July 7, 2010

Hello All,

We have finished the first two guided trips here in Alaska and are getting settled into our summer routine. Yesterday I took some relaxation time and read Craig Medred's book Graveyard of Dreams, Dashed Hopes and Shattered Aspirations Along Alaska's Iditarod Trail. I didn't close the book until I was finished. He did a great job presenting the history, geography, weather and the people that make the Trail what it is to all of us. The story is about the dog race but take away the dogs and it could have been written about all of us who come back year after year to enjoy life in its simplest form eating, drinking, sleeping, moving, facing and hopefully overcome the challenges the Trail throws our way. The book made me want to be back on the trail today! If any of you are interested you can find the book at Palmer Fireside Books
www.goodbooksbadcoffee.com or at amazon.com

I hope all of you are having a great summer.

Bill

April 24, 2010

Today we have published the 2011 race roster and waiting list.

March 27, 2010

Hello All,

On April 1st registration for 2011 begins for previous McGrath finishers. We will have 45 places open for veteran racers with 3 of those going to the winners of this year’s race. There will be at least 5 places available for new racers beginning April 8th. An email will hold your place until you can send your entry form and fee by mail. Kathi and I will be out of state but will check our email and phone messages daily.
The roster will be posted after we return to Alaska. As most of you already understand the Iditarod Trail in many places is just an imaginary line on the map for most of the year. It takes the work of a lot of local people and trail crews every winter to make the trail a reality. The Iron Dog snowmachine race that starts before we do crosses the Alaska Range through Ptarmigan Pass but some of their support crew used to work on the gorge and the Pass after their race and often a few bison hunters preceded our race over the Alaska Range. Until the past 3 years trail breaking for us has been more re-breaking the trail than actually putting in the trail over Rainy Pass and the Dalzel Gorge. More recently the Rohn checkers for Iditarod teamed up with our Rohn checker Rob Kerher to try to make it happen. Now it is our turn to step up and do more to put in the Iditarod Trail. This doesn’t mean we can promise a broken trail over the Pass ahead of the race every year. The Iditarod Trail and Mother Nature often laugh at our well thought out plans but we are going to do our best. I have just purchased two wide track trailbreaking snowmachines to have a better chance of getting the job done. The increase in the 2011 entry fees is to help with the costs of purchasing, operating and maintaining the machines. Thank you again for all of you who made this year’s Iditarod Trail Invitational a success and we hope to see many of you back on the Trail in 2011.
Have a Great Summer
Bill M.

March 22, 11:58 PM

Tim Hewitt arrived in Nome at 6:15 PM tonight. His time of 22 days 4 hours and 15 min. is also faster than the previous foot record to Nome. This was Tim's fifth run to Nome and that is a record in itself. There are 6 two time finishers to Nome but Tim is in a class of his own with five finishes. Congratulations Tim!

With our Nome racers all finished the 2010 Iditarod Trail Invitational is now officially done. Congratulations to ALL the finishers and new record holders of this years race.

Kathi M.

March 21, 11:01 AM

At 4:45 AM this morning Tundra Tom Jarding strolled into Nome to break the old foot record to Nome by more than a day and a half. Way to go Tom!!!!!!! With a spirit that just seemed to get stronger every day Tom kept stepping off miles and chatting about what a great trail and how much fun he was having. Called him at Phil's this morning but he was napping. Imagine that! Even Tom needs to rest sometime.

More about his fast run from White Mountain when I hear from him later today. Bill M.

Tom Jarding sets a new overall foot record to Nome in 20 days 14 hours and 45 min.

Phil Hofstetter wins the 1100 mile race in 17 days 9 hours and 30 min.
Jay and Tracey Petervary finish in second place.

Tracey Petervary sets new female course record of 18 days 6 hours to Nome.

Peter Basinger claims his fourth victory in the 350 mile race.
Jeff Oatley second place only 33 minutes behind Pete!
New female bike record by Tracey Petervary 4 days 18 hours and 53 min


Peter Basinger , Jeff Oatley, Tracey Petervary

Phil Hofstetter wins Nome race in 17 days 9 hours 30 min.

Jay & Tracey Petervary in second place in 18 days 6 hours

March 20, 10:02 AM

photo of Tom Jarding in the Blueberry hills by Kevin Keeler

Tom called last night at around 11:00 PM from White Mountain. He was in good spirits and chatty. He had just finished a big meal of caribou before he called. I guess Tom's wife Debbie described best how Tom has sounded on the phone this year, " He sounds like a teenager." He goes on and on how much fun he's having and how good he feels with the exception of the normal wear and tear inflicted by the gazillion steps he's taken so far. Tom stepped into the 70 mile communications black hole this morning on his final leg to Nome. I did see on Craig Medred's tweet that the red lantern mushers passed Tom out of White Mountain. If I hear anything from the trail grapevine I'll pass it on. Go Tom you're on the homestretch now!!

Tim is on the trail out of Koyuk. He sounded more upbeat last night and said his feet issues seem to be improving. I am sure the feet of most mortals would have fallen off long ago if they asked them to walk to Nome 5 times. What Tim has accomplished on the Iditarod Trail goes way beyond my ability to descibe it in words and beyond the comprehension of anyone who hasn't been there. Oh, and by the way Tim along with all your other records it looks like you are going to break my only record----- Oldest Guy to Nome. Now I guess I gotta go back sometime!

Was hoping to hear more from Jay and Tracey before they headed back home but I understand very well "just wanting to get home". Tracy's record shattering finish of 18 days and 6 hours is nothing short of amazing. From their call ins along the trail it was clear they were enjoying a special time together facing and overcoming the challenges of the trail. Rare is the couple who can equally enjoy and share experiences like that. Congratulations to both of you for a great race! Bill M.

March 19, 7:20 PM

Tim Hewitt called from Koyuk. He said the trail has been soft since it warmed up and some snowmachines went over the trail. It has borderline using snowshoes, but he decided not to put on snowshoes. He plans to get some rest and continue on to Elim tonight. We hope to hear from Tom Jarding tonight from White Mountain.

March 18, 11:19 PM

Jay and Tracey Petervary arrive in Nome at 8:00 PM this evening in second place after 18 days and 6 hours on the trail. Tracey's time is a new female overall course record. She is only the second woman to finish the entire course on a bike and the third woman to complete the 1100 mile long trail. We hope to have a picture to post tomorrow under the burled arch.

Tom Jarding is on a record setting pace to Nome. He called from Elim at 8:00 PM.
Tim Hewitt, who is on his fifth run to Nome arrived in Shaktoolik at 6:00 PM.

March 18, 8:19 AM

Phil Hofstetter wins the 1100 mile race!

Last night at 11:30 PM Phil Hofstetter rolled under the burled arch marking the end of the Iditarod Trail to win the 1100 mile race to Nome. Phil's time of 17 days 9 hours and 30 min is the fastest finish since Mike Curiak's Alaska Ultra Sport record set in 2002. Phil is from Nome and has really been cruising since he reached the Coast hurried I am sure by the fact he was going home to his family and friends. Congratulations Phil!!!! Nome and all of us are very proud of you.

Jay called this morning at 6:30 AM as he and Tracy were leaving White Mountain. They had good rest hosted by Andy Havilland the principal of White Mountain School. Andy has been a supporter of our race for many years and racers have always been treated like royalty by everyone there.

Tim called from Unalakleet just after 5:00 PM. He arrived just 5 minutes after the Post Office closed and was unable to retrieve his drop box. He planned to try to find enough supplies to get him to Koyuk where he sent his next drop and get back on the trail.

I expect to hear from Tom sometime this morning when he arrives in Koyuk.

Bill M.

March 17, 12:38 PM

Phil called from White Mountain at 12:15 PM. He planned to eat, grab a few supplies and hit the trail for Nome. Just 70 miles from home I am sure Phil is smelling the barn and excited to get back to his wife and baby. The trail leaves White Mountain and climbs back up in the mountains crossing a notorious " blowhole" in the Topkok Montains. Dropping out of the mountains back to the coast he will pass the Topkok shelter cabin where many trail travelers mushers and our racers have had to "hole up" sometimes for days because of hurricane force winds and blowing snow in the Salomon blowhole. This wind phenomenon creates a white wall so dense and distinct it looks as if you could stand in front of it and stick you hand in and out. I hope the winds are kind to Phil and all the other racers behind him.

Tom Jarding called in from Shaktoolik this morning at 12:15 AM. His wife Debbie said he was feeling good except for a few blisters. A little rest and food and he was headed back out to cross the ice into Koyuk. Tom is still on course to break the Northern route foot record.

Craig Medred tweeted that Tim Hewitt and Mike Curiak who is headed for Nome self supported were just passed Old Woman cabin on their way to Unalakleet this morning.

While I was writing this Jay called to report he and Tracy left Koyuk at 3:00 AM and arrived in Elim at 10:15 AM and were getting ready to ride back out into a blue bird day with hard fast trails on their way to White mountain. Tracy is on pace to break the female record to Nome by several days.

on the trail near Elim looking out at the Bering Sea

March 16, 8:55 PM

Phil arrived in Koyuk at 9:40 AM this morning. Jay and Tracey followed him in at 4:15 PM Phil was still in Koyuk but left right after they arrived. They had a great ride across the sea ice. It was a sunny blue bird day. They are enjoying the hospitality of the coastal villages. Koyuk is a beautiful village and a welcome sight after the long stretch of sea ice. We stayed in the school there in 2008, a great modern building where we had showers, the use of the kitchen and a place to sleep in the library. From Koyuk they will head out across lagoons and more sea ice on their way to Elim. There is the Kwik n' Creek shelter cabin on the way to Elim. We stopped there in 2008 when the wind was blowing at 50 mph.

