bring. 

Author Amber Crawford

Photo credit Carole Holley

Photo caption: Carole Holley and Amber Crawford shortly after departing Puntilla Lake, heading into unknown weather conditions on Rainy Pass.

Today’s Wild Winter Women update oversees the pivotal cutoff for Rohn at 2 PM, with several racers narrowly making it in time. Sunny Stoer and Laura Rushfeldt arrived in under an hour before the cutoff. Both skiers opted to bivvy high in the Dalzell Gorge last night. When it comes to river valleys in the Alaskan winter, higher is often warmer. In the words of a veteran, “If you have to bivvy, bivvy high in the Gorge. Once you drop onto the Tatina River, you are committed to getting to Rohn."

Those who reached Rohn before 2 PM can breathe a temporary sigh of relief, knowing they have four days to cover the final 120 miles to McGrath. The cutoffs this year have caught many racers who would’ve had no issues in most years. Amber Crawford, a 2x 350 champion and the first woman to complete the 350 in all three disciplines, flew back to Anchorage after mechanicals hampered her Rainy Pass ascent.

As the temperatures rose today, so did the winds, offering a 13 mph headwind for racers on the final stretch into Nikolai and a tailwind for those bound for McGrath. According to weather reports, racers entering the Farewell Burn will be at the whims of 19 mph crosswind gusts until tree cover resumes near Bear Creek Cabin.

Our skiers are no doubt welcoming the warmer (3F) temps and seem to be managing a bit of a glide today. Skiing in ultra cold temps is more like walking with the world’s most unwieldy snowshoes.

Amanda and Jennifer are biking towards Bear Creek Cabin. We’ll see if they opt to forgo the two mile round trip detour and camp along the route. Veterans Missy and Kinsey decided to skip the cabin last night. Both are former champions in the ITI 1000 and 350, respectively, and are currently bound for Nome this year. Kinsey has recently arrived in McGrath with Mark while Missy trails 25 miles out.

The last 20 miles leading into Nikolai features alternating marshes and woodland. Judging from the splits, cyclists are switching between walking and riding. The snow in these marshes can be paradoxically soft relative to the air temperature. Cyclists may find it impossible to dial in an appropriate tire pressure as the trail flips between marsh mush and hardpack in the woods.

Leah, Stephanie, Becca, and Mayella should be rolling into Nikolai this evening, after a layover last night at Bear Creek Cabin. Last year’s foot champion, Herman Watson, is also resting in Nikolai.

The Athabascan community of Nikolai is the first Native village on the ITI route. Racers staying in the local community center may have the opportunity to meet Stephanie Petruska, a longtime friend of ITI racers. Stephanie’s family has deep roots in Nikolai, the ITI, and the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. The ITI community is immensely thankful for the enduring hospitality of the Nikolai community.

Our women’s footrace leader, Faye Norby, is back on the trail after a 5 hour rest at Bear Creek cabin.

Faye has previously won the 350 women’s foot race in 2020 and 2022. This year, she is headed to Nome. As of today, she is the sole female foot racer left on the course.

Nicolas Janssen has just become the 350 men’s ski champion while Jesse Gladdish secures her spot on the 350 women’s bike podium. ITI 1000 leaders Miron and Tyson should be arriving at the Cripple Creek checkpoint soon.

The interior is forecasted to warm up on Monday with temperatures in the 20s, which will no doubt soften up the overland route. Hopes are pinned on the possibility of the Kuskokwim River trail being put in by then, offering a smoother and more efficient route to the finish line.

Written by Kendall Park.  Photo credit Derrick Seys of Finger Lake CP’s last racers Klaus Schweinberger and Thomas Dane on foot under starry skies.

The 350 distance is seeing a lot of action, today we have 14 finishes so far, and will have one more tonight!  Unfortunately we have 23 scratches but three 1,000 mile bikes have made it past McGrath and heading north at a pace that suggests the trail might not be hard packed.  

