Well, looks like we may have spoke too soon...

(All of these pictures are from earlier in the race, but I feel embody a bit of what it's like out there...)

Yesterday and today have been rough.  Painful for the dot watchers to see those speeds and I can't even imagine what it's been like for Ryan.  Save a mile descending into Topkock this afternoon, I don't think he's been able to ride the bike at all :-(

In leaving White Mountain, the plan was to get to Topkock cabin, chill for the evening (I'm picturing a warm cabin stove, a couple nips of rum, and a lot of reflecting on this epic journey...probably in his skivvies and t-shirt because it's so warm and cozy), and have a fabulous 44 mile jaunt into Nome.  Cut to 1.5 mph speeds and reported whiteout conditions when he arrived at "New Cabin" last night (there's a new cabin on the trail 9ish miles from Topcock that I don't know anything about...other than it was good enough to spend the night in).  He was a man of few words this morning, asking about how the weather and how the walkers were faring.  He left New Cabin (914) slightly before 6am AKST.  

The slog continued most of the morning, afternoon, and into tonight.  Finishing in the daylight today is unlikely...but not for a lack of effort.  When he arrived at Topkock (923) this morning he reported snow, a quarter/headwind, and drifting snow...we're all just hoping that once he hits "the road" (about 9 miles from Safety) the trail's seen a little more traffic.  There's one last safety cabin around mile 936 and I guess we'll just have to see what he's got planned!  Horse is in the barn...

Day 22-23: Golovin (881) - Topkock Cabin (923)

At the time of this writing, Ryan has weathered the storm hitting the western coast of Alaska and is heading to the Topkock shelter cabin. The trail seems to be okay, as speeds indicate more bike riding than pushing or post holing.

Ryan arrived in Golovin after a substantial push to get as far along the trail as possible before said storm hit.  Frank 'n Friend stayed up until 4am when he arrived, only to be back at school at 8am.  Ryan was blown away by their hospitality, but not at all surprised.  Ryan repaid (??) Frank's hospitality for sharing a picture of me with my office mascot, Rebecca the Raccoon (don't ask why and just don't ask hahaha).

He was able to get some napping in, laundry done, and plan out the remainder of his journey (to the best of his ability, unsure what the trail conditions would be like).  He was greeted to ham and potatoes upon arrival, treated to moose sandwiches for lunch (which I'd like to say he helped prepare, but from the photos it looked more like overseeing sandwich prep), and Frank hosted him to moose chili for dinner.  Somewhere during all of that he acquired his beloved chips and canned nacho cheese.

 

 

(School lunch, Golovin, AK-style)

The storm was certainly a thing, with sustained winds of 30+mph, gusting to 50+mph at times.  There wasn't much snow accumulation, so it was just a matter of drifting.  The walkers put up remarkable speeds overnight during the storm, so I think the beta he had indicated good vibes only (okay, there was some finger and toe crossing)! He slept in the school gym, but was up early because of so much day sleep...this meant a decent start to the day, with a cooperative trail hoping to get him easily to a quick stop at Trail Angel Joanna's house (the White Mountain CP, mile 897.5) before moving on to the night's destination of Topkock cabin (923).  Have nachos, will travel!

We chatted a bit about his goals to finish in the light tomorrow ("I don't want Nora (Nome Trail Angel) to have to wait in the dark") and flights back to Anchorage and home.  He sounds excited to get to Nome, less excited to get back to work in Sioux Falls (understandable).  Temps look to be decent and wind quite manageable as he hits the second most nerve-wracking part of the 1000 mile course tomorrow, the Blowhole (here's video of Jay Cable's 2018 experience to get a sense of what a night crossing in less than optimal weather looks like!).  After that, it's the "check point" in Safety (it's only a bar in the middle of nowhere during the dog sled race, for those coming after it's a couple of structures that provide some protection from the elements while taking a rest). From there it's a cool 22 miles to Nome (okay, maybe a few hills thrown in at the end for good measure).  

For those interested in "watching" the finish, the best option is the Nome Cam.  The burl arches might be tucked away around the corner (much to his aunts' dismay...good effort y'all, thanks for trying!!), but I know we'll all be "there" in spirit.  Enjoy this tail end to your epic journey Ryan, we're all so excited for you!