According to the weather forecast our racers should have good conditions going across there.

No word from Tim and Tom yet. If I hear anything I will write an other update later.

Kathi M.

March 15, 10:00 PM

Phil made it into Shaktoolik at 5:00 PM. Jay and Tracey arrived just 2.5 hours behind him. Jay and Tracey were in the school warming up and Jay said it was really quiet there where they could get a good night's rest. Once you drop off the blueberry hills you are on a spit of land along the Bering Sea all the way to Shaktoolik and it is exposed to the wind. When we arived here in Shaktoolik in 2008 it was -20 F with the wind at 20 mph much like what Jay was describing. The local kids were playing outside just like any other day. The coastal people of Alaska are hardy people and have lived and survived in this harsh land for hundreds of years. I admire them and enjoyed meeting and talking to them on the way to Nome.Here I was by choice and on an adventure, but they were born here and grow up here.

In 2008 the wind and -20 temperatures never let off all the way to Nome for the next 6 days. At times the wind was at over 50 mph. Those were the times when you really get to appreciate those shelter cabins between villages. 15-20 mph winds became the good days. I knew how cold it had been when the sun finally came out and there was a little break in the constant ground blizzard,I pulled off my balaclava and said " wow it's warm today. My thermometer showed -30 F.

Let's hope the winds don't blow for our racers this year on the coast. Phil was planning on heading out into the night and onto the 50 mile long stretch across frozen sea ice. Once you get out there, there is no more shelter and you are exposed until you reach Koyuk. There is a shelter cabin about 12 miles out. Phil said if the wind was bad and he needed a rest he would stop there for a while, otherwise he would try to get to Koyuk by early morning. There are many stories about the wind on this particular section about human powered racers and mushers who have turned around and gone back to the shelter cabin. Many racers won't go into this section of trail in the dark. Phil knows this stretch well since he lives in Nome and has travelled in this country over the years.

Kathi

March 15, 9:00 AM

Waking from a sound sleep at 3:00 AM I fumbled for the phone, "Alaska Ultra Sport", there was only the sound of loud voices in the background. After a long moment I heard Jay's voice, " Are you awake?" From the hesitation and the tone of his voice I am sure Jay thought he would get the answering machine." I am now", was my reply. " "Well hey I not sleeping so why should you!" He and Tracy had arrived in Unalakleet about an hour earlier and were in the Peace on Earth Pizza parlor gobbling down food surrounded by the party atmosphere that follows the sleddog race from village to village. They planned to sleep on the floor of the restaurant since there was no room at the Inn. They have to wait until the Post Office opens this morning to grab their drops before heading out to Shaktoolik.

Jay mentioned some locals had told him they could follow the sea ice instead of going over the Blueberry Hills. Visions of 2003 flashed in my mind when I was told something similiar in Elim only to find myself on ice so thin there was a wave in front of the snowmachine as I raced towards the jumbled ice and safety near shore. I passed this tidbit to Jay and said the decision is yours but the sea ice scares the bejesus out of me. He sounded good and said the winds the last 20 miles reminded him and Tracy of home in Wyoming. He said the sunshine, scenery and visiting with the mushers made for a great run from Tripod Flats to Unalakleet. Let's see--- Tom enjoyed -40 on the river. Phil, Jay and Tracy were all at home in windchills that burn exposed skin like a flame. Tim is out there headed for Nome for an unprecedented 5th finish. The strength and matter of fact determination of these 5 athletes epitomizes what the Iditarod Trail Invitational is all about. Any one of you are welcome to wake me in the wee hours anytime.

Bill M.

March 14, 9:47 PM

Cyclist Phil Hofstetter arrived in Unalakleet at 8:15 PM this evening. He said it was slow going through the drifts built up from a windstorm that hit after Old Woman cabin. Even so he said when the wind hit it brought a smile to his face as he thought, " Wow, I am back home on the coast!" Phil planned to get something to eat have a good rest before heading out to Shaktoolik. A snowmachiner that just came in said Jay and Tracy were about 15 miles behind him. They should get into Unalakleet later tonight.

March 14, 11:07 AM

Tom Jarding arrived in Kaltag at 8:45 AM. It took him only 11 hours 15 min. from Nulato to Kaltag, about 40 miles. He said the -42 on the river really wasn't bad at all and it was his best, most enjoyable run of the race. Not sure everyone can say they enjoy temps like that but then Tom's not everyone. He plans to leave Kaltag around 1:00 PM. He will be leaving there less than a day behind the cyclists.

Tim Hewitt called from Galena last night at 6:00 PM. He planned to get a good rest before heading out. He had already lost time and sleep in Ruby drying his sleeping bag and clothes after his camelbak bladder failed and soaked everything. Mike Curiak had the same experience last year ending his self supported trip to Nome. I took a camelbak bath in "99". The stories go on and on. Maybe it's not if but when you'll get wet. Not a good thing at -40. Tim said he had no choice but to keep moving until he arrived in Ruby.

All five racers are getting a view of the Iditarod Sleddog Race that most race fans can only dream off. They see it from checkpoints and occasionally from the air. These racers are seeing it at eye level, on the trail, in real time.

Kaltag village store in 2008

March 13, 1:03 PM

Tracey called earlier today and gave us a report on their ride from Galena 90 miles to Kaltag which is the last stop on the Yukon River. Temperatures at night were down -40 F and it is challenging to keep your feet warm at these temperatures when you are pedaling a bike. Phil called in a bit later and said the same thing. I know from experience that riding a cold temps is slow because everything on the bike gets really stiff. Phil also described quite a bit of pusing the bike because he was tired and the going was slow. The three were all resting, eating and waiting for the temperatures to warm up. From Kaltag the trail goes over the coastal mountains to the Bering Sea coast and the first Inupiaq village of Unalakleet.

Unalakleet is located at the Norton Sound end of the Unalakleet-Kaltag Portage, an important winter travel route between Norton Sound and the Yukon River. Unalakleet has long been a major trade center between the Athabascans who lived in the interior of Alaska and the Inupiat who lived on the coast.

It is a beautiful stretch of trail and inspiring after the long wide, Yukon River. There are two Bureau of Land Management shelter cabins, Tripot Flats and Old Woman cabin. If the wind is blowing there are places where the trail can be drifted in, but when Bill and I rode to Nome in 2008, there was a good section from Old Woman cabin that was as good as it gets for snow biking. The first two mushers in the sled dog race have just arrived in Kaltag, Jeff King followed by Lance Mackey. They have finally caught up with our bikers and will pass them up on their way to Unalakleet. According to the weather forecast the temps are supposed to warm up by next week and they may see 20 degrees on the trail.

March 13, 7:40 AM

Phil Hofstetter calls in from Kaltag mile 698 this morning at 3:45 AM. We haven't heard from Jay and Tracey yet or Tom or Tim.

March 12, 5:27 PM

Tracey, Jay and Phil arrive in the village of Nulato on the Yukon River. Tracey said they weren't sure what their plans were. It has been cold on the river at night, so we expect the temperatures to drop again tonight.Tom Jarding is on record setting pace to challenge the Nome foot record. He arrived in Galena this afternoon at 1:00 PM and plans to head out at 8:00 PM tonight. Tim Hewitt on his fifth quest to Nome arrived in Ruby at 4:30 this afternoon.

Bill Merchant riding on the Yukon River between Nulato and Kaltag

                      Another 350 in the Books   

    Congratulations to all who finished the 2010 Iditarod Trail Invitational to McGrath. Best wishes and tail winds to those on the trail to Nome! In a year with very ordinary conditions we had some extraordinary results. Peter Basinger’s winning time was just short of his record. Jeff Oatley was only 33 minutes behind Pete. Tracy Petervary set a new female biking and course record. The highest percentage of finishers (35)  and most ever under 7 day finishes to McGrath---the results speak highly of the fitness and determination of the winter athletes competing this year.
    I hope all of you had a chance to thank some if not all of the volunteers who helped make the race happen. Rob Kehrer our head trail breaker and Rohn checker, Michael Schoder Alaska Ultra Sport Air Force of one, chief trail groomer ,Shell Lake checker and assistant Rohn checker. Rich Crain our Yentna checker and trail sweep. Danny McDonough trailbreaker and Puntilla checker. Denny Weber and OE who joined us on their way Bison hunting to put in the trail over the Pass and down the Gorge. Chris Dabbs who furnished the truck and Jeremy our driver to transport the bikes. Mike and Ingrid at Finn Bear Lake, Tony Allen,  Steve, Irene May and Lisa Bote for their help at the starting line and pre race meeting. Greg Matayas at Speedway cycles for the great pre race party. Thanks too for all the folks in the Lodges and those who opened their homes as our checkpoints: Jean and Dan Gabryszak at Yentna Station, Bonnie Dee and Steve Childs at Skwentna Roadhouse, Zoe at Shell Lake Lodge, Carl, Kirsten and Mandy Dixon and the great staff at Winter Lake Lodge, Steve and Denise Perrins, their sons and staff at Rainy Pass Lodge, Jasper Bond the Iditarod checker at Rohn, Nick, Olene and Stephanie Petruska in Nikolai, and last but certainly not least Peter and Tracy Schneiderheize in McGrath. It takes all of these folks and the entire Iditarod Trail community to make our race happen.
Thanks to all of you from all of us. Thank you from Kathi and I to all of you who came from around the world to join us for this years race. We hope to see you back next year for another experience on the Iditarod Trail.
                                                                            Bill and Kathi

March 11, 11:51 AM

Runner Tom Jarding arrives in Ruby only 14 hours behind the three bikers at 9:00 AM this morning.