Nicholas Janssen, potentially our 1st 350 mens ski is just outside Nikolai, and after him athletes continue to battle the trail, and use Bear Creek cabin as a refuge when needed.  Faye Norby in the lead for the 1,000 foot has left Rohn and is heading towards the beautiful and stark Egypt Mountain.  As they say, “you can’t get to Nome if you don’t leave Rohn” so that box is checked.  

Almost to Rohn, Jennifer McConnel, bike 350 from Girdwood, Alaska says “This will be mentally and physically the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm really excited, Anything can be accomplished with baby steps”  and she is trucking along!  Special shout out to North Pole High School students and my mom (Nurse Lorraine)!

The weather has continued to be a challenge for our athletes.  Winds have been blasting as athletes make their way up the pass, causing several to return to Puntilla Lake to scratch. The winds are not bad on the lake, but as they climb up into the Ptarmigan Valley, athletes are hit in the face with winds at over 60 knots and wind chills far below -40F.  Some of those that do continue on bike are needing to hike a bike vs ride the rolling terrain to the base of the pass.  This afternoon we watched Joshua Brown, 1,000 mile ski, begin to take the Hells Gate route (not recommended) close to Rainy Pass.  He soon realized his mistake and is now making good time over the pass.  We watched Amber Crawford embark and then return to the lodge, she had tire issues and needed to get to a safe space to fix it. She has since left again and is making her way, pushing her bike, to the pass.  We currently have 7 athletes in the lodge, a far cry from the 32 yesterday. 

Moving down the trail, there were a lot of downed trees in the section between Finger Lake and Puntilla. The ITI trail crews spent the past several days trying to keep up with cleaning them, but the relentless winds continued to knock them over.  Fortunately we only have two more athletes in that section, 1,000 foot racers Klaus Schweinberger and Donald Kane.  1,000 mile foot athlete Mark Hines described that section as “The roughest race conditions I've dealt with were yesterday's approach to Fingerlake CP. Leaving it wasn't much better. This was followed by almost perfection.”  So at least some of the trail is getting better! 

Tonight a special shout out to 350 foot athlete Ryan Fox.  A Nome resident,  middle school teacher and cross country coach!  Ryan has a GoFundme for the NEW nome track and field team https://gofund.me/a9aa0721  

His hope is that his run inspires kids to want to test their limits in healthy ways. And a “Shout out to my roomate Aaron and the rest of my Nome family who has supported me these last several months.  I would not be towing the line without their countless words of encouragement.  It's hard training for a big event like this in a small town where the number of endurance athletes is relatively small.  95% of my runs the last 5 months have been alone.  See ya in Mcgrath!”

Written by Kari Gibbons  Photo by Ryan Wanless, of Ryan and Beat, both multiple 1,000 mile finishers, heading to Nome again this year.

 What a day!  We have the first finishers on the 350 bike as the field continued to battle tough conditions.  Kevin Breitenbach and Clinton Hodges finished together in 3 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes.  No strangers to the course, this is Kevin’s 5th 350 finish and Clinton’s 7th finish.  They were not the last finishes of the day, being 2 of 8 that have completed their race today and there are 5 more set up to finish including Lael Wilcox who will probably be done by the time this is posted. When asked about her finishing goals she just wanted to go “as fast as I can” and after resting and eating, when she gets home, she is going to “get the wheels in motion for Tucson GRIT, my middle school girls cycling mentorship program”  AWESOME!  Also a nice treat after pushing bikes for hours, it looks like riders are currently enjoying 7 to 8 MPH between Nikolai and McGrath, what a way to finish, huge congratulations to everyone today!  

Meanwhile!  The weather continued to be a huge hurdle for the entire field.  Overnight to this morning, there were 32 athletes nestled in Rainy Pass Lodge, waiting out the storm.  This is a good time for getting rest and enjoying the camaraderie of fellow participants.  The few that had gone out to brave the pass at night had stopped to bivy a few hours after leaving.   Jessie Gladish had stopped for over three hours at the base of the pass to rest after her epic push and is now in Rhone resting and eating brats (brats might be speculation).   

