Iditarod Trail Invitational Latest News

I hope all of you are recovered from the race and looking forward to a good summer. Since we are already receiving emails from racers wanting to sign up for the 09 race there are some changes for next year we need to let everyone know about.

With the price of gasoline going up everything on the trail does too. To cover increased costs the entry fee for McGrath will be $800.00 and Nome will be $900.00. All racers will again be required to finish the McGrath race before they will be qualified to enter the race to Nome.

The message board worked well during the race. We are going to keep it up for another 3 months and racers or fans are welcome to use it as a discusion forum about gear, training or other race related topics. If it is used we will keep it all year.

Thanks to all of you who competed in the 08 Iditarod Trail Invitational and congratulations to everyone who finished to McGrath and Nome. Thanks also to all our volunteers and folks at the checkpoints who worked very hard to make the race happen for all of us racers. Dan McDonough did a great job as race director keeping everyone up to date on our progress with his web reports as did Eric Parsons with his reports on Sleepmonsters.
Thanks to Joe Polk for hosting us on his MTB podcast.

Special thanks to Rob Kehrer, Terry Boyle and Lisa Boyle for all their back breaking work in Rainy Pass and the Dalzell Gorge. Thank you to Rich Crane and Michael Schoder for all their efforts. Jasper Bond (Iditarod Checker) was a blessing as always becoming our checker in Rohn while Rob was busy trying to help get the trail in over the Pass.

Congratulations to Jay Petervary for winning the men's division in the McGrath race and Kathi Hirzinger Merchant for her 3rd win in the women's division of the McGrath race. Loreen Hewitt set a new female foot record to McGrath and her husband Tim became the first person to do the entire Iditarod Trail to Nome human powered 3 times (Northern route twice Southern route once) . Congratulations to Pete Basinger for his win in the Nome race and who's finish time was amazing in way less than ideal conditions. I was told Pete's time from Shaktoolik to Nome was only 5 hours slower than Iditarod winner Lance Mackey's with his dog team. Carl Hutchings and Rok Kovac also had great finish times just behind Pete. Kathi Hirzinger Merchant became the first female cyclist to finish the Nome race and set a new overall female record. She managed in spite of having to drag a worn out old senior citizen behind her.

I received a call last night from Mike with the cabin at Fin Bear Lake. He thanks all the racers who stopped by his cabin. He said though he enjoys Iron Dog and Iditarod he said we are like family to him.

After 27 days on the trail Jose made the decision to scratch. He has been battling with a painful leg for many miles and he had finally reached a point where his body as well as his mind could go no further. After talking with Jose the last few days I can truly attest to the determination that Jose put into the race the last few days. He has been walking purely on determination and he said he felt very comfortable with his decision. For me, I want to thank Bill and Kathi for the chance to be race director for them and all the athletes that were involved. The excitement of the early race and the interaction with the checkpoints and people waiting for updates was a lot of fun. (thanks Maddy for the tips. I am still working on the moose stew)The greatest experience has been listening to all the racers that continued on to Nome. I felt their determination, frustration and experiences and feel very inspired and privileged to be a part.

Happy easter to everyone. Jose called from Elim yesterday arriving there from Koyuk at 1:00pm. At this point he has walked the entire trail from Finger Lake alone, no easy feat physically or mentally. He will be heading out to Golovin this morning. I am not sure of the details from Shaktoolik to Koyuk and will have a more detailed update when he reaches Golovin.

With Bill and Kathi's arrival in Nome that leaves one racer still on the trail. For everyone following Jose's progress he called me at noon yesterday to tell me that he was still in Shaktoolik watching the weather. From there he was going to decide when he would depart. I have not heard any news since then and hope to hear from him soon.

Yea! for Bill and Kathi! They spent one last day in the wind on their approach to Nome, describing the same conditions as Tim with areas of immense winds and cold temperatures. At one point when they were protected from the constant wind Kathi looked at the temperature and saw -30 degrees and without the wind she felt to warm. Bill described pushing the bikes at a 45 degree angle to prevent the wind from blowing the bikes away. Truly an accomplishment! After 25 and a half days Bill was looking forward to having a beer upon his arrival, instead when they arrived at 2:58am they were greeted by one woman on the street who was heading to work and the only place open for food or drink was a coke machine. They celebrated with dehydrated food in styrofoam coffee cups. When I talked to Bill this morning @ 9:00am they were headed out for two breakfast and maybe even that beer. They plan to spend one more night in Nome before heading home to Chickaloon.

Bill & Kathi have made it into Nome. They arrived at 2:58 AM with a race time of 25 days, 12 hours, 58 minutes. More to come later.