Day 21, cont.: Elim (853.9) - Golovin (881.6)

 

Whilst you were sleeping, Ryan was motoring.  He arrived at Elim (853.9) with 43 miles on his legs, but his speeds leading up to arrival indicated he was feeling good and the trail was set up quite nicely.  We chatted only a minute... 

I can't stop laughing at this...I think this is the military building from last year that the Throuple of Walkers could see smoke coming out, indicating it was in use and warm...only to be completely ignored when they knocked on the door...probably too busy looking for balloons...

I had texted with some beta from veteran biker Troy (thanks again for all the "pro-tips"...it's almost like you've done this a time or two), a weather update, mileage between Elim & Golovin and the two shelter cabins in between (863 & and 875, respectively), and the time it took other bikers to make the trek (mind you, without a day's worth of miles on the legs already)..."What are you thinking you're going to do?" "I think I'm going to go to Golovin." YES!  (hindsight and all that) It was the right call, as risking having to move from Elim to Golovin after the storm didn't sound...ideal (overland trail with very little foot traffic, hilly, etc.)

He made great time, messaging me from the inReach to see if I could reach the point of contact in Golovin and let him know Ryan would be arriving late and whether he should go to the school (checkpoint and accommodations) or somewhere else given the hour. Frank is the POC and he is a true gem....I believe he was the one that took Ryan, Chris, and Daniel in last year when the village was closed for a COVID flare-up.  He gave them shelter and caribou stir fry and it was for sure one of Ryan's favorite places to stop. Back to present day, I sent Frank a text and he immediately responded with the most wonderful exchange I think I've ever had at 3am in the morning.

He arrived to Frank and Friend at 2:30am.  This means he put in almost 17 hours and 72 miles in the saddle yesterday, with only about an hour of stoppage (20 minutes at Kwik River Cabin and 40 minutes at Elim).  

The...understated Kwik River Cabin.  I can see why he wasn't lulled into staying longer ;-)

I know he's thrilled to have the ability to finally pedal and I'm naively hoping he'll be able to continue riding past Golovin...however, this storm might have something to say about that.  Snow accumulations are going to be minimal, but with wind gusts of over 50 mph (but "wind right on his ass to the waypoint" as my father pointed out 😂), the trail might be blown in.  I haven't heard from him since his arrival, so I hope that means he is taking a much deserved rest...I'll update again when there's a plan relayed!

 

Day 20-21: Shaktoolik (765.4) - Yoyuk (809.5) - Elim (853.9)

Departing Shaktoolik began one of the most nervous days of the ride, for both dot and dot watchers!  From Shaktoolik Ryan would bike 13.7 miles to Little Mountain Cabin, the last respite before the Bering Sea crossing over the exposed Norton Sound.  I detailed this in the last post, but it bears repeating that this section is notoriously finicky.  A much talked about storm is brewing to the northwest, one similar to the 2020 storm halting the race for eight athletes.

 

(leftover pizza from Unalakleet!)

Ryan said he was feeling better and better each day, had a great stop in Shaktoolik, and was eager to get to the crossing. The trek went so well, he stopped only to pump some airs in his tire and have a little video fun!

The crossing went swimmingly (in that he didn’t have to swim, among other things) and he celebrated with a run to grocery and dinner in the Shaktoolik school’s home ec kitchen.  This entire purchase was a steal at $44, with his only regret that he didn’t get those little frozen chicken appetizers (not really sure which ones he’s actually referring to).

He had a late night FaceTime with best bud Sam, dried and repacked his gear, cooked and ate ONE POUND OF BACON, and hit the trail towards Elim (853.9). 

The plan was 44 miles to Elim tonight, bypassing the shelter cabins of Kwik River (831) and Moses Point (842.9).  The storm has all the remaining racers on the move (Ryan and the 3 on foot…the Bike Gang just rolled across the finish line in Nome!!!), so we’ll see where the next few days lead! He's currently just outside of Elim, seeing biking speeds of 4-7mph. consistently. At least we know he's feeling good!

Days 16-19: Kaltag (647.5) - Unalakleet (724.6) - Shatoolik (765.4)

(Our friend Carole from Nome keeps sending alerts to friends in each of the villages to keep an eye out for Ryan...one of them snagged this photo of him rolling into Unalakleet!)

Happy Saturday frans, I’m here with a short update on some long distances covered by Ryan over the last few days!