Later, sometime after 5 am AK time, a large human train of bikers, skiers, and walkers left Rainy Pass Lodge to make a push for the pass.  Currently, 24 people are making their way to Rhone Including 1,000 mile biker Leah Gruhn and Kinsey Loan, and first 1,000 mile foot Herman Watson. All are heading to a 6 person tent on the other side of the pass, try not to think about it!  The bikes have been moving around 1.5 to 2 MPH all day, and they are moving right along with the ski and foot division, which means they are pushing bikes and will continue to do so for potentially 30 miles.  All disciplines and all distances traveling together, it has been a treat to watch.  

Rumor had it a large group was going to wait until midnight to go, but the conditions must be improving as many continue to file out and make for the Pass, still there are over 20 camped at the lodge, including Amanda Harvey who said yesterday “that it’s going to get cold but I’m ready for it”.  

Moving back down the trail, athletes continue to make their way from Finger Lake. 

Eric Thomason, 350 foot division,  missed the turn after the Happy River Steps and added a projected 10 miles total (5 out and 5 back) and 5 hours to his Iditarod Trail Invitational.  How quickly an athlete can mentally bounce back from something like this is instrumental in their success, he is now on track and moving well!  

I’m happy to report that everyone has covered the trail between Shell Lake and Finger Lake. Yesterday the trail was completely blown with winds howling at over 50mph and racers were forced to find the trail with their feet.  How do you know if you are off trail?  Take a step - if you don’t post hole, you are on the trail.  Apparently there was a moose situation but I’m waiting on details for that.

We finished the day with 14 total scratches and 8 finishes with a projected 5 more.  One of those we’ll give a special shout out to, Tazlina Mannix who is on bike and on her way to her first finish in McGrath now.  When asked about a cause she was riding for this year, she stated “My dad died suddenly eight months ago. He loved adventuring in remote Alaska by foot, skis, raft/packraft, bike, etc, and I'm so grateful he passed that on to me (and many others). He was one of my heroes, and I'll be thinking about him a lot while I'm on the trail. My family established the Arthur Mannix Memorial Fund in his honor: 

https://alaskacf.org/funds/arthur-mannix-memorial-fund/. 

The fund is dedicated to connecting people with nature through recreation, art, education, and science.

We’re happy she will get to finish today, with her husband Casey Fagerquist 350 bike, who says she’s his “best friend” and is “ excited for her to experience it.“

It will be a long night for everyone out on the trail, and days of hard conditions really stack up, especially for our 1,000 mile racers.  This morning lead bikers Miron and Tyson Flaharty spent very little time in Mcgrath before heading out and are now less than 13 miles to Ophir.  For them, the adventure is just beginning.  Lead skier for this distance Asbjoern Skjoeth Bruun is on his way to Rhone along with Faye Norby, and Leah Gruhn.  Remember the 6 person tent mentioned earlier?  It’s a good thing these athletes are comfortable sleeping outside. 

Written by Kari Gibbons, photo credit Leah Gruhn, athletes commiserating at Rainy Pass Lodge before braving the storm. 

On day 4 we are seeing Alaska really show up and challenge our racers.  Temperatures overnight in the swamps between Skwentna and Shell reached -25°F. And it was very slow going with the trail completely blown out and thigh deep snow drifts in some areas.  This morning three of the lead men cyclists took a nice rest and hopefully snooze at Bear Creek Cabin around 4 am AK time, now Clinton Hodges and Kevin Breitenbach both on bike for the 350 are on their way to the finish line in McGrath.  Miron was in the lead for the 1,000 bike and he has now linked up with Tyson Flaharty as they make their way to McGrath.

Leading 350 womens bike Lael pulled an all nighter and is still in the lead despite bike issues early on in the race.  After 7am she too took a break at the cabin as well and is now 16 miles to Nikolai. Less than ten miles behind her is number two women for the 350 bike, Nikki Potter.