March 10, 7:32 PM

Jay, Tracey and Phil arrived in Ruby at 7:00 PM. They said that they were able to ride their bikes most of the way from McGrath, but that the riding was slow around 3-4 mph. Tracey said it has been cold at night down to -30 F. Roger, a pilot from McGrath landed near them and told them about the new BLM public shelter cabin at Carlson Crossing. He had started a fire in the wood stove for them. They resupplied from their drop bags near Cripple which is just a spot on the map. The drop bags were flown in from a McGrath pilot ahead of time .Upon arriving in the small athabascan village of Ruby they ran into the post master and were able to get their package to resupply from the post office tonight. They are spending the night in the Ruby school and plan to leave at 6:00 AM tomorrow.

Ruby is a beautiful and very friendly village on a hill above the Yukon River. I spent some time there during my race to Nome in 2008.

Alessandro Da Lio tried to leave McGrath, but returned, because his back was giving him trouble. He decided to fly back to Anchorage and hopefully try to go to Nome another year.
Kathi

March 10, 4:27 PM

Aaron and Vanessa finish the 350! All 35 racers arrived in McGrath!

The last three racers on the trail finished in McGrath this morning. Aaron Fanetti, Vanessa McKenzie and Claudio Piazza. This is largest number of finishers ever, 35 out of 44 starters.
Congratulations to you all!

Claudio and Cesare had been traveling together for the entire duration of the race, but Cesare decided to go on and finished 8 hours ahead of Claudio. Olene and Franceso, a racers who arrived earlier were a bit worried about Claudio. Aaron and Vanessa took care of the italian racer and made sure he was ok and stayed with him all the way to the finish line. It was -33 F this morning and he had trouble with his feet.

Kathi

March 10, 8:26 AM

One more racer arrived at 2:00 AM this morning, Cesare Ornati from Italy, congratulations!

It is -33 F this morning in McGrath. The first Iditarod dog teams have already pulled through McGrath, the leader Yukon Quest camp Hans Gatt is already in Ophir, 43 miles further up the trail. Cesare saw Aaron, Vanessa and Claudio last about 10-12 miles out of McGrath last night when he left them.They may have stopped to bivvi out and watch the dog teams come by. Seeing the dog teams out on the trail is a unique opportunity few people get to experience. We hope to hear from the remaining three racers in the 350 soon.

March 9, 7:24 PM

Runners Roberto Gazzoli and Francesco Ghigliotti finished in McGrath this morning. Congratulations!
Aaron, Vanessa, Cesare and Claudio have the pleasure of seeing the lead mushers in the Iditarod Sled Dog race passing them on the trail tonight. The leaders have left Nikolai this afternoon and should pass up our last 4 racers on their way to McGrath. Few people actually get to see the Iditarod mushers out on the trail in action. Hope to hear from our last 4 racers tonight.

Kathi

March 8, 6:13 PM

Aaron and Vanessa made it into Nikolai this evening. We got to talk to both of them over the telephone briefly. They were both in good spirits and planning to eat, rest a bit and then continue on to McGrath. They spent last night at Bear Creek cabin. They said they were able to ride their bikes from Bear Creek cabin to Nikolai. Cesare and Claudio are on their way to McGrath.

Kathi

March 8, 8:57 AM

Loreen & Tim Hewitt and Rick Brickley arrived in McGrath this morning at 12:58 AM. Loreen broke her own female foot record from 2008 by 3 hours and 42 minutes. Congratulations Loreen!
Second finish of the 350 mile race and a new female foot record!
Congratulations Rick and Tim!

Tim left McGrath at 6:45 AM this morning continuing on to Nome for the 5th time! Tim has walked the entire 1100 miles to Nome four times: 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2009!
He holds the southern route foot record to Nome, 25 days 9 hours and 29 minutes. This year the route follows the Northern Route (even numbered years). Good luck Tim!

The italian runners Roberto, Francesco, Claudio and Cesare have made it to Nkolai. Francesco and Roberto left Nikolai at 6:15 AM this morning. We are still waiting for Aaron and Vanessa to arrive in Nikolai.

March 7, 8:18 PM

Runners Mario Sterli and Jerym Brunton finished the 350 this evening on in 7 days 5 hours 10 min. Congratulations!
There are 7 more runners on the trail and 2 more bikers Aaron Fanetti and Vanessa McKenzie. Tim, Loreen and Rick should be arriving in McGrath this evening. Temperature is currenly at -12 F in McGrath which is a lot more seasonal than what it has been lately. Jay, Tracey, Phil and Tom are traveling north towards the old mining ghost town of Ophir. There is some old buildings and old cabins scattered among old equipment form the mining days. Temperatures for the area are forecasted from -10 to -20 below zero. In the daytime they should have a pleasant 10- 15 degrees F which is just perfect for travel. The trails are firm and you can stay dry if you've got your layers right. The Iditarod started in Willow today and the dog teams have are almost to Skwentna 6 hours after the start at 2:00 PM.

March 7, 6:09 PM

Lori Hutchison and Rocky Reifenstuhl finished at 4:30 PM this afternoon with a time of 7 days 2 hours and 30 min. Lori is an ultra runner and rookie this year and had the opportunity to travel with a seasoned race veteran like Rocky Reifenstuhl. Lori is now one of 14 women since 1997 that have finished this race. This is Rocky's 6th (7th?) finish of the 350 mile race to McGrath.
Congratulations to you both.

March 7, 10:31 AM

Glenn Mackie finishes in 22nd place, 2nd in the foot division, a day behind Eric and Tom who averaged about 60 miles per day. It is a great accomplishment on foot, that is an average over 50 miles per day on snow pulling a sled with gear. Italian biker Alessandro Da Lio arrived in McGrath at 2:00 AM. He plans to continue on to Nome. Tom Jarding left McGrath at 10:00 AM this morning heading for Nome. Good luck Tom!

March 7, 10:13 AM

While some racers are already on their way to Nome, we still have 15 racers on the trail between Rohn and MGrath. Mario, Glenn, Alessandro, Tim, Loreen, Rick, Jerym, Lori and Rocky all checked out of Nikolai. We are still waiting on 4 Italians and Aaron and Vanessa to arrive in Nikolai. They are out there on the trail so much longer and anyone that finishes in McGrath is a winner in my book. It is a huge accomplishment to finish this race. The Iditarod Trail has a way of testing our bodies, minds and spirit. If you can push through the dark places that everyone has at some given point in the race, then they will succeed and they are all heroes to me. Keep putting on foot in front of the other and eventually you will get there. Getting to the finish line and being treated like family in Peter's and Tracey's house in McGrath feels like heaven. Racers also have the chance to talk to other racers there and talk about their experience, because when they get back to the "other" world, no one will really understand what they have been through and what they have accomplished.

Kathi

March 6, 7:15 PM

Glenn Mackie and Alessandro Da Lio have checked out of Nikolai. Mario, Jerym, Rocky and Lori have made it into Nikolai this afternoon. No word from Tim, Lorren and Rick yet. We expect them in Nikolai tonight. We had one more scratch today. Bill Dent scratched in Rohn. He pulled a hamstring going over the pass. We hope you recover soon and we will see you back for the trace. Him and Walter were trying to get flown into McGrath today, it is weather dependent whether or not they get out.

The 4 Italian runners and Aaron and Vanessa have left Rohn this morning and are crossing the 80 miles to Nikolai. It can take them a full 24 hours to get there.
Jay, Tracey and Phil left McGrath at noon today and are heading towards Nome. After 18 miles they will pass through the small community of Takotna and after that there is pretty much nothing out there for 200 miles all the way to Ruby on the Yukon River. It can take them 3 days to get there, or it can take 5 days, depending on trail conditions.

They will resupply from an air drop along the trail near Cripple. The Iditarod Sled Dog race had their ceremonial start in Anchorage today. Mushers and dogs will restart in Willow tomorrow and be moving up the Iditarod Trail.

March 6, 10:13 AM

Tom Jarding and Eric Johnson are the first runners to finish in McGrath with a time of 5 days 17 hours and 52 min. Super effort on foot from both of you! Congratulations! Tom is planning to head out soon and continue on to Nome.

March 6, 8:37 AM

Just received another call from Rohn that Walter Hoesch is scratching in Rohn. His hip was giving him problems. Walter hat sich entschieden in Rohn aufzuhoeren. Er hatte Probleme mit der Huefte. Er fliegt heute mit Mansey Magnussen nach McGrath und von dort mit Pen Air am Montag zurueck nach Anchorage.

March 6, 8:02 AM

First update this morning was from Rohn by Sat Phone. Our 4 italian runners Claudio, Cesare, Roberto and Francesco and our German Walter have left the Rohn checkpoint this morning. Aaron and Vanessa arrived in Rohn at midnight and were in good spirits when they departed from Rohn. Michael Schoder our checker said that it was snowing. One racer is still out in the Dalzell Gorge, Bill Dent. He may have set up camp last night. I hope to have an update soon from Nikolai with several more racers arriving there.

March 5, 9:20 PM

Phil Hofstetter and Brij Potnis finished in 17th and 18th place this evening. Phil is planning to ride home to Nome this year. Our first runners Tom Jarding and Eric Johnson have left Nikolai this afternoon. Glenn Mackie arrived in Nikolai this evening. Michael Schoder called by Sat Phone from Rohn. The remainig runners Francesco, Roberto, Claudio, Cesare and Walter have made it into Rohn. Vanessa and Aaron and Bill Dent were seen by Iditarod trail brakers today. They said is was slow going for the bikers, but they expected them into Rohn tonight.