Ryan left the Kaltag school just before noon, a solid 18 hours (roughly 6 more than he's been getting yay!) after he had his way with the Mighty Yukon ;-) It was a bit of a shakeout ride to see how the legs felt…with two shelter cabins spread along the 77 miles from Kaltag to Unalakleet, daily mileage goals could be flexible.  When asked if he would stop at Tripod Flats or Old Woman, he responded, “whatever the legs and trail decide.”  I liked that.  While the first 15 miles of trail were “garbage” it turned “great” and made for some wonderful miles in the saddle (yay for no pushing... or carrying at this point!).  He ended up spending a cold night at Old Woman.  While pleasantly quiet, it was cold (he thoroughly enjoyed reading Jill’s update on Beat for this night, as Beat described it hitting -30…validation! As if anyone was doubting…) 

"I couldn’t figure out why my mask kept filing with snow.  -30 is the new normal."

"I brought my bike inside because it was to cold to get stuff off it last night"

"This was the handle inside the cabin.   To cold to touch with bare hands"

He said there was a little firewood when he arrived, but the old stove only would heat for about an hour, so he made quick work of gathering more firewood for his stay and his walker friends behind him.  Fear not, I’ve got an email into the manager that their stove needs some attention ;-) 

The cold night brought with it some wallowing on choices made on the Yukon.  We chatted a bit while he warmed up and I only cried a little (a lot) when he recounted dreams of George (the dead dog, not fellow ITI biker!!) licking his face like they used to on the couch and being with him along the trail.  Fond memories of his best friend and the journey they were seemingly on together lifted his mood and he was ready for a reset in Unalakleet…I told him to wallow as much as needed until then, get it all out.  He responded, “Nah, today’s going to be a great day!” Never a doubt he'd get this done, especially when the alternative shoveling snow back home (I'm saving the "well, if you come home now you'll have to help puppy-proof the house..." That'll get him back on the trail asap!)

He took advantage of a firm and fast trail, making wonderful time to Unalakleet (724.6)...Peace on Earth Pizza upon arrival may have also had something to do with that!  Friends Sam and John, along with sister Marie had ordered pizza and a coke for him upon arrival and he was ready to mow down…unfortunately his hangry arrival came in between lunch and dinner hours.  But, Bret Hanson, owner of the legendary pizza restaurant and music venue, might be one of the biggest trail angels around. Bret immediately fired up the pizza oven and got to work on feeding Ryan. 

As always, it more than hit the spot and he said he planned on ordering food and drink for the next 6 hours (a real danger is gorging too much and causing stomach distress…having WiFi and Iditarod folks to chat with kept Ryan entertained so he didn’t just eat, eat, eat for that 6 hours).

He considered staying at the Air BnB in Unalakleet to get some laundry done, but again, Trail Angel Bret is the best. From the pics I noticed Ryan wearing a shirt I'd never seen before....apparently, Bret let him do laundry in his house and gave him clothes to wear in the interim!  He also gave him a beer from his private stash! 

To top all that off, this morning ryan was up at 4am and said he could have left but the night before Bret insisted on cooking him breakfast like he did last year, and so he just hung out until he got a GIANT plate of food.  

Some villages go through all the drop boxes for supplies…some do so after a racer leaves town, some wait until all the racers are through (honoring the pillaging that takes place by the racers).  Not Bret though.  Bret keeps all the unused supplies and freeze dried meals from the previous years in case racers in the current year need them (Ryan said Bret brought out probably 30 meals in a bag from the back of the restaurant). He even rearranged an electric board meeting so he could be back for when the walkers arrived.  Ryan said Bret said he does it all because he loves meeting the people of the Iditarod and ITI races.

Ryan departed Unalakleet at 9:15am on Day 18 of the race.  The goal was Shaktoolik (765), a 41 mile effort, with a shelter cabin (Foothills) 23 miles in if needed.  I’m happy to report it wasn’t :-) The weather and his speeds looked good all day, but he did say it got quite cold and windy the last 15 miles or so.  We chatted briefly upon his arrival, mainly about our niece’s 2nd place pole vaulting meet earlier that night (Ryan has self-appointed himself as her private coach and taking his job quite seriously, even from the remote Alaskan wilderness), but he eventually caught on that I was sleeping and let me go for the night.  I feel guilty about that because we barely got a chance to talk in the morning, but he needed to get his stuff prepped for the next morning…so screw the guilt and instead, you’re welcome Ryan ;-)  He said he slept pretty good, only having a few people come in to play computer games around 10pm (I did remind him it was Friday night haha).  He learned from last year and came prepared with earplugs this time, so the visitors didn’t really bother him.  