A huge pile of bikers including womens 350 athlete Tazlina had breakfast in Rhone this morning before filling out to tackle the Farewell Burn.  This checkpoint is a welcome treat after climbing up and over the pass, however there is a “one in, one out” rule for sleeping as the tent is fairly small.  I am wondering who got to snooze on cozy straw and who had to bivy outside!  Nikkie Potter was sitting .9 miles from Rhone for 7 hours, maybe this was a calculated rest stop to avoid the shuffle!  Five athletes including Jessie Gladish on bike  are still climbing the pass and on their way to Rhone, it has been a long day for them, and the speed they moved indicated they are pushing bikes, in that group is also Nicolas Janssen, 1st male 350 on ski, steadily moving upward. 

Backtracking to Puntilla lake, there are currently 17 athletes hunkering down at the welcoming Rainy Pass Lodge, including our first 1,000 mile foot athlete Herman Watson, and several  womens bikers including Leah Gruhn and Missy Schwarz, who went out earlier and came back to rest a knee, both in the thousand.  Stephanie Schmit and Mayella Krause,for the 350 bike are also there, do yourself a favor and check out who Mayella is sponsored by, you won’t regret it!  With the wind being so bad and the temperature dropping, this large group decided to stay the night and make a push for the pass tomorrow morning.  “Temperatures are the focus of the forecast for the next several days as cold air plunges south out of the Arctic. Overnight temperatures will plunge into the 20 below to 40 below range across the Interior, with the coldest temperatures occurring the valleys”  Not everyone is staying in however, after a break just a few miles out of the Happy River Steps, 1,000 mile bikers Kinsey Loan and Mark Moeller have made the brave decision to head out now, and tackle the pass at night.   

As I write this, our 1,000 mile foot Leading Lady, Faye Norby and her partner Jeff Leuwerke are walking down the Happy River Steps, a tiered and winding trail that drops them down onto the Happy River for a jaunt before a nice climb back out.  It can be treacherous if icy, but these two are pros.   Magdalena, the other womens 1,000 mile foot has left Finger Lake as well, where a few more athletes including Wild Winter Women Amber Crawford and Carole Holley are waiting out the bad weather.  Amber commented about the incredible wind today adding an expletive, but strategizing this event is something she is very good at.

Sunny Stroeer is steadily making her way to Finger Lake, and will probably catch her partner Paul Gagner there, which would be a welcome treat for them.  Behind her is 1,000 mile foot athlete Mark Hines, overcoming some physical adversity the day before, recovering and now pushing on. Multiple 1,000 mile finisher Petr Ineman (this year on skis) and fellow 1,000 mile skier Joshua Brown are also on their way to finger lake.  Joshua battled stomach problems that kept him from eating or drinking for more than 30 HOURS and is moving well on his way to Nome.  Our Red Lantern tonight is the delightful Sarah Hurkett, who is taking a break at Skwentna, once she leaves the building it is a very exposed hike for several miles to the Shell Hills, I imagine she will stay put for a bit as well.  

There are a lot of things that can go sideways out in the Alaska range; we have had a few drops this year, including Erick Basset, Ronnie Carrara, Jeremy Fields, and my amazing friend Jeff Goldstein.  Often pure grit will get you far, but a healthy dose of luck also plays into it.  The amount of planning and training that each person does for months is just incredible, and true bravery shows when we don’t know what will happen out there, but try anyway.  We hope to see each of you on the trail again.  

Written by Kari Gibbons, photo credit Tiziano Mulonia

What a day it has been for everyone making their way toward and over the Alaska Range!  As I write this, 350 leaders Kevin Breitenbach and Clinton Hodges have just rolled into Rohn after a rugged bike push up, over and even part of the way down Rainy Pass. Five more cyclists, including Nome-bound Miron Golfman, Tyson Flaharty and Lael Wilcox, are not far behind. What a good feeling to leave the breathtaking and sometimes harrowing Dalzell Gorge and the Tatina River onto the brief bit of wooded trail leading to Rohn, settle in to enjoy a delicious brat, and break open your drop bag and see what treats await. One downside to being first in the checkpoint is that you don’t get to rummage through the treats that other racers left behind!  