We hope to hear from Rohn and Nikolai in the morning with more updates.

March 5, 3:25 PM

4 more bikers arrived at the finish line in McGrath: Chris Plesko, Louise Kobin, Eric Warkentin and Dave Pramann. Congratulations! Louise's time is 7 hours faster than the 2005 Alaska Ultra Sport record. Chris Plesko broke his ankle in an avalanche only 5 months ago, but decided despite the injury to try to race this year and he was single speeding to McGrath. When I read on his blog that he hobbled out for several hours after the avalanche I knew that he doesn't have any quit in him. Awesome finish all of you racers!

Kathi

March 5, 10:01 AM

5 more bikers have finished in McGrath this morning.
Tracey, Sean, Sebastiano, Kyle and Bill.
Congratulations to you all!

Tracey's finishing time of 4 days 18 hours and 52 min. is a new overall 350 mile women's course record. Her time is 5 hours faster than the Iditasport Extreme record of 4 days 23 hours 50 min. from the year 1998 set by Chloe Lanthier. It is also is 13 hours faster than my 2005 Iditarod Trail Invitational record.
This is an amazing accomplishment for Tracey Petervary in a year with less than ideal trail conditions! She is enjoying Peter and Tracey Schneiderheinze's hospitality, eating good food and enjoying a hot shower in McGrath right now. Her and Jay plan to depart tomorrow and continue their journey to Nome.
Since 1997 only 13 women have finished the 350 mile race to McGrath and few of them multiple times and only 2 women so far have done the 1100 mile distance to Nome.

March 5, 9:16 AM

The remaining field of one cyclist and 5 runners all left the Puntilla checkpoint just before midnight and were heading towards Rainy Pass and on to Rohn, 45 miles from Puntilla. The wind has picked up again, it is snowing an blowing up there, but there was a crew of 6 snowmobiles headed for Rohn this morning as well.

March 5, 8:13 AM

Jay Petervary finished in third place last night at 11:10 PM with a time of 4 days 9 hours and 10 min. Congratulations Jay! Nicola and Nicola from Italy arrived in McGrath at 5:40 AM his morning, after 4 days 15 hours and 40 minutes. They are rookies this year, congratulations, strong effort!

Simon Honore from Denmark, a rookie as well is in 6th place with a time of 4 days 16 hours and 5 min.
Tim Stern arrived at the finish line next in 7th place one hour and 20 minutes later.
Congratulations!

I also talked to the Nikolai checkpoint this morning.Nick and Olene didn't get any sleep last night. They have been busy feeding hungry racers all night. Our two leading female riders have checked in and out of Nikolai.

There is a new women's bike record on the horizon. Tracey Petervary left at 2:00 AM. Her arrival at the finish line will most likely be under 5 days and she could knock 11 hours off the record.
Lou Kobin, the leading female rider to the half way point is 4 hours and 40 minutes behind Tracey and her finishing time will also be under the current female bike record of 5 days 7 hours 48 min.

I expect Tracey will arrive in McGrath before noon.

There are also more bikers on the home stretch this morning: Sean Grady, Kyle Amstadter, Eric Warkentin, Chris Plesko and Sebastiano Favaro.

March 4, 9:41 PM

I talked to Bill this evening who had snowmachined from Rohn over the pass and down to Fingerlake. Walter and the remaining Italian runners have made it into Puntilla tonight. All racers have made the halfway point . He also saw Aaron and Vanessa not too far from the top of the pass. They are doing great. Lorie and Rocky were already on the other side of the pass. Mario was looking stong as well. Alessandro was not too far from Rohn. They also saw Rick, Loreen and Jerym, they were making great progress.We expect Jay to arrive in McGrath tonight and more cyclist to make it into Nikolai. Temps tonight show -2 F tonight for Nikolai and McGrath, finally more normal temps for this time of the year on the Iditrod Trail.

Kathi

March 4, 7:10 PM

Olene called from Nikolai. Two more bikers arrived!
It is Nicola and Nicola from Italy, two rookies in the race this year. The reason why their arrival times are not the same is that one of them took the scenic tour of Nikolai.
Well done guys i miei amicos!
They plan to eat and get back out on the trail in about an hour.

March, 4, 6:49 PM

It has been a quiet day since the majority of our racers is in our communication black hole between Puntilla and Nikolai. Michael Odenwald decided to scratch in Fingerlake. Er hat am ersten Tag schon einen Fehltritt gemacht an einem steilen Hang und hat sich vermutlich ein Zerrung oder Prellung am Schienbein zugelegt. Ich habe mit ihm kurz telefoniert von Fingerlake. Es sagte, das untere Bein sei sehr geschwollen und in allen Farben. Es war schwierig den Fuss so in den Schuh zu kriegen.Wir hoffen, dass nichts gebrochen ist. Er fliegt morgen zurueck nach Anchorage.Wir hoffen, das Bein heilt bald und dass du im naechsten Jahr wieder dabei sein kannst.

According to Craig Medred's twitter Tim Hewitt twisted his ankle in the Dalzell and limped out of Rohn. Then he returned to Rohn and headed back up into the Dalzell Gorge. This is from the twitter.
" decided should walk wife thru. sweet. still limping." Wow. There were articles in Anchorage Daily News and AK Dispatch again today and you can listen to Pete and Jeff's interview on Alaska nightly news on APRN.

March 4, 2:52 PM

Jay arrived in Nikolai at 2:45 PM nearly a day behind Pete and Jeff who arrived in McGrath last night. Olene Petruska our checker in Nikolai said that Jay was just grabing a bite to ear and then was headed back out on the trail.

March 4, 12:15 PM

Update from Puntilla. Several racers checked out in the AM this morning. Among them Aaron, Vanessa, Loreen, Rick, Rocky, Lorie, Mario and Jerym. We may get news on how they are doing pushing into the wind that picked up this morning in the treeless expanse on the approach to Rainy Pass. Our on the trail reporter Craig Medred is heading back the other way by snowmobile with Bill Merchant sending tweets via Sat Phone.

We have our 6th scratch, it's our skier Rajko Podgornik from Slovenia. The checker Steve told me that Rajko was just burned out from the tough going this year. We wish you all the best and hope to see you back another year. I know all the scratches tried their best and gave it all!

Bill Dent, our last cyclist ist resting in Puntilla and plans to leave early in the morning. The 4 Italian runners Roberto, Francesco, Claudio and Cesare are expected in Puntilla tonight.

Walter Hoesch wurde in der naehe von Fin Bear Lake gesehen zwischen Fingerlake und Puntilla bei dem Schneemobil Fahrer Dan McDonough. Michael Odenwald kam heute morgen am 3. Checkpoint in Fingerlake an.

March 4, 10:40 AM

We have an update from Rohn. Our checkpoint here, a 16x24 Wall Tent got swamped with racers all night. Our Rohn checker Rob Kehrer and Bill Merchant were feeding and taking care of racers all night long. Being a checker in this race is a tough job, since you don't any more sleep than the racers.
Thank you to all the checkpoints, lodges and stopping points along the trail out there!

20 racers are on the trail again this morning out of Rohn, crossing the South Fork of he Kuskokwim just outside of Rohn which is glare ice most years and then crossing the Post River and on across the Farewell Lakes.

Then they will cross about 50 miles the bare ground getting beat up by the trail ever more before they get back on a snowpacked trail around Sullivan Creek bridge 25 miles from Nikolai.

Our two female cyclists Lou Kobin and Tracey Petervary have left Rohn as of this morning. I am not sure if Tracey has passed Lou or it they left about the same time. The updates from Rohn are not detailed, only who has arrived and who has left. Can one of them set a new female bike record in the 350?
By 2:00 PM today they are only 4 days into the race.
The female bike record is 5 days 7 hours 48 min. I set the record in 2005, Kathi Merchant.

Tracey Petervary is attemting to ride her bike to Nome this year with Jay, who will be waiting in McGrath for her.

Our first runners are among the pack of cyclists that have left this morning, Eric Johnson, Tom Jarding, Tim Hewitt and Glenn Mackie. Tim is on his fith trek to Nome on foot. He is the only human being that we know of who has walked the 1100 mile long Iditarod Trail 4 times.

Phil Hofstetter was still resting in Rohn and has not departed yet.

Bill Merchant and Craig Medred are heading back to Puntilla today by snowmobile and on down the trail to Fingerlake and back to Wasilla tomorrow. I may get updates from them about the racers on that section of trail by twitter. Michael Schoder flew his airplane over from Shell Lake and is helping Rob out in Rohn with the checkpoint. Thanks Michael!

March 4, 8:03 AM

We have a winner this morning. Pete Basinger claims his fourth vitory in 3 days 9 hours and 45 minutes. Jeff Oatley finishes in second place only 33 minutes behind Pete.He made up hour hour on Pete in the last 50 miles.
Congratulations! Incredible ride in the final stretch of trail. Trails from Nikolai to McGrath must be good and you both really put the hammer down on he home stretch.

Well done Pete and Jeff leaving the rest of the field in the dust.

March 3, 9:33 PM

Update from Puntilla tonight.
7 more racers have made it to the half way mark: skier Rajko Podgornik, runners Loreen Hewitt, Rick Brickley, Jerym Brunton, Mario Sterli and cyclists Rocky Reifenstuhl and Lorie Hutchison. Well done everyone, this is a tough section of trail. The checker and son of Perrins the lodge owners of Rainy Pass Lodge told me that some are planning a departure at midnight and some at 4:00 AM. That is a good time to leave the Puntilla checkpoint to make Rohn by dark. We have also one more scratch in Puntilla, cyclist Bob Ostrom, he had left there and came back with a several broken spokes in one of his wheels. He is flying out to Anchorage tomorrow.
We hope to see you again next year Bob.

