2019 Iditarod Trail Invitational

Start Selfie with Laura Fox PC Laura

Pre-race doggie walk PC Laura Fox

Wow that was fast!

I want to start this race report on a positive note. I had a great race, I ran into a little bit of bum luck luck but overall I was strong, fast, competed with the top racers and my bike prep was flawless this year. Congrats to Tyson on his win and Jay P for his second place finish.

And we're off! PC Laura Fox

We started off at Knik like many years, lots of communication between racers, me asking them how their summer was, how their winters were going. We discussed out day jobs and family. This is truly an interesting time of the race. We're not going that hard, like we are just trying to keep ahold of the last bit of normalcy before we start sprinting down the gas-line.

I'm pretty lucky to have such great supportive friends. Lots of cool people went out to cheer on all the racers!

Some of my awesome teammates and friends! PC Laura Fox

Flathorn Lake PC Andrew Cunningham

You guys are so awesome! PC Andrew Cunningham

 I had a pretty uneventful trip down the gasline trail, we split the large pack up that was on the road section and started to thin out quickly. Large gaps formed from letting air out, stopping to relieve ourselves etc. I stopped when I saw my friends and may have had a slurp or two of Anchorage Brewing Company's Rondy Brew, one of my fav's. :-)

• I've raced ITI a few times now and I knew that the first night is always tough. It's usually fast and we don't spend much time resting until Skwentna if the trail conditions are good. Think about it, let this sink in, we basically hammer 90+ miles before our first rest. I try not to get too caught up in the frantic starts, but I can't be too far behind either. 

Not long after seeing my friends the trail began to get softer. I heard trail reports that mentioned we might run into some softer conditions through here so it didn't bother me too much. What did bother me was that Tyson and Jay started to gap 3-5th place, Casey, Josh and myself.

I slowly worked my way past Josh, then Casey. I was having difficulty following those two as the trail was getting beat up. I'm glad I did because after passing those two I had to work hard on closing the gap back down to the two leaders. After riding through the Dismal Swamp we dropped down on the river and I proceeded to turn it up. I was slowly getting time back, and by 5 or so miles before Yentna Station checkpoint I had finally hopped back on their wheels.

We got into Yentna, Tyson and I had a coke, Jay was in and out. I was fine with this. No big deal. I had half my coke but then my coat and gear were starting to get defrosted. I knew I needed to get back outside and get a move on. Tyson went with me but not long after we left he fell off my wheel.

Continuing down the river I ran into Nicolas Carmen who is touring the route this year. It was nice to slow down a bit and chat with someone. A few miles after that I ran into the Corvus river trolls: aka Greg, Tim, Kevin, Adam and John. It was really fun seeing those guys with a little bonfire on the river. After enjoying a little bit of whiskey I made my way to Skwentna Roadhouse. And to my surprise Tyson had caught up to me and led me into the roadhouse!

PC Cindy Herman

Lasagna Time! PC Cindy Herman

Skwentna is always a great place to stop and dry gear and enjoy a solid mid-race meal. Cindy always has some great food prepared for us, cokes and various other treats to share. Tyson left before me with little rest and then I left after Casey showed up. The trip up to Finger Lake was pretty uneventful, I felt REALLY good going up the Shell Hills. My training and conditioning were definitely working and I was just having a good time.

I decided to get a nap in Finger Lake. There's a good bit of climbing between here and Puntilla Lake so I wanted to be at my best and have a strong section. After loading up my bike with some of my drop bag goodies and started off up the hill towards Rainy Pass.

• My drop bags include consumables like food, hand/foot/toe warmers, batteries. Usually I don't need much of the food I pack, but if conditions are slow and we are out on trail between checkpoints for a while then I have a decent amount of calories to keep me going.

The trail up to Puntilla Lake was incredible. No Iron Dog whoops/moguls/bumps, solid trail and typical beautiful views. I really worked on minimizing my zero time this year. No wasted breaks, no unnecessary stopping and really keeping on the gas this time.

I pulled into Rainy Pass Lodge and saw my good friend Dan Bailey who is working media for Rebecca Rusch and Outside magazine (I think that's the publication.) I gave him a hug and a quick interview, dealt with a couple things on my bike then went into the cabin to catch some rest and food. I rehydrated a meal, set out some coffee and took a nap. Jay P rolled up not long after and appeared to be on a mission. He left not long after he got there. We both discussed how we felt that Tyson had not stopped for very long at any checkpoints or gotten much sleep at this point. I pondered leaving earlier than I did but decided that passing up a comfortable place to rest was not the best idea. I was comfortable letting Tyson have a gap at this point with the Pass crossing and Rohn to Nikolai still to come...