Hopefully we will hear from our racers sometime before nightfall tomorrow. For those that do not know Bill, he has finished the Mcgrath race seven times including the only person that has skijored the route which he did in 1998. he has also done the route by foot and by bike as well as by snowmachine as a trail breaker. The one thing he has not done is the route to Nome. This will be his first time arriving in Nome. Kathi and Bill had plans to do the Nome route in 2006 however lots of snow stopped all bike riders at McGrath with only two walkers making the full trip that year. He has also been the organizer and director of the race for the last several years, I feel certain however that he considers himself first and foremost a racer.

For Jose, Bill and Kathi the trudge continues. Jose was very happy to hear of Tim completing the trip and is prepared for a long day to get to Koyuk. Bill and Kathi also sounded prepared for their long push to Nome, the last 77 miles. They hope to arrive sometime tomorrow. For Kathi it will be her first time to Nome via human power, she snowmachined in 2003. She has also raced to McGrath in 2005 and 2006 and holds the Ultrasport record of 5 days 7 hours 48 minutes. This time was just under eight hours from the overall record set in 1998 by Cloe Lanthier Brandner. How much of an accomplishment is this for Kathi? When she completes her journey to Nome she will become just the third woman to have finished the race since 2000 and the first woman biker. It is also the first time a woman has finished since 2003 when Barbara Schwarzmann skied the shorter serum route in 30 days. For a further incentive to walk to Nome next year, a woman has not finished the southern route at least since 2000. She will also become the fastest woman finisher to Nome overall. The other Nome finisher besides Barbara and presumably Kathi is Janine Duplessis who walked the northern route in 2000 in 41 days. Margriet introduced Bill and Kathi to me in the spring of 2003 and we have worked together and have been friends ever since. The bike that she was using was one of the rental fleet, a small Trek that Bill gradually updated until the only original part was the frame. Over time he convinced her to get a fat bike if she was serious about biking to Nome. Since then she has biked the Divide trail, the winter road to Inuvik and most every trail in the Chikaloon area. I truly do not think after the training and commitment that she put into getting to Nome this year that their was much that would have stopped her.

Jose arrived in Shaktoolik today at 2:00pm. He continues to have problems with his leg and the fact he has gotten this far is a testament to his determination and strength. The weather continues to be windy with temperatures below zero bringing the wind chill down to dangerous levels. He plans to spend the night and hopes to leave in the morning for the trek across the sea ice to Koyuk. After talking to Bill and Kathi they wanted to pass on all the good vibes to Jose in his journey as I am sure we all do. Bill and Kathi had a quick trip from Golovin to White Mountain arriving at 6:00pm. They have had a great time with the hospitality of the local villagers. Outside of Golovin they had someone come out on a four wheeler to meet them thinking they perhaps were in trouble. After assuring him that they were fine he invited them to his mothers house where they ate pancakes. Next, when they arrived in White Mountain they called the principle and where invited to their house for the night. They plan on heading out tomorrow at 8:00am

Tim is in!!! While writing the update Tim called with this great news. He told of enduring minus 20 degree temperatures with the wind blowing at 80 miles per hour! He stopped for a while at a shelter cabin and reported the cabin shaking as he waited out the worst. When the cabin stopped shaking he headed out once again. It was so bad he was afraid of being blown off the trail at times. The most telling thing that Tim mentioned was that after walking to Nome three times "This tested me the most". By the way Tim is now the only person who has successfully completed this race three times. When he called he was having a beer at the local bar and told me his in time was 8:48 however when I just checked it is only 8:40. so I will call it at 8:28 for a total time of 24 days 6 hours 28 days

Over 900 miles into their journey Kathi's comment to Bill early this morning as they were pushing their bike once again in minus 30 degree temperatures was "I bet I could walk this trail in 30 days" I believe it. They arrived in Golovin at 12:00 today and plan to leave for White Mountain soon. Once at White Mountain they plan to spend the night before heading out on the last section of the trail. Tim has been on the trail for 27 and a half hours and may be in Nome by morning depending on conditions and sleep. No recent word from Jose.

Kathi and Bill arrived in Elim at 1:45pm today and were planning on getting their food drop from the post office, eating at the local food place and heading out with the plan to make Golovin late tonight. They were at the cabin at the Kwik river when the hunter stopped by on a snowmachine. He warned them that the winds were a lot stronger closer to Elim, in fact so strong that they were pushing his snowmachine around. With this thought in mind they decided to spend the night. In the morning the winds were a more manageable 30 miles per hour and they headed out. Bill described a scene that he had never seen before, for as far as he could see the sea ice was covered by sastrugi. He described it as the sea ice looking like it had been flash frozen, here's hoping that Kathi's pictures and videos come out well.