March 3, 8:30 PM

I received another message from Bill Merchant by Sat Phone from Rohn this evening. Jay Petervary made it into Rohn in third place. He has Nome on his mind and is doing really well. Craig Medred our on the trail reporter has made it into Rohn himself this evening. He reported 4 bikers are close to Rohn:
Our leading woman Lou Kobin, Eric Warkentin, Sean Grady and Nome resident Phil Hofstetter who is going home to Nome via Iditarod Trail.There was another big group of cyclist including Tracey Petervary who is also going to Nome this year near the top of the pass when Craig Medred passed them by snowmobile.

I hope to receive another update from Puntilla tonight where the majority of a large group of our racers is heading tonight.

Our leading foot division of Eric Johnson and Tom Jarding, both race veterans and rookie Glenn Mackie left Puntilla at noon today.

Kathi

March 3, 6:00 PM

Pete on his way to McGrath. He may finish around 3:00 AM tomorrow morning and claim his forth vitory in this race. Jeff just arrived in Nikolai, only 2 hours behind Pete.

What a great shakedown, Alaskans battling it out.
Just like they did in the Arrowhead 135 this year. Jeff beat Pete in that race by mere seconds.
Is Pete's lead enough?
Or can Jeff still catch him out on the river?

Hope to hear from the finish line in McGrath tomorrow morning.

March 3, 4:14 PM

Pete arrives in Nikolai at 4:00 PM, 3 days and 2 hours after the start.
Way to go Pete!
He plans on stopping just long enough to eat Olene's good food and head back out on the trail to McGrath, 50 miles away. Pete can ride the last 50 miles in 8-10 hours, so we expect to have a winner tomorrow morning between 1:00 AM and 3:00 AM.

I talked to him briefly over the phone. Once he got to Sullivan bridge he was back riding on snow. He said you can ride the bare ground with all the tussocks, but it takes a lot of energy and it's slow, so might as well walk it. He said he also took a nap somewhere on the trail.

This is an aerial pictures sent to me by Kevin Keeler who flew over the trail in a commercial plane from McGrath to Anchorage today. This is what racers will be traveling through once they get beyond Rohn.

March 3, 11:37, 11:37 AM

Italians Claudio and Cesare back on the right trail, they arrived at Shell Lake last night at 11:00 PM. Michael Odenwald auf dem Weg nach Shell seit heute morgen um 9:00 Uhr. Check out Craig Medred's twitter, he is up in the happy valley, headed back to Puntilla for oil for the snowmobile. Bikers are pushing their bikes towards the pass. Jay Petervary near the top of pass. Sugary snow on the other side down Pass Creek.

March 3, 10:50 AM

Jeff Oatley second place in and out of Rohn, only 4 hours behind Pete Basinger.

March 3, 9:23 AM

I have new updates from Fingerlake and from Puntilla this morning. Both places have been busy with racers arriving and leaving. 34 racers have made it in and out of the Fingerlake CP. 6 more racers are on route to Fingerlake. We have 2 scratches in Fingerlake this morning, Anne Ver Hoef and Chuck Struble. Both scratched due to foot problems. We wish you a quick recovery and to see you back again.

Loreen Hewitt the only female runner remaining in the race left Fingerlake this morning at 4:48 AM.

Updates from Puntilla, checkpoint 4 and half way point on the route:
16 cyclists are making their way up towards Rainy Pass at 3200 feet the highest point on the route and above tree line.
According to Craig Medred's twitter it's more tough going up there, lots of new snow, wind blown trails and the trail gone in many places.
He saw third place cyclist Jay Petervary from Wyoming near upper happy valley 2 hours ago.
Among the group of cyclist that left Puntilla this morning is Louise Kobin, lead woman is among them, still in 5th place.
Tracey Petervary left in a group of 8 bikers at 4:55 AM only 4 hours behind Lou.
Way to go both ladies!

Defending champ Jeff Oatly should be in Rohn by now and Pete could get to Nikolai by noon today.

Two more cyclists have arrived in Puntilla and also the first 3 runners are in Puntilla early this morning.

March 3, 8:00 AM

According to Crag Medred's twitter the trail is gone in places going up the Happy River Valley.
Lots of new snow.This is the Happy Valley in 2008 under beautiful conditions:

Sounds like he even lost the trail and is currently waiting for more daylight to see. Michael Schoder reports 14-16 new inches beween Fingerlake and Puntilla. And this is what awaits he racers on the other side. This is what Pete has been struggeling through all night. Bare ground, tussocks. This image was taken last week during the Iron Dog race on the Farewell Burn. From blown in trails to bare ground within less than 100 miles. While third biker Jay Petervary is struggeling through blown in trails and new snow, Pete on the other side of the Alaska Range is struggeling through that:

And seond place Jeff Oatley? He should have arrived in Rohn by now.

March 2, 9:48 PM

More runners, one more biker and our lone skier have arrived in Fingerlake this evening.
Our only two female runners Anne Ver Hoef and Loreen Hewitt made it to Fingerlake. Loreen holds the women's foot record in the 350. Well done ladies! Rich Crain our trail sweep has moved up to Fingerlake. Jerym Brunton from New Zealand and Roberto Gazzoli from Italy are not too far out. Many are resting there tonight and pulling out in the morning to continue up the trail.
Walter Hoesch und Francesco Ghigliotti haben sich zusammengetan und muessten nun in Shell Lake sein.
Michael Odenwald ist heute Abend um 21:53 am Skwentna Roadhouse ankommen. Er will dort Rast halten und dann morgen weiter Richtung Shell Lake und dann Fingerlake.

Claudio Piazza and Cesare Ornati have not been seen, Rich thought they may have taken the wrong trail to Hewitt Lake. Hopefully when they realize their mistake and there are many cabins sprinkled around Hewitt Lake, they will get back on the right track.

March 2, 9:00 PM

12 more bikers have made it to the half way point, Puntilla this evening.
Several rookies from Alaska, Lower 48 and from Europe are among them.
Amazing job guys and well done Lou, our leading woman!
Lou Kobin is in 5th place overall. Louise has finished this race twice before in 2007 and 2009. Denise Perrins said the temperature at 9:00 PM was 29 F and the wind was about 8 knots. Not too bad for traveling tonight.

Some of the racers plan on resting for a few hours in Puntilla and then depart for Rohn at midnight and some of them in the early morning hours.

Kathi

March 2, 8:31 PM

Pete made it into Rohn! Now he as 80 miles to go to the next checkpoint in Nikolai. Temps +40 F in Rohn. Unbelievable. Often it has been -40 F here on the trail not so this year, very warm, much too warm! Pete should be in Nikolai tomorrow afternoon.

Crazy weather out there today everywhere, snowing heavily in Fingerlake earlier today this afternoon, Michael Schoder went up the trail from Shell Lake to Puntilla and back, he said he has never seen the trail this bad. Rough, rough, rought is what Bill had said about it.

The open areas were blown in, it was gusting 40 -45 mph and the bikers were pushing, some had stopped at Fin Bear Lake and Mike & Ingrid's. They own a cabin near Fin Bear lake and have welcome racers there and offered their hospitality there for years now. Craig Medred reported driving rain earlier today in the Happy Gorge. None the less I had sunny and blue skies and no wind here in Chickaloon. This is Alaska. Crazy weather is normal here.

March 2, 5:48 PM

Peter Basinger from Anchorage, Alaska the current leader has a pretty impressive resume in this race and in other races as well. I believe this is his 10th time competing on the Iditarod Trail trail and he is only 29 years old. He holds the record in the 350 mile race to Mcrath: 3 days 5 hours 40 minutes he set on the 30 mile longer route in 2007 through Hell's gate. Peter likes bad weather and trail conditions, that's when he does best. He has won this race in 2004, 2006 (tied 1st with Rocky Reifenstuhl) and 2007.
Jay Petervary won 2008 and Jeff Oatley in 2009. It's time for Pete to take back the title.
It's a competition between the three of them. Looks like Pete may do it again this year. Pete you are awesome! Just heard from Puntilla that Jay left there at 4:13 PM this afternoon and 52 year old Dave Pramann from Minesota and record holder and two time winner of the Arrowhead 135 race in Minesota just arrived at 5:15 PM. Way to go guys!

I spoke with Lori Hutchison at the Fingerlake CP, a very accomplished ultra runner from Utah. She is biking this race. She said it's been tough out there, not what she expected, but she seems in good spirits and positive. She is traveling with the Rocky Reifenstuhl a seasoned race veteran from Fairbanks, Alaska. He has done the Alaskan winter ultra races on a bike for over 20 years and has finished in the top 5 four times including tying for first place with Pete Basinger in 2006.
28 racers so far have made it into Fingerlake and 23 have moved on up the trail to Puntilla. Temperature at Fingerlake was 35 F, way too warm and it was snowing again.
Our first runner into Fingerlake was multi year race veteran Tom Jarding from Pennsylvania followed by Eric Johnson from Utah, also a veteran and rookie Glenn Mackie from Texas.
Those three runners have already checked out and are on their way to Puntilla.

Doing really well also are rookies Bill Fleming, Chris Plesko, Kyle Amstadter, Simon Honore on bike from Denmark, and our Italians Nicola Saccavini, Nicola Ghiraldo and Sebastian Favaro, also biking.

Tracey Petervary is traveling without Jay and she is also on route to Puntilla.

The amazing "La Ruta Lou" Kobin was the first woman to leave the Fingerlake Checkpoint at 3:02 AM this morning. She is probably in Puntilla by now.
Sean Grady from Palmer Alaska is doing well, so are Brij Potnis, Tim Stern, Dave Pramann, Bob Ostrom, Phil Hofstetter from Nome. All of them are on route to Puntilla today.