Rainy Pass in the daylight?!?!?? Yes please!!

Corvus flying high over the pass!

To my surprise after leaving Puntilla Lake, I was riding my bike. It wasn't super hard trail, but it was certainly rideable. This was foreign to me. The Happy River Valley leading up to the pass is usually a windy mess the previous 3 years for me. How awesome is that?!? I basically plunked my butt in the saddle and rode all but the last .33 miles up the pass!!! And, to top that it was still light out!! How lucky was I?

I stopped to take a selfie and enjoy the view of the pass that I had never seen during the day light. I saw the cabin that is up there, the lake and enjoyed dropping down into the gorge with light. I got a little overzealous and went over the bars a few times on wind drifts. No harm, no foul though. 

This is where I made a mistake though. When the trail drops down to the Dazell Creek and we cross a few ribbons of open water I made the assumption that my boots were truly waterproof as they are  advertised. The sun was setting and when I came up on an ankle or less deep crossing I couldn't really make out how deep it was. I decided to just hop across it by foot quickly. I clipped back in and pedaled on into Rohn where the temperature was a balmy 30 degrees.

• Rohn is an incredible checkpoint. In large part because of the volunteers who are up and about at all times of the night and day, respond to any emergency with well thought out approaches and the bratwurst. Yes you read that right, bratwurst. There's something about a couple of bratwurst with mustard when you're 180 miles into a race that really lifts your spirits. Perhaps like my friend Nico says, "it's made with love." 

The checkpoint workers at Rohn told me that Tyson looked exhausted, and that Jay had left just 10 minutes before I arrived. I knew that I had to be strong through this next section of the race. I couldn't get tired and slow down, I couldn't have any mechanicals and I couldn't injure myself on any ice that could be on the trail. I ate my bratwurst,  took a 30 minute nap and drank some coffee. After waking up, I made the final touches on my bike and body before heading out on the trail to chase those two dudes down.

I was ready. I've spent years trying to prepare for this section of trail. It's both mentally and physically tough. It's 70+ miles of possibly bumpy and power sapping trail. I had to dial my effort back a bit through certain sections because I didn't run studded tires this year. There definitely was more ice on the trail this year than last but that was ok. I knew that I needed to really pace myself to push through Nikolai into McGrath. That was my goal, just stop long enough to handle any issues I was having in Nikolai and just motor all the way to the finish.

I made it down to the lakes at the base of the Alaska Range in good shape. I started in on the hills and noticed that the guys in front of me were starting to wonder across the trail occasionally. This was working right into my race plan.

• 45nth Wolfgar boots have changed the game for multi-day endurance winter cycling. They are built like a Sorel boot, with a hard outer shell and a removable felt liner that you can dry when needed. Their pedaling platform is great as well with a carbon sole that is stiff and doesn't sap heat from your feet. One thing they are not is waterproof. More on that another day...

It's always cold in the interior of Alaska. But this year wasn't particularly colder than any day on the trail there. I certainly wasn't surprised when the needle dropped below zero and then made it's way down to about -15.

After riding a bike for a couple of days, your feet and hands get numb/bruised/tingly. It's just part of the race and something you expect. I noticed around the Bison camp that my feet were a little cold and numb but didn't think much of it at the time. 

Things were pretty uneventful for the next section to Bear Creek Cabin turnoff. I for sure kept noticing my feet were a little uncomfortable but I kept pedaling along. I had a fun moment with a Ptarmigan on the trail, I saw this thing and then before I knew it this bird flew directly towards my headlamp! I let out a yelp and ducked as much as I could and just missed the ptarmigan. 

Between Bear Creek and Sullivan Creek bridge about 30-40+ miles from Nikolai I started to get cold feet. I had put on my goretex pants and my second jacket and usually that's enough to keep me warm but my toes were definitely cold now. I started to get off the bike and walk, stomp around and jump up and down to try and get my feet warm. They were cold enough that I was a little concerned now and I was wondering what the temperature was. It didn't feel "that" cold but for sure my feet were beginning to suffer. 

After Sullivan Creek which is about 30 miles out I had to stop again quite a few times to get my feet warmed up. This was beginning to really mess with my pace and my psyche. I was only able to ride a handful of slower miles before I had to get off and warm my feet up. I knew something was wrong at this point. I could tell that Tyson and Jay had to warm their feet but I was stopping way more often then they were. I thought that maybe something was wrong with my body so I put my large puffy coat on thinking that if I super heated my core temp that my extremities would warm up. They did, but as soon as I started to get hot I had to back off the effort so I wouldn't sweat out my puffy jacket and layers. Basically, I spent the rest of the evening doing this over and over. It was really disappointing for me to have to slow down so much but I did not want frostbite on my toes.  

