Backing Up a Bit...

Because doing my day job is overrated, I'm going to devote some more attention to the time sink that is going to be this blog tonight :-)  Many of you might know most of this, but just in case, here's a little backstory into Ryan's ITI adventure.

While this 1000 mile attempt is 3x the attempt he's made to date, this isn't Ryan's first rodeo.  A many times over 100 miler, a Gnarly Bandit, and a Leadman, he found his "thing" in winter ultras.  Don't tell Ron Ruhs, but Hitchcock 100, a snowy December course in a hilly part of Iowa, might have got him hooked on going long in the cold.  His first attempt at a "real" winter ultra was about as big as it gets...the Arrowhead 135 in International Falls, MN.  The race where rookies aren't supposed to finish tested Ryan like never before, going further in distance and pulling a sled...in a polar vortex (rumor has it temps reached -53).  He was DFL (dead effing last), but one of only 13 finishers and well within the 60 hour cutoff. He applied to the 2020 Iditarod Trail Invitational 350 believing it would take years to get accepted...little did he know how much pull having finished Arrowhead in the "polar vortex year" would have.  A ticket to Anchorage please!

I was on sabbatical that year, and so we got to spend a few weeks in Anchorage.  Our Alaska family, Tim and Alice Samuelson put us up (like they so graciously did for Ryan this year!) and we had a time!  

Ryan took to the trail and I took to exploring Alaska with friends and family (love you Katie, Meg, and Mom!). He finished the 350 is 8 days and was forever changed.  As was the world...we literally landed and within the week the world stopped for the COVID-19 pandemic.  In terms of Ryan's racing, obviously races like 2020 Hitchcock 100, 2020/2021 Tuscobia 160 in WI, and 2021 Arrowhead 135 were cancelled.  But, given the time of year (first weekend in March), ITI was likely to go...just not the 1000 mile version Ryan had signed up for.  An altered 350 course had racers do an out-and-back, Knik to Rohn to Big Lake.  Ryan used it as recon for when the 1000 mile did happen...read: drank red wine at every stop to ensure he was hitting the 1000 mile pace, not the "rushed" 350 pace ;-)  He again was successful, had a great time with new friends (thanks again for all the wisdom and camaraderie Eric Johnson!), and came back dreaming of a 1000 mile trek to Nome.

Cut to 2022, where Ryan found out in January he was off the waitlist and set for Nome if he was willing and able.  Luckily George signed off on the adventure, even helped with packing (side note: George was the exact opposite of helpful when it came to packing...all.the.whining.).  Ryan bought all of the outdoor gear on the planet (most of which he probably already had...but have you seen our garage!?!), sewed his own custom sled bag and jacket (thanks Beeks for the moral support and sewing machine tutorial), sent roughly 35lbs of Reece's Pieces to various villages across Alaska, and boarded a plan to do the damn thing this past Wednesday. Phew. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. At least I'm not cold though.

Ryan will be embarrassed by all of this.  He didn't mention this journey to anyone, save his family about two weeks in advance. I'm a horrible secret keeper and told a select few...I had to talk about it with someone!  In part, this was close to the chest because (as mentioned before) the odds of finishing are long.  It was also close to the chest because I ask enough questions for all the world and facing one more might kill him ;-)  But I know he is so excited, and when he returns the next beers on him and he'll have plenty of stories to share!

Knik to Yentna (mile 56)

 Ryan made it to Checkpoint #2 (Yentna Station) at 3:40pm CST.  Course conditions must be good, because buddy was movin'!  A quick recap from the start...

The start at Knik Bar was at 2pm AKST, where he spent most of the afternoon and evening in good company with friends Lars, Faye, Jeff, and Chris.  Lars apparently started the race in shorts! He called a few hours in to make sure his tracker was on (thanks for looking out for us lowly dot watchers!). 

Took 5 minutes to pick a route (more on routes in a second), took 23 minutes at Checkpoint #1 (Butterfly Lake, mile 26.9) and cruised through the night.  After hopping on the Yentna River, he kept about a 3mph pace until a quality 2.5 hr. bivy nap at 4:31am...meaning he got moving again just in time for sunrise (per Ryan, it was "amazing!").  