By now Tim has less then 77 miles to bring him to Nome. He left White Mountain after waiting for the post office to open at 10:00am. Conditions have not changed from the last two days and he is still dealing with miserable trails, wind and cold. He also decided to bivy for a couple of hours on the sea ice of Golovin Bay last night. Go Tim Go! indeed. As I write this I am trying to get my mind around walking for 900 miles in sometimes miserable conditions, needing to stop in the middle of sea ice, and then packing up and doing it again. Truly incredible.

Bill and Kathi passed on a message through a local hunter that they are holed up in a shelter cabin about 25 miles from Elim. This cabin is in the Kwik river valley which is described as a natural wind tunnel. They planned to wait out the worst part of the wind and at least travel during daylight. The temperatures in this area have dropped below zero causing very low wind chills with the forecast being much of the same across the area.

Epic only begins to describe Jose's journey to Unalakleet. He arrived this morning at 10:30 and the scene he described was much the same as the others with high winds and absolutely no way of distinguishing between the sky and the ground. Jose has also been traveling with a sore foot, he described it to me as some times the leg and muscle does not obey his command to move, however move he has. Add to all this perhaps one of the more terrifying potential hazards on a winter trail. Jose was crossing a snow bridge over a creek when it collapsed sending not only him but his entire sled into the water. Everything was wet except for a pair of pants and his down parka. Last year he assisted another racer after he had fallen into some overflow, this year it was just him, single digit temperatures and 30 mile per hour winds. For those that have not checked Jose's web site his nickname is "marine" because of his toughness. He has also climbed Aconcagua, Denali and Everest as well as kayaked the Amazon River. With his determination, toughness and skill hopefully he will be adding a Nome finish to his achievements.

Tim arrived in Elim at 1:30am. He describes trail conditions much the same as the last few days with drifted in trails, white out, and wind. A new element for him was missing trail markers. The snowmachiners are in the same conditions and have run over some of the trail markers making them hard to find. In white out conditions Tim described walking in circles or zig zagging on snowshoes in order to find the trail or even the markers. With all this Tim sounded in good spirits and plans on heading out this morning. Kathi estimated that she has pushed her bike around 250 miles and from the sounds of the conditions this number is only going to rise. This is the same section of trail that Pete, Carl and Rok just rode on in excel ant time, and 79 dog teams have passed through on. Just a few days later it is nothing more than a few trail markers and a suggestion of a trail.

Bill and Kathi described their journey from Shaktoolik to Koyuk as "Epic" yes with a capital e. They arrived in Koyuk at 1:30pm today after doing the unthinkable and deciding to bivy on the seaice. They left Shaktoolik some five hours after Tim and seemed to bear the brunt of the storm, at one point a hunter on a snowmachine stopped and commented "pretty bad storm huh" They describe the same conditions as Tim, with the sky and the ground blending in with each other so well that Kathi described not being able to ride her bike even when the trail allowed because of a sense of vertigo. This meant pushing the bikes at a speed of one and a half miles per hour it was the first time that Bill remembers wishing he had a sled to put his bike in...ever. At some point they were traveling from trail marker to trail marker and even having difficulty doing this and the decided to stop for the night. With a 30 plus mile hour wind blowing and not the slightest bit of shelter they used the only things they had to make a wind break, their bikes. By digging through the hard packed snow they were able to bury the bikes somewhat and use the frame packs as a windbreak. With all the energy Kathi expanded she claimed to have slept very well however they woke up warm and covered by snowdrifts. Before this point on the section of the trail out of Kaltag named the portage Kathi had been telling Bill what a great trip it has been and that they should do it again. Those ideas vanished last night.. for now anyway. When I talked to them they had just finished eating and were waiting for the place in Koyuk to open to eat again. Their next challenge is to find a way to get their food that they mailed to Koyuk from the post office on a Sunday so they can leave early tomorrow morning, if they can not do this they will leave shortly after getting their food.

Tim arrived in Koyak at 10:00pm. Along with the wind as a constant companion he also reported ice fog along the route that blended the ground and sky into one giant gray mass with the only break being the trail markers along the way. He is now 171 miles from Nome and plans to start on these remaining miles early tomorrow morning. In what must be almost a surreal happening, upon arriving in Koyuk after 17 plus hours on the trail when he got to the community center where he is staying he found a bingo game in progress, no word if he joined in. Tim did report that Bill and Kathi where 15 miles behind him however he did not know if they were able to ride given the conditions so they may still be a few hours away. No recent word from Jose however there are many places between Nulato and Unalakleet that he may have decided to stop and rest.

Bill and Kathi did leave for Koyuk at 10:00am. They heard that Tim had been at the armory resting and more than likely left before they did. Tim might have the advantage walking as Bill was anticipating pushing the whole distance due to drifting. If this is true we will be in for a long wait as the three of them make their way about 40 miles to Koyuk. At Tim's pace into Shaktoolik and Bill and Kathi's pushing pace this could mean over 20 hours between points. The winds are still fairly strong however the closer they get to Koyuk the less they are forecasted to be and the temperature has climbed back above the 0 degree mark.