I will check with the Puntilla checkpoint here shortly to see who has arrived since this morning there.

We hope to hear from Rohn early this evening when Pete Basinger arrives. He could be there any time now.

March 2, 1:45 PM

Winds picking up in Puntilla and on Rainy Pass. Gusting 25 mph at Rainy Pass Lodge. Pete Basinger is leading the race. He left Puntilla at 6:08 AM this morning. Bill Merchant expects him to arrive in Rohn, 45 miles further and on the other side of the Alaska Range in about 14 hours. Defending champ Jeff Oatley from Fairbanks is on Pete's heels, leaving the checkpoint 5 hours behind Pete. Jay Petervary is in third place and still in Puntilla. Check out Craig Medred's tweets, he is in the action on the trail by snowmobile right now between Fingerlake and Puntilla.

Also article by Craig Medred on AK Dispatch today from the Fingerlake Checkpoint

Warm trail punishes Iditarod ultramarathoners

March 2, 1:13 PM

I spoke with Roger Leavesley over the phone this morning.

He is back in Anchorage. He injured himself when his rear pannier came off his bike 18 miles after the start and went into the rear wheel and he crashed.The broken off part of the pannier punctured his groin when the bike came down on top of him. He continued on despite of it, but decided to stop at Luce's because it was causing a lot of pain. I know it is a disappointment Roger, but we hope to see you back next year together with your son James!

Winds are picking up on the trail as predicted by NOAA weather forecast.

I spoke via radio phone with Denise Perrins at Rainy Pass Lodge in Puntilla and it was blowing 25 mph at the lodge. The wind is often stronger once you head towards the pass. The scheduled plane to bring supplies to the lodge may not come in today. Maybe Pete Basinger made it over the pass before the winds picked up! It was 30 F at the lodge in Puntilla and 4 F in Nikolai this morning.

I also spoke with Nick Petruska at our Nikolai checkpoint and he said there was only a half inch of fresh snow from Sullivan Creek to Nikolai. According to reports the trail accross the Farewell burn is pretty much bare gound this year.

Hope to hear from Bill Merchant this afternoon via Sat Phone from our Rohn checkpoint.

14 bikers are on route from Fingerlake CP 3 mile 130 to Rainy Pass Lodge/Puntilla Lake CP 4 mile 170 since this morning. I know one more biker has arrived there this morning, I am guessing it is defending champ Jeff Oatley chasing record holder Pete and followed by Jay Petervary of Wyoming who is in third place currently.

Kathi

March 2, 8:46 AM

My first update today was from Michael Schoder out at Shell Lake.

These racers have made it through Shell Lake this morning: Eric Johnson, Tom Jarding, Glenn Mackie, Aaron Fanetti, Vanessa McKenzie, Alessandro Da Lio, Bob Ostrom, Rocky Reifenstuhl, Lori Hutchison, Nicola Saccavini, Rajko Podgornik, Sebastiano Favaro, Simon Honore, Mario Sterli, Bill Dent, Tim & Loreen Hewitt and Anne Ver Hoef was just coming across Shell lake when I spoke with Michael.

It is 20 miles to the Fingerlake Checkpoint and we are going to hear from there from Mandy later today.

I also talked with Bonnie at Skwentna, we have our 2nd scratch, Dario Valsesia from Italy. He seems to have struggled with a cold. He is flying out to Anchorage this afternoon.

March 1, 8:21 PM

Pete, Jeff and Jay have left Fingerlake and are on their way to Puntilla tonight. It is always a tough section of trail with many steep ups and downs,including the infamous Happy River steps.But this year it sounds especially difficult because of the rough trail conditons out there. I have always enjoyed this section of trail. You start climbing into the Alaska Range. When I am racing I can't wait for this section of trail, because I am ready to leave the flat river and lake country of the Susitna Valley behind me. It is a very scenic section of trail in the daytime with distant mountain views and narrow wooded trails that keep you busy. The uphills are a workout pushing a loaded 50 pound bike up them, but the downhills can be a lot of fun cruising on twisty, narrow snow singletrack.

There is more monotony traveling the river and after the Shell Hills on the endless swamps across to Fingerlake. I have not been very descriptive of the trail partly because I have been very busy just typing and recording everyone's arrival times. Maybe now I wished I was out there among the racers on the trail. Tavelling through the Alaskan winter wilderness at night is a very special experience, it has a very calming effect on me and I can go inside myself and just live in the spotlight in front of me.

At night, time seems to fly and all of a sudden several hours have gone by and you have covered several miles in the dark of the night.I just saw on the calender that the racers started under the full moon yesterday. Despite overcast skies they may be riding under the moonlight out there tonight.

Bonnie from Skwentna just called me and there are a few more racers that have arrived there tonight, and there were 6 more within an hour of Skwentna.

Michael Odenwald ist nach 30 Stunden und 96 km nun am Yentna Station checkpoint angekommen um 19:55.
Er hat sich dort fuer die Nachtruhe einquartiert und plant morgen weiter Richtung Skwentna Roadhouse zu marschieren, der 2. Checkpoint auf der Strecke. Walter Hoesch plant um zwei Uhr nachts den Checkpoint Yentna Station zu verlassen.

Die Temperaturen heute nachmittag waren recht warme 2 Grad, aber die Trails sind ganz gut, laut Michael Schoder, der der Zoe in der Shell Lodge Lodge mit den Teilnehmern aushilft. Er hat die Strecke zwischen Shell Lake und Fingerlake mehrfach praepariert seit dem letzten Schneefall mit seinem Trail Groomer. Laut Wetterbericht sind die Temperaturen auf der anderen Seite des Rainy Passes in der Alaska Range kaelter, um die -20 Grad. Dort herrscht das kaeltere Inland Klima. Zwischen Rohn und McGrath liegen die Temperaturen oft bei -40 Grad. Ich denke dieses Jahr werden wir solche extreme Temperaturen nicht sehen. Der Trail ueber den 1000 Meter hohen Rainy Pass laut Bill Merchant ist gut, der dieses Jahr wie immer wenn er nicht selber mit im Rennen faehrt, der Trail Braker ist. Wir sind immer die ersten die die 72 km lange Strecke ueber den Pass benutzen und daher den Trail anlegen muessen per Schneemobil, Saege, Machete usw.

Mehr Neuigkeiten morgen.

Kathi Merchant

March 1, 6:24 PM

Jay Petervary and Dave Pramann enjoying dinner at winter lake lodge on finger lake according to Craig Medred's Tweet.

Pete and Jeff arrive together in Fingerlake, CP3 mile 130 at 3:54 PM. Wow, interesting. Jay Petervary is hot on their heels.

I received a call from Michael Schoder from Shell Lake, several bikers have left there and are on route to Fingerlake:

Jay Petervary, David Pramann, Nicola Saccavini, Eric Warkentin, Lou Kobin, Bill Fleming, Chris Plesko, Sean Grady Kyle Amstadter, Brij Potnis and Tim Stern should arrive in Fingerlake this afternoon and tonight.

28 racers have arrived at Checkpoint 2, Skwentna Roadhouse. It looks like the trail is slow out there on the river. There are icy sections out there with fresh snow on top of it , which makes for challenging trail conditions without studded shoes or tires.

We have our first scratch, it is Roger Leavesley from the UK. He rented a cabin at Luce's for two nights and plans to fly out to Anchorage on Wednesday with Regal Air. I am not sure why Roger scratched, I haven't talked to him. They are taking really good care of him at Luce's Lodge.

Von Michael Odenwald haben wir bisher noch nichts gehoert, er ist wohl auf dem Yentna Fluss zwischen Luce's und Yentna Station. Wir hoffen, dass er heute Abend in Yentna Station ankommt.

March 1, 3:28 PM

No bikers have arrived in Fingerlake as of 3:30 PM this afternoon.

23 bikers have made it to Skwentna at this time including Lori Hutchison, Rocky Reifenstuhl,Bob, Ostrom, Dario Valsesia.

There are still 3 racers that haven't made it to Yentna yet.
Those are Roger Leavesley, Michael Odenwald and Walter Hoesch.

Unsere zwei deutschen Laefer sind bisher noch nicht am 1. Checkpoint angekommen. Das Wetter ist etwas warm, um den Gefrierpunkt und letzte Nacht fiel Neuschnee auf dem Yentna Fluss.Das macht das Vorankommen mit einem Pulka etwas langsamer. Walter Hoesch ist mittlerweile in Yentna angekommen heute nachmittag gegen 16:00 Uhr nachmittags.Er will rasten bis Mitternacht und dann weitergehen mit dem Italiener Francesco Ghigliotti in den Morgenstunden.

Hoffentlich hoeren wir spaeter noch von Rich Crain, unserem Checker in Yentna Station

March 1,1:55 PM

Jay Petervary arrives at Shell Lake in third place about 2 hours behind Pete and Jeff. We should hear from Fingerlake soon about Pete's arrival there.

17 bikers into Skwentna Roadhouse. 13 bikers have left Skwentna Roadhouse.
Check the leaderboard to see where your favorite racer is.

March 1,11:46 AM

Runners Anne Ver Hoef, Glenn Mackie, Jerym Brunton, Mario Sterli have passed through Yentna Station as well and are on their way to Skentna. Rich Crain said it was 31 degrees F and the snow had just slid off the roof there at the lodge. Forecast is for temperatures in the mid 30's (around freezing or just above freezing) and potentially more snow. The best time to travel for bikers will be nighttime when temps are in the 20's ( 20 F is about -7 Celsius for the Europeans following this event)
32 degrees F is 0 Grad Celsius.
7 racers have not arrived at Yentna Sttiona yet as of noon today.