Upon arriving at Yentna, he had a burger, "got a nice sleep," (maybe not as good as Lars...see below) had one last burger, and as of 5 minutes ago (7:08 CST), headed back out to tackle the next 31 mile section to Skwentna (mile 87ish).  

Meteorologist/pilot with advanced weather app Rick Orchard informs me that the next few days should be good weather: Calm winds, high 32-33, low19-21, chance of occasional snow flurry with light accumulation.  He went as far as to call it "pleasant".  We like hearing that!

I won't likely have much to report until mid-morning, as his ETA (assuming no trail naps) is 6:45am AKST.  If that changes, I'll be sure to update.

Regarding routes...you may have noticed there were a lot of different routes taken (especially if you applied the tracks layer on Trackleaders.com)....  The red line is the official "Iditarod Trail", but that trail is different every year.  Racers also don't have to follow any specific course; rather, the rely on acquired intel, personal preference, current conditions, where snowmobiles, etc. have broken the trail, and if you're Ryan or any racers near Ryan, the tracks laid by others.  All the racers have to do is get to the required checkpoints...how they get there isn't important (unless you chose wrong, in which case it's probably important to the suck factor)...part of the fun I suppose.  The further along they get, the more remote the trail, the less options there are.  The important thing at this point is that the weather gods are playing nice and it appears most of the overflow has refrozen (whoop!).

In case anyone is wondering, we're experiencing the opposite of frozen in SD with temps in the 50s for the second day in a row.  While great for this single dog parent in terms of leaving the back door open while at work, it's not so great for cruising the local dog romp field...all the dead animals discovered under the melted snow, including our unfortunate Mr. Skunk.  That was fun to depose of 😑

 

(Mark, I have him waiting for you outside Stubbies Bar & Grille haha)

Stayin' in the Nome: 2022 Iditarod Trail Invitational 1000

 A few years back some friends and I began using the phrase "dumb hobby" when referring to our ultrarunning.  Meant as a term of endearment, we refer to our ultrarunning as a dumb hobby: tons of time and money and effort spent doing something that largely ended with feelings of complete physical and mental exhaustion...and yet, we love every minute of it and would do it all again in a heartbeat.  Those who partake in dumb hobbies aren't right in the head...but also make total sense.

Well, as we speak Ryan Wanless has taken his dumb hobby to the next (possibly highest) level: the 1000 mile version of the Iditarod Trail Invitational on foot. To be very clear, the odds of finishing the race, generally, are long (as in it's really, really hard to finish...and really, really hard to finish on foot).  The odds of finishing this year are no better....the big threats this year, a year of massive snowfall, are overflow and moose (the linked podcast is fantastic...tragic explanation of one racers "why" and then a dive into the dangers of moose on the trail).  He has 30 days to go from the Knik Bar (outside of Wasilla, which is outside of Anchorage) to Nome following the northern route.

He left today at 2pm AKST (they are going to be 3hrs. behind CST), pulling his brand new red sled (On Wisconsin!) and basically wearing a t-shirt (did I mention it was a warm start?).  Here's a link to the Facebook Live of the start (pro tip: look for the guy on skis with the insanely large backpack and Ryan's behind him in a grey hat and blue longsleeves)

Who wants to get hyped?!?!  Check out this two minute video and if it doesn't get you going (or at least get you feeling really, really cold), I can't help you haha!

To follow along without coming to this blog, you can track him through this website (it will also be linked on the left-hand margin).  My plan is to use this site to update as I get updates from Ryan, provide weather forecasts from my weather guru Rick Orchard, analysis from veterans of the race/winter ultras I glean through social media, and relevant research from Mr. Bertsch's 6th Grade class.  It will also serve as a journal, diary, guest book of this adventure :-) In the coming posts, I'll include some links to articles, videos, and podcasts that Ryan and I have enjoyed consuming to learn about the race.

If you have any questions, comment below and I'll try to answer as best I can.  If you have any well wishes or heckles to pass along, comment below and I'll certainly pass those along! Without a doubt, your support is always beyond appreciated.

Settle in fellow dot watchers, we're in it for the long haul this year!

Em