Remember Shaktoolik? Where the east wind blows? Tim left Unakaleet and experienced some of the best trails that he has come across. They were so good that he was actually running this part of the trail. Then he came to the last 12 miles or so witch are unprotected from the wind. With the trail drifted in Tim had to put his snowshoes on. After struggling through this for one mile with a headwind to add to the misery he turned around and made it back to a small cabin he had passed. This cabin had no heat, missing windows however it was out of the wind. After spending the night there it took Tim 12 hours to finish this section into Shaktoolik at 5:30pm. Tim hopes to leave when the winds subside a bit.

Kathi and Bill, who also headed out to Shaktoolik made it in at 9:30pm. They plan to head to the snack shack and load up for the trip across the sea ice in the morning. They did not find Tim there so he apparently headed out. Bill and Kathi also reported high winds however they have diminished to a manageable 25 miles per hour. With the wind and drifts they anticipate pushing all the way to Koyuk. They were in great spirits with Bill telling me it was perhaps the most scenic part of the trail with Kathi constantly stopping to take pictures and video.

Rok Kovac arrived in Nome at 11:20 this morning for a time of 18 days 21 hours 20 minutes. Congratulations Rok!

Jose is in Nulato and planning to leave for Kaltag. He is still not 100 percent and wanted me to pass on that he is cheering for Tim as well and "suffers with him"

Carl arrived on Front street in Nome this morning at 2:30am. Great job Carl! This gives him a total time of 18 days 12 hours 30 minutes. Carl and Peter are the first bikers to arrive in Nome via the northern route since 2002. In 2002 the Ultrasport record of 17 days 2 hours was set by Mike Curiak. I am not sure of the conditions that year however Pete was only 26 and a half hours behind this time with hundreds of miles of pushing.

Rok should arrive in Nome sometime this morning or early afternoon. For Rok it will be his first time getting to Nome however he has done the 350 mile race in 2004 and 2006. Whether by design or luck Rok has had a great race. From the beginning he did not get caught up in the race to McGrath and kept his pace going traveling with Bill and Kathi for much of the way. While still doing plenty of pushing this allowed him to be behind the Iditarod trailbreakers and ride many sections that the leaders were pushing. The extra rest combined with the extra time biking allowed him to steadily move closer to the front.

Bill and Kathi should be out of Unalakleet soon if they are not already. Bill's comment for their race this year after arriving in Unakaleet. "Not too bad for a senior and a girly" No, not too bad at all!

18 days 4 hours 33 minutes. That is the time it took Pete Basinger to travel the 1000 miles from Knick lake to Nome. This time would have won several of the early sled dog races. Congratulations Pete!

Rok made it into White Mountain @4:00pm and decided to rest before heading out to Nome. He planned to leave sometime tonight.

Peter left White Mountain shortly after checking in and should get to Nome by evening barring breakdown, falling asleep, weather, wrong turn, injury or any of the other hazards at the end of a 1000 mile winter race. Carl arrived in White Mountain at 11:30 and he too will leave quickly and hopes to be in Nome in the early morning hours if he can stay awake. Tim Hewitt arrived in Unalakleet at 9:00am and planned on leaving again this afternoon sometime. He reported having a headwind for most of the trip which may slow Bill and Kathi down.

This will be Carl's second time to Nome, completing the journey in 2005 in 22 days and 47 minutes via the southern route. This is the current record for the southern route. He has also competed in the 350 mile race to McGrath in 2004 and 2007 however his fastest time to McGrath was during this years race 3 days 22 hours 6 minutes

Quite a busy morning with Peter treating the last 200 miles as a sprint he has come and gone out of Golovin and was in White Mountain at 4:00am. Peter has 55 miles to travel from White Mountain to Safety and then 22 more from there into Nome. For Peter this race has had it's share of challenges beginning with a breakdown before Skwentna that forced him to spend the night waiting for the mail plane to bring him a part. After that he made a big push from there to Puntilla where he did catch the front runners in time to help break trial to Rohn. By the time he arrived in Nikolai he was having stomach problems that once again forced him to spend extra time at a checkpoint. Then began the long push from McGrath almost all the way to Kaltag witch culminated in Peter actually scratching from the race. After some more rest and riding with Carl out of Kaltag he "unscratched" and is now 77 miles from his goal.

For Peter this will be his second time biking into Nome. 1n 2003 the Ultrasport was faced with open water and forced to start the race in Fairbanks and do the serum route, this is the route that got him to Nome the first time. He has also won the 350 mile race to McGrath on three occasions in 2004, 2006 and 2007. In 2007 he set the record for this portion of the race at 3 days 5 hours 20 minutes.