Nikki Potter and Tazlina Mannix are currently pushing their bikes up the narrower part of Rainy Pass amidst eight other cyclists. Though cyclists generally have faster finishing times overall on the ITI, some conditions are much more favorable for skiers and foot travelers and this is one of them! For perspective, Amber Bethe’s bike, loaded with gear for Nome, weighs 85 pounds–approximately “0.7 Ambers”. That’s quite a lot of weight to push into the wind, uphill, through the snow. 

In general, travel was a lot slower today than yesterday, especially for those on wheels.  A few inches of snow fell along much of the trail and reports are that it is windy even down by Skwentna and Shell Lake. Missy Schwarz is still leading the women’s bike race to Nome, followed by Leah Gruhn and Kinsey Loan, who have been traveling together, with Kinsey’s fiance Mark Moeller, for the latter part of the day. Leah got some sleep along the trail last night just shy of Shell Lake after she and Tiziano Mulonia left the Iditarod Trail for a different path. While the ITI has no required route to follow, the path of least resistance is usually the historic Iditarod Trail. There are a few areas between Skwentna and Finger Lake where the Iditarod Trail crosses mining roads. Sometimes these roads provide good travel for short stretches, but sometimes they entice racers down a path that ends up being more difficult, which is what happened to these two last night.

Faye is still leading the women’s foot race to Nome and is currently on Shell Lake with Jeff Leuwerke making solid, steady progress about 14 miles behind Herman Watson, who is leading the men on foot to Nome. Ashbjoern Skjoeth Bruun is past Shell Lake, averaging 3.8 mph on skis and Sunny Stroeer took a very short break at Skwentna and is moving on, maybe to take a longer break at Shell Lake.

The Shell Lake Lodge was always a favorite stop for ITI racers, but sadly it was destroyed by fire in February 2023, a couple weeks before last year’s race began.  The owners have kindly allowed racers to use two cabins that still stand on the property and anticipate having their lodge rebuilt by the end of this coming summer, which is no small feat anywhere, let alone off the road system in the Alaskan bush!

For the 350, Ryan Fox and Brian Hamilton are at Shell Lake leading the men’s foot division, with Dean Denter right behind them. Carole Holley is in a mix of other foot travelers who may get to Shell Lake just past dusk tonight. Nicholas Janssen is at Finger Lake making excellent progress on skis and Laura Rushfeldt should be at Skwentna in time for a hot meal if she chooses to take a break.

While last night was a chilly -25 on the river, temperatures on the trail have been relatively mild today.  Tomorrow we may know more about the snow situation north of the Alaska range, which can be wildly different than what racers have experienced to the south. As I wrap up today’s report, Kevin, Clint and Miron are already back out on the trail from Rohn. Racers will likely see much colder temperatures on the north side of the range, with lows in Nikolai forecast to be around -30F for the next few days.

Thank you Emily Wanless for the photo of Faye Norby and Ryan Wanless under a bluebird sky at Skwentna!