March 1, 10:06 AM

Louise Kobin is our first female biker into Skwentna at 7:01 AM.
9 bikers have arrived at Skwentna this morning. Currently 4 bikers were resting there and 5 are back out on the trail.
Loreen Hewitt was the first female runner into Yentna Station this morning and is on her way to Skwentna.
Loreen holds the female foot record to McGrath set in 2008.
We only have to female runners. Loreen and Anne Ver Hoef is a local runner from Anchorage.She was not in Yentna yet when I talked to Rich Crain there this morning at 9:00.This is her 3 time in this race. She had to pull out of the race in 2008 because of frostbite to her face almost 300 miles into the race. We wish her the best of luck that she will finish this year!

We only have 6 women out of 44 racers on the trail.
Bikers Tracey Petervary, Lori Hutchison and Vanessa McKenzie arrived at Yentna Station last night and this morning. Tracey and Lori have already left Yentna this morning and Vanessa was getting some rest.

Our first runners arriving at Yentna Station at 6:30 AM were Eric Johnson from Utah and Tom Jarding, both multi year race veterans.

The only skier in the race Raiko Podgornik from Slovenia left Yentna Station this morning at 8:15 AM. This is his 6th time in the race, he hopes to make it to Nome this year.

We have 4 couples in the race this year.

I am so exited to see that. Bill and I started this racing couples thing and now there are several couples in the race:
Runners Tim & Loreen Hewitt from Pennsylvania, bikers Jay & Tracey Petervary from Wyoming,bikers Lou Kobin & Eric Warkentin from California, bikers Aaron Fanetti from Missouri and Vanessa McKenzie from Illinois.

Jay and Tracey are racing to McGrath independent and then they plan to go the full length to Nome together this year.

Kathi

March 1, 9:10 AM

Pete Basinger, the 350 mile course record holder, is the first biker that arrived at Shell Lake ( mile 110) this morning at 8:00 AM! He was planning on sleeping an hour or two.

I just talked to Michael Schoder, our checker and trail groomer out at Shell Lake.

He said there are 6 inches of fresh snow between Shell Lake and Fingerlake.

Pete Basinger was the first biker to leave Skwentna Roadhouse ( mile 90) at 3:45 AM this morning. He arrived at Shell Lake Lodge at 8:00 AM this morning. The next biker out of Skwentna Roadhouse left there at 5:30 AM. I don't know who it is yet.

Michael is grooming the trail to Fingerlake (mile 130) and he said Pete was able to ride the trail.

Many racers have arrived and left Yentna Station this morning. I will have updates from Skwentna here shortly.

Bill Merchant, our trail braker called me last night at 10:00 PM. Him and Rob Kehrer had made it into Rohn. He said there was a lot of brush and the snow down Pass Creek on the other side of Rainy Pass was sugary.
But the trail is in to Rohn!

Mike and Ingrid who host racers in the trail at Fin Bear Lake between Fingerlake and Puntilla decided to go out on the trail. A few days ago they had told us that they would not be out there this year. Micheal said they seem to have trouble to get their Tundra snowmachines past Red Lake just past Fingerlake. There is also Dan McDonough another trail braker for us this year and Bruno, a Yukon Quest musher on the trail. With the work of the 4 of them and shoveling in those giant holes on the trail, we hope they can safely make it through that brutal section and make their way up the trail.

Feb. 28, 11:22 PM

Within the last hour 7 more bikers have arrived at Yentna Station. Jay Petervay, Peter Basinger, David Pramann.They have already left Yentna Station and are on route to Skwentna Roadhouse chasing Jeff Oatley. Nicola Saccavini, Sean Grady, Bill Fleming and Brij Potnis have arrived as well. Rich Crain is manning the checkpoint in Yentna Station and helping out Dan & Jean Gabryszak, the lodge owners. Rich Crain has been out there on the trail for over 20 years now to help out with these human powered races on the Iditarod Trail.

My next update will be tomorrow morning.

Kathi

Feb. 28, 10:00 PM

First biker has arrived at Yentna Station. It's Jeff Oatley! He said he hadn't seen any lights behind him for a while. It's snowing out there, so that's slowing everyone down a bit.

February 28, 2010 5:37 PM

I have added some pictures I took of racers before the start. I did not get to take one of everybody. If you have some good ones, please e-mail me those.

44 racers from 8 different countries left the starting line at Knik Lake this afternoon at 2:00 PM after having a great burger and fries at the Knik Bar.

28 bikers, 15 runners and 1 lone skier. There were 38 men and 6 are women.The temperature was at 25 degrees Farenheit and skys were overcast. It was great to see everyone off and now we wait to hear the first checkpoint updates from Yentna Station, checkpoint one, 60 miles up the trail. In past years the first bikers have arrived there around 7:00 PM. We will see how fast they can get there this year since there is quite a bit of fresh snow that fell two days ago between Knik Lake and Flathorn Lake.That should make the trail quite a bit slower on the first 30 miles.

By the time they reach the Susitna and Yentna Rivers they should have a really good trail. Bill Merchant had told me it was like a sidewalk especially after Yentna Station. There is also some snow in the forecast for tonight, so I am guessing the bikers especially are trying to make some good time before there is new snow on the trail.

I will have another update tonight when I get news from Yentna Station.

Kathi

February 27, 2010 4:00 PM

We just had our annual pre race meeting at the Golden Lion Hotel in Anchorage. The trail reports from trail brakers Bill Merchant and Rob Kehrer are a mixed. About 14" of fresh snow between the starting line at Knik Lake and Flathorn Lake ( mile 30) fell yesterday. Good trail conditions on the Yentna River. Trails are like a side walk between Yentna Station ( mile 60) and Skwentna Roadhouse ( mile 90). Shell Lake to Puntilla ( mile 170) is rougher than Bill has ever seen it in his 13 years on the trail.The trail between Shell Lake and Fingerlake has seen some grooming by Michael Schoder.Rough trails means there are bumps and big holes in the trail. The good news is there is no reports of overflow that had formed on the Yentna River earlier this week during very warm temperatures (above freezing for several days) when Bill flew over the trail taking in the drop bags and food and supplies to Fingerlake, Puntilla and Rohn.

Bill called me from his Sat Phone this afternoon. He and and Rob arrived at Rainy Pass Lake this afternoon. This are his words " Trails are rougher than ever from Fingerlake to Finbear lake, the trail from Puntilla to Rainy Pass lake was a dream, no more bumps".

They will go to the top of the pass and over the top without their loaded trailers, return to camp at Rainy Pass lake this afternoon and then ride down the Dalzell Gorge tomorrow.

This is what we know so far about the of trail.There is not much snow on the trail over the pass or in the Dalzell Gorge. They may have to haul snow from other places to build multiple ice briges over the Dalzell Creek. Then there is reports of no snow and bare ground and tussocs on the Farewell burn.

I will see the racers off at Knik Lake at 2:00 PM and then post our first evening update including checkpoint times from Yentna Station on our leaderboard.

Kathi Merchant/race coordinator

February 26, 2010 11:30 PM

Today was our pre race party at Speedway Cycles where I met old friends and new racers. Thanks Greg for arranging the party again this year and all the good food and athmosphere.

I am in Anchorage tonight and I will have more time to talk to some of the racers before they haed out on the trail. At 2:00 Pm we will have our pre race meeting at the Golden Lion Best Western Hotel. Then on Sunday the racers are off on the trail at 2:00 PM at Knik Lake.

Bill Merchant and Rob Kehrer left today on two snowmobiles and went up the trail as far as Puntilla (mile 170) tonight.

Tomorrow they hope to break the trail over Rainy Pass and down the Dalzell Gorge which will be this year's first tracks on that section of trail.
Kathi Merchant

February, 23, 2010 8:25 PM

NOAA weather forecast sounds pretty good for now.

SUSITNA VALLEY- INCLUDING...TALKEETNA...WILLOW...CANTWELL 400 PM AKST TUE FEB 23 2010

.TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS ZERO TO 15 ABOVE. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. .
WEDNESDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 20S EXCEPT 10 TO 15 ABOVE TOWARD THE PARK. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. .
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. PATCHY FOG. LOWS 5 BELOW TO 5 ABOVE. VARIABLE WIND 10 MPH. .THURSDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 20S EXCEPT 5 TO 10 ABOVE TOWARD THE PARK. VARIABLE WIND 10 MPH. .
THURSDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS. LOWS ZERO TO 10 BELOW. WEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. .
FRIDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS. HIGHS 15 TO 25. .
FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 5 BELOW TO 5 ABOVE. HIGHS IN THE TEENS. .SUNDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS 15 TO 25. .SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW. LOWS IN THE TEENS. HIGHS 15 TO 25.

As in past years I will be writing updates here on Latest News as well as keeping the Leaderboard current.
I will be in contact with all the checkpoints along the route and our trail crew to keep track of our racers.
Race fans, friends, familly and future racers can post messages on our Message Board.
There will also be Podcasts on mtbcast hosted by Joe Polk again.
Our Facebook page will also have news during the race.

You can find current temperatures and weather along the trail here current conditions along Iditarod Trail.

I hope you will all follow along again this year as I write my daily updates about the
9th annual Iditarod Trail Invitational.

Kathi Merchant
race director

February 21, 2010

Hello All,

We managed to fly the drops and food to Finger Lake, Puntilla and Rohn today. It rained on us but it was too warm for icing which would have kept us on the ground. We watched the Iron Dog riders running up the Yentna River in overflow all the way. We managed to land at Finger Lake but sank half way to our knees in the packed runway when we stepped out. Carl Dixon our host at Winter Lake Lodge said the sports class of iron dog all got stuck in heavy overflow on Red Lake (just the other side of Finger Lake) friday.