• In 2017 I ended up getting frostbite on my right thumb and index finger. When a doctor tells you that they don't know if you'll lose part of your thumb you take that shit serious. I considered turning around to head back to the Bear Creek cabin to warm up and wait out the coldest part of the night but at this point I was so close to getting to Nikolai so I chanced it and kept chugging along.

Eventually I rounded the corner at Salmon Creek fish camp which is about 11 miles from Nikolai. Even with my best efforts to keep my feet somewhat uncomfortable they started getting really cold. I was down to riding maybe a mile or so before I had to stop and stomp my feet. The sun was starting to rise and that's when the temperatures can be their lowest and sure enough my left foot started to get cold too. I finally decided to take my boots off and check my feet. I went to take off the boot and noticed that it didn't just slip off like usual. I stripped off my insulating sock, my vapor barrier and then my liner sock and found that my feet were fine but very cold. Then I put my hand into my boot and found that they were frozen ice boxes. I checked my insulating sock and found that it had a decent amount of partially frozen moisture on them as well. I thought back where it could have gotten wet and remembered that coming down the Dazell I crossed a small bubbler stream by foot. It was all of maybe a couple inches deep and I was under the impression that my boots were waterproof. 

There wasn't anything I could do about that now. I put my boots back on and decided that I was just going to have to tough it out the final stretch to Nikolai. My feet got super cold in that final 6 or so miles into Nikolai but eventually I rolled into the social hall/community center and got upstairs to start drying my boots and to make some modifications to get me to McGrath.

I tried to take a picture that captures the folks that make great gear and have supported me for many years, Revelate Designs, Fatback Bikes/Speedway Cycles and LongevityLab (thus the Little School Boy cookie. It's a long story, Nico knows what's up. ;-P)

• I'll leave the boot info for another blog post. There are some modifications that can be done to the Wolfgars that can reduce the probability of something like this from happening again. 

I spent 20 or so minutes peeling the liner out from the shell of the boot and got them in front of a small space heater to start drying them off. The wonderful checkpoint worker rounded up a couple of small trash bags that I could put my boot liners in to keep them dry for the remaining 50 miles left to McGrath. He also prepped some Top Ramen which tasted amazing after a night of cold toes. Thanks for the boost guys.

• It was a very emotional time for me. To have such a good race up to this point, to be competitive, confident, well trained and to have a piece of gear knock you out of the race is a really tough pill to swallow. But that's racing. After 28 years of racing one thing I've learned is that sometimes luck is on your side. But I also know that the best prepared racers are the ones that finish well. Looking back at this experience I will always be a little heartbroken, but I'm glad that I didn't get frostbite and that I made it through that night with all my little piggies.

The trail out of Nikolai was a little slow and soft. But it was rideable so that was nice. The temps went up quite a bit, enough that I took my coat off. I spent the next 30 miles after leaving Nikolai having my own little pity party but when I got to the overland route I decided that I needed to quit focussing on the past. I thought about all of my family and friends, all the support that I've received from everyone. It's pretty amazing and so awesome to feel all the love. My pace started to pick back up and I just focused on riding what was ahead. I continued to eat and drink and just kept riding my bike. I got to Vanderpool Rd and took in a nice sunset and spoke out to the large number of moose on the side of the road.

Just finished at the Schneiderheinze house. What a welcoming place! PC Iditarod Trail Invitational

So much food!

Peter's amazing mancakes!

Leaving Puntilla Lake. PC Dan Bailey

Overall I finished with a time of 2 days, 5 hours and 21 seconds. Sure, it was my fastest trip to McGrath. Was it my best effort? Well considering what happened I guess it was. I definitely feel like I left something out there. But don't take this the wrong way. I had such a great race and 90% of it went so well. The volunteers were amazing! The way they stay up at all hours of the night and day and support us is so nice of them. And they do such a great job! And the Schneiderheinze hospitality is top notch. Peter and Tracy welcome us into their home and cater to our every need.

And also, I got to travel on a sweet trail! There weren't very many bumps, there was only a few miles of soft conditions and overall it was the best that I've seen in the years I've done the event. 

I would like to send out a heartfelt thanks and lots of love to my Dad and Geri, Laura Fox my emotional support human, Sachi the dog and all my friends who came out and cheered me and others on. I want to thank my local bike shop Speedway Cycles for their support, LongevityLab for getting me into shape and helping me live a better, more durable life and Revelate Designs for building some damn good bike packing bags (and for the last minute adjustments from the man himself Dusty!)

Till next time. :-)