Written by Kori Marchowsky

Welcome to day two of the Iditarod Trail Invitational! For many racers, it was a cloudy, mild day with temperatures in the teens. While overnight temperatures on the Yentna River reportedly dipped to 15 below with a stiff breeze, racers were prepared and there have only been three scratches so far. Tonight’s forecast calls for 1-2 inches of snow and lows around 5.
In the women’s bike race, Lael Wilcox is charging hard and is in second position overall after leaving Finger Lake, mile 126. Lael’s tracker seemed to be having problems, and there was some confusion about her position. She checked into Instagram on Monday morning and reported she had ridden 114 miles in 18 hours and was dealing with a stripped bolt in her seat post that caused her saddle to slip down. The smallest issues with a bike can cause big problems, and in this case, the broken clamp is forcing her to “ride low” — which is hard on the knees — or stand while riding. Hopefully, Lael can find a solution, but it doesn’t appear to be slowing her down.
Tazlina Mannix and Anchorage and Nikki Potter of Fairbanks aren’t far behind, as Tazlina just left Finger Lake and Nikki is resting there with Lael about 10 miles ahead. The trail beyond Finger Lake appears to be much slower going than the first 125 miles of the course. This is often the case — this section features a seemingly endless ripple of direct climbs and descents in and out of steep drainages as racers approach the Alaska Range. But with even the strongest riders moving at walking speeds, trail conditions must be worse than before.
Leading the women’s bike race to Nome is Missy Schwartz of Fairbanks, Alaska. Missy has been riding a conservative, well-paced race with an eight-hour rest at Yentna Station, breakfast in the cozy confines of Bentalit Lodge, and lunch at Skwentna. Leah Gruhn of Minnesota is a few hours back, followed closely by Kinsey Loan of Eagle River, Alaska. Both women have been taking similarly civil breaks. As of this report, Amber was about to arrive at Bentalit Lodge. From Yentna Station, Amber reported “great trail conditions, -10 on the river with a decent breeze. Moving slow but feeling decent!”
Leading the women’s foot race is Faye Norby of Minnesota, who currently has a solid lead on her fellow 1,000-mile racer Magdalena Paschke of Germany. Magdalena appears to be traveling with 350-mile racers Carole Holley and Stacy Fisk. Faye Norby is a strong runner, having come into McGrath just an hour shy of the women’s foot record in 2022. The 6-day, 12-hour record belongs to Anne Ver Hoef and has stood since 2013.
Our women skiers — Sunny Stroeer of Utah and Laura Rushfeldt of Massachusett — are close together on their way to Yentna Station. Sunny is aiming to not only be the first woman skier to Nome in the Iditarod Trail Invitational, but the first skier period. Why has this not been done before? In a recent Instagram video, Sunny admitted that the skis aren’t the most practical mode of transport on the Iditarod Trail. It’s rough, narrow, often riddled with bumps, and sometimes scoured down to ice or dirt. Unless a skier is exceptionally skilled, it’s difficult to make the kick-and-glide work in their favor. Instead, Sunny compared the endeavor to walking a thousand miles in less comfortable footwear. So why choose skis? I hope Sunny will have her answer under the burled arch.
Thank you to Linda Bulawa Klim for the photo of Sunny skiing out of Knik on Sunday afternoon. - Jill Homer

Starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, the 2024 Iditarod Trail Invitational was off like a rocket as racers enjoyed sunny skies, temperatures in the 20s, and fast trails. 

The women’s field is the largest yet. The total number of ladies on the course is 23 — 15 cyclists, six runners, and two skiers. Seven — four cyclists, two runners, and one skier — are aiming to reach Nome. 

The ITI has no set course — the rules only require that racers hit each checkpoint, the first being at mile 27 on Butterfly Lake. The Susitna River Valley is a veritable maze of designated snowmachine trails, gas line trails, railroad lines, and social trails. Picking the “best” route to the Yentna River is one of the first puzzles everyone must solve. Past years have shown all kinds of creative deviations. Since the Iron Dog Snowmachine Race finished in Big Lake on Sunday, the most logical choice was the freshly tracked trail across Big Lake, which most racers chose. The few deviations seemed similarly fast; everyone was making good time to checkpoint one. 

In 2023, the first racer to Butterfly Lake arrived with 2 hours 51 minutes on the clock. This year, according to the tracker, Clinton Hodges III arrived at Butterfly Lake with 2 hours 21 minutes on the clock — a half hour faster than last year. Tazlina Mannix of Anchorage was the first woman to arrive at the checkpoint, pedaling to mile 27 on the course in 2 hours and 28 minutes. Smokin’!  Rookies Lael Wilcox and Nikki Potter weren’t far behind. 

Sunny Stoeer, the skier aiming for Nome this year, was one of three people who chose to take the standard Iditarod Trail. Sunny is keeping close company with Nome veteran walkers Donald Kane and Klaus Schweinberger. 

As of this writing, all six women on foot were keeping close company across Big Lake, trying not to choke on the smog left behind by Iron Dog traffic (thanks to 1,000-mile racer Faye Norby for the photo, which shows Magdalena Paschke and Carole Holley.)