If it turns cold all of it will turn to ice and be really fast. There is not much snow in the Pass and a lot of open water on Pass Creek, Pass Fork and Dalzel. The Iron dog checker at Rohn said when they tried to go up the Dalzel they ran out of ice and there was no snow to build bridges. It was 43 F(5 C) in Rohn. There are 6 of us working on the Pass and Gorge this year but there could still be some wading involved to get to Rohn. The Tatina was ice all the way to Rohn. If any of you have connections we could use a little cold and snow. Good news is there is a trail through the new burn and we are on the Trail soon!

And then as my friend Rok Kovac kept saying as he and I and Kathi walked our bikes from Ophir to Ruby,

" It is what it is!"
Bill

February 19, 2010

Hello All,

We just got back from a 5 day winter bike school based out of Flathorn Lake. Trails were a little soft during the day and with the warm temperatures all the normal places were starting to overflow on the lakes and rivers. With temperatures up to 40 degrees and rain in the Susitna valley things are getting a bit soggy. Word from Shell Lake they got 17 inches of fresh wet snow. Olene Petruska said her grandson had been moose hunting from Nikolai to Farewell Lake and that there was not enough snow to see a moose track. There is a fresh burn between Rohn and Egypt Mountain that has left deadfall all over the trail. The Iron Dog has punched a trail around it and back up the Post river . Not sure yet if it will work for us so don't forget to pack your saws.

There is a production crew making a reality show for television about the Perrins boys at Rainy Pass Lodge. They will be there when we go through and ask about filming all of you. I told them they could not bother any of you but if you wanted to be a star I had no problem with it. If you don't want to be bothered do not hesitate to say no thank you. You will have to sign a release to be on TV.
Craig Medred will be reporting from the trail so don't get caught doing anything you don't want someone to read about. He doesn't need a release. He has also said he will pitch in and help with trail breaking chores if needed. Journalist/Trailbreaker are not 2 words you would expect to see together. We are glad to have Craig back on the trail with us.
Phrase of the day, "waterproof to the knees"

We will be in Anchorage tomorrow at noon at Alaskan European B&B at 3107 Cottonwood Street picking up drop bags.

More after I fly the drop bags on Sunday.
Bill Merchant

February 1, 2010

Hello All,

In just 4 weeks many of us will be at the starting line for the 9th annual Iditarod Trail Invitational. The trails are hard and fast here around Chickaloon and so it seems everywhere else too.

Michael Schoder sent word that Iron Dog racers have made it to McGrath and said there is very little snow on the Burn.
Kathi has contacted the village schools beyond McGrath and it has been a low snow year so far all the way to Nome with gravel bars showing on the Yukon.
Nick and Olene Petruska have just told me they will be our checkpoint again in Nikolai despite Nick still being weak from his fight with bladder cancer. They have opened their home to us since the race began welcoming trail weary, smelly racers like they are family. Thanks Nick, Olene and Stephanie. It wouldn't be the same without you!

Craig Medred the Outdoors Editor for the Anchorage Daily News for many years is now writing for the Alaska Dispatch. If everything comes together he will be on the Trail covering our race and Iditarod. He will be using a sat phone and data link to Tweet and Peep and whatever else modern journalists and networking buffs do. Craig has written dozens of articles about the race and even helped break trail one year. He should be able to do better than most covering the race from the trail. Craig asked me to pass this on to all of you: "but as a test-run, i'm trying to get AlaskaDispatch.com to go for full on coverage of the invitational. along those lines, it would help if you all sent the racers an emailing saying we're hoping to cover and Twitter the race from on the course, and if any of them have any contacts at publications or websites -- especially in Europe or Outside -- that would be interested in coverage, send them to cmedred@gmail.com".

For the third year Greg Matyas and the gang at Speedway Cycles are hosting a pre race party for all racers. It will be held at Speedway Cycles (Home of the Fatback snow bike) on Friday, February 26th at 6:00 PM.
Thanks Greg for getting everyone together before we hit the trail.

Drops are due at Alaska European B&B by noon on Saturday, February 20th.

The Pre Race meeting will be at 2:00 pm on Saturday, February 27th at the Golden Lion Best Western.

We will begin loading bikes at 10:30 AM and the bus loads for Knik Lake at 11:00 AM at the Golden Lion. Just a reminder GPS trackers such as spot,etc are not allowed in the race. Racers may use Sat phones and or emergency locator beacons as well as gps devices designed for navigation not tracking.
Enjoy your last few training runs, rides, skis.

Bill and Kathi

January 2, 2010

Hello to All,
We hope the New Year is starting well for everyone! Kathi and I finished a 5 day school on the trail on New Years Eve. Nice way to end a year riding on the Trail with nice folks under a full moon. The trails out of Point McKenzie and up the rivers were

I just received word from John Runkle that Bison camp will not be available this year. He has moved to Anchorage where his son has better educational opportunities and can't be there to open the camp. He plans to disassemble the camp and close it. Many of us remember when the camp was in full swing with the Runkles, guides, hunters and the smell of buffalo or moose stew. After a hot meal we were sent off to sleep on spruce bough beds in a heated tent. I am sure I can speak for all of us when I say Thank You John, Marty, PJ and all the others who showed us warm hospitality and gave us shelter through the years at what seemed very much like the Fairwell Burn Hilton. The Runkles have been good friends not just to our race but to all travelers on the Iditarod Trail and Bison Camp will be missed.

The other option for shelter on that stretch of trail is Bear Creek Cabin. This is a BLM public use cabin and it is 10 miles beyond Bison Camp and about 1 mile off the right side of the trail. As of last year it is a well marked turn off to the cabin. For those of you new to the race this stretch from Rohn to Nikolai across the Farewell Burn can be a very long 82 miles. Notoriously cold (often -40) and with more often than not a quartering headwind for the last 40 miles being fully prepared has always been important but even more so now that we do not have Bison Camp for a bail out. Seems we had more halucinations on this section of trail before we had Bison Camp like snarling wolves standing beside the trail seen by several racers.
Who knows maybe sightings like that will pick up again.

Happy New Year to all of You and Yours!
Good trails and training and we are looking forward to seeing all of you soon.

Here is the link to our message board.
It is open to all racers, family, friends and fans.

Bill and Kathi

December 7, 2009

Hello to All,
I hope winter is going well for everyone. It is full on winter here in Chickaloon and up the trail. The trail has been put in on the Susitna and Yentna rivers up to Skwentna. They have 3 feet of new snow at Skwentna and 5 feet at Shell Lake. No word this morning from Finger Lake but there is 3 feet on the ground at Rainy Pass Lodge. There is very little snow from Rohn to Bison Camp and about 12 inches in Nikolai and McGrath.
Everyone I spoke with on the trail today said Happy Holidays to all of you racers and that they look forward to seeing everyone during the race.
Just a reminder to all of you signed up for Nome that haven't finished to Nome before: Like last year all of you will need to post a $750.00 bond before race start that will be returned if you do not take assistance from Iditarod during the race. If you do take assistance that money will be donated to Iditarod. This is not an evacuation fee. Racers will still be responsible for their own evacuation from the trail.
I know it is much to early to think about 2011 but with all the inquiries we have already had for the 2011 race I want to give everyone a heads up to how entries will be handled. April 1st through April 7th entries will open to all prior finishers. April 8th entries will open for those who have started but not finished and new qualified racers.
I spoke with Nick Petruska in Nikolai and he is doing better and slowly getting his strength back. Here's hoping he beats this thing and gets back to being himself soon.
For those of you staying at Alaska European B&B be sure to contact Irene and let her know. irenemay60@hotmail.com
As I hear more from the trail I will pass it on so those of you who don't know better can worry unneccesarily about conditions that are sure to change right up until race start.

Happy holidays and good training to all of You.
Bill and Kathi

October 1, 2009

Fall in Alaska

The leaves are falling and the snowline gets lower on the mountains everyday. Soon we will be putting on Skis or Running shoes or getting on Fat tired bikes traveling / training on snow. Then before we know it February is here and we are at the starting line with thoughts and doubts about training, gear, trail or rather the lack of a trail bouncing around in our heads.
We are looking forward to the winter riding season and to seeing all the old friends and meeting new racers in February. Not much to report but as the snow moves down into the valley I will have more news from the trail to cause everyone needless worry about things we can't change.

There are still some spaces left in both of our 5 day winterbike training camp December 27-31, 2009 and February 13-17, 2010. New racers interested please contact us by e-mail at:

info@alaskaultrasport.com

Wishing all of You a great Fall and Winter

Bill & Kathi

June 13, 2009

The starting list for the 2010 race is FULL!
We have established a waiting list for racers still hoping to grab a spot in case we have some cancellations.

New! Bill uploaded a youtube video about this year's race capturing his time with the racers on Rainy Pass.

t he wouldn't come back. Congratulations to you both for the determination and drive you demonstrated by hanging tough and finishing in less than ideal conditions. Final race results 350 mile race.

Thanks to each and every racer who started in Knik for joining us for this year's race. I hope to see all of you back 2010 for another experience on the Trail. In a year when Mother Nature and the Iditarod Trail tested us all we had 28 finishers to McGrath. That is the second most finishers we have had. Also I have never heard so many racers fresh off the trail say they would see us next year.

Let's not forget our four racers headed to Nome. We will be by the phone waiting to hear from each of them as they arrive in the villages along the way and keep all of you informed about their progress.

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