As racers head into the night, they are likely to encounter a stunning drop in temperatures and possibly some overflow and deeper snow as they head upriver. With clear skies, the temperature can easily plummet to 20 below on the Yentna River overnight. Since it was so warm at the start, these big (and common) swings often catch rookie racers off guard. Most of the race’s injuries happen during the first night. 

According to a Facebook post from Deschka Landing, a heavy, wet storm that hit the area three days ago also may have a large impact. They wrote: “Only a half inch of snow fell from Deshka Landing to Yentna Station, but from 20 mile slough to Imm’s Inn there is about 10 inches of snow, Lake Creek to Skwentna received anywhere from 2 to 3 feet of snow, and Skwentna to Finger Lake received anywhere from 2 to 4 feet of snow.” 

Wishing everyone a great night out there, and hoping for no frostbite in the morning. 

-Jill Homer

Congratulations to Beat Jegerlehner, the ITI 1000 foot champion! Beat finished in 22 days, 22 hours and 42 minutes for his second win in the foot race to Nome.

Congratulations to Gaizka Aseguinolaza, Jussi Karjalainen, Roberto Gazzoli, Graham Muir, Tiziano Mulonia and Willy Mulonia for finishing the ITI 1000 in 18 days and 5 hours!

The six international athletes from Spain, Finland, Italy and New Zealand rode much of the trail from McGrath to Nome together and crossed under the burled arch as a group.

Jussi, Roberto, Graham and Willy were members of the Unalakleet Eight in 2020, a group of racers who were stopped short of the sea ice by a storm surge and the coronavirus pandemic. Congratulations to them and to Gaizka and Tiziano for conquering the countless challenges they faced on the Iditarod Trail and for finishing the ITI 1000.

Congratulations to Petr Ineman, the ITI 1000 bike champion! Petr rode the entire distance from McGrath by himself and finished in 16 days, 4 hours and 42 minutes.

Congratulations to this year’s Iditarod Trail Invitational champions!

Men's Bike

Tyson Flaherty and Ryan Atkins. 2 days 7 hours and 57 minutes.

Women's Bike

Amber Bethe. 4 days 11 hours and 38 minutes.

Men's Ski

Chet Fehrmann. 4 days 13 hours and 25 minutes.

Men's Foot

Thierry Corbarieu. 5 days 19 hours 44 minutes.

Women's Foot

Faye Norby. 6 days 13 hours 54 minutes.

Women's Ski

Jaclyn Arndt. 7 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes.

If one was looking for adventure, challenge and an emotional rollercoaster, the 2021 Iditarod Trail Invitational did not disappoint. It all started when the world began to shut down during the 2020 ITI and ended when the final athletes crossed the finish line a few days ago on March 10th.

For more than a year, the ITI family collectively faced more adversity and uncertainty than ever before, and the athletes who left the starting line endured innumerable struggles even before they arrived at Knik Lake on February 28th. But, true to the nature of the hearty people who return to the Iditarod Trail each year, those who crossed the finish line in 2021 dug deeply within themselves and found a way to overcome all of the setbacks, disappointments, mechanical failures, weather conditions, errors and other problems they confronted both before and during the ITI.

Thank you to all of the resilient people - athletes, supporters, volunteers, staff and business partners - who made the 20th anniversary Iditarod Trail Invitational possible. The stories from the trail each year are a testament to the power of the human spirit but never more so than they were in 2021.

At 10:17pm on March 5, Rebecca Rusch, of Idaho, rolled across the Iditarod Trail Invitational finish line in Big Lake, taking the crown in the women’s bike race. Together with her husband, Greg Martin, Rusch also was the top finisher in the race’s inaugural “self-supported” class. The two traveled 350 miles without receiving any of the meals, indoor recovery, or other outside support athletes in the general class typically receive. They slept outdoors alongside the trail, clocking about 14.5 total hours of rest during the race.

Martin and Rusch had not made a pact to race as a team this year—“It just happened organically,” she said. They moved point to point together, but did not know until the very end, she says, that they would finish as a team.

Rusch was also the top women’s finisher in 2019, her rookie year.