Sounds like lots of food in this village…then add the haul of food he snagged in Unalakleet (“I probably brought too much with me, but after earlier…”), as well as leftover pizza. I love hearing about a happy belly!  Especially when today’s the big sea ice crossing…eek!  Ryan will travel 44 miles today, 13.5 to Little Mountain Cabin and then 30.5 across the Norton Bay (Bearing Sea) to Koyuk (809.5).  The weather, while warmer, should be great for a sea crossing.  Winds are manageable and there doesn’t appear to be concerns about the ice breaking up (eek! eek! eek! I hate this part!) like in 2020.  

Safe travels across the bay, looking forward to hearing the stories when you get to Koyuk!

Kaltag Confessionals: Getting the Sit Rep on all things Yukon River

 

Last night Ryan finally got off the Yukon River.  He was welcomed into the Kaltag school, where he blissfully had the gym to himself.  We were able to chat on the phone for almost an hour while he unpacked and started the process of getting all his gear dry…what I got to hear about was a lot of crazy stories about a crazy few days out on the river. 

Speeds during the 60+ mile stretch from Eagle River to Kaltag averaged around 2.5mph…that translates to walking speed, not biking speed.  I knew he was pushing his bike more than he was riding, but I can’t imagine what it was really like.  Good news, Jill Homer, ITI 1000 Women’s Bike record holder and gifted writer (this article does a nice job over overviewing her accomplishments on the trail and in publishing), was willing to share her description of the trail conditions (Jill’s husband Beat, is a uber-veteran of the race, competing the 1000 mile race on foot): 

​​You descend onto a ribbon of ice nearly a mile wide in places, a blank slate covered in snow and only the occasional stake to indicate the trail. The North Wind sweeps down the river, erasing any semblance of tracks from those who passed through before. The trail is as soft as beach sand. The temperature is well below zero and the 40mph gusts make it feel like 40 below — if 40 below was not just a menacing phantom all around you but actively wrestling you to the ground.

On bare skin, this windchill feels like a thousand needles tearing into your flesh. If you remove a mitten for a minute, your fingers will freeze stiff.

You can’t stop. Not for a meal, not for a drink, not to fidget with your audiobook.  You can’t stop moving. In this way, 5 hours pass. And then 10. Twenty miles. A hundred to go. You find a broken chunk of river ice you can hide behind and barely get your stove started to heat water and a quick meal. It’s still too windy to bivy, so you stand up and keep marching.  15 hours. 20. All this time, the North Wind roars.  You’re so utterly exhausted that you don’t even understand how you’re still moving, but the mind understands when it’s been stripped of all choice.

He describes his time on the river as the hardest thing he’s ever done, and I can see why…60+ miles basically carrying your bike through thigh deep snow 600 miles into a race does not sound like an easy jaunt through the woods.  At one point the wind and snow were so bad he had to army-crawl while pushing his bike (on its side) forward. The wind blew his sleep pad blew away, so there’s an unfortunate loss (if you’re in Unalakleet and have a spare sheet of cardboard or two, I know a guy in the market…). Did I mention he was happy to get off the river?

Upon arrival he set up shop in the village’s school, a place of fond basketball memories with Chris and Dan last year.  Kaltag is the junction of the northern and southern routes, and so the first time Ryan’s back on familiar territory (from here on out, he’s done the rest of the trail on foot).  I think it was rewarding to have a sense of expectations and options.  He was most excited for his drop box and was filled with self-high fives for what a great job Past Ryan did setting up Current Ryan.  It was filled with candy and fresh KT tape for his face.  He’s been raiding the drop boxes of scratched racers, but so too have those in front of him.  All he wants is candy…and so do the other racers.  He says he’s basically been starving from the start, but not so starving that he hasn’t snagged up Rob’s salty nuts or thrown shade at generic hot chocolate (apologies for the poor video quality and whoever packed the generic hot chocolate)

If you recall, the post office was closed in Shageluk, but turns out that was a moot point…we checked the tracking numbers of his drop box and that box has been “In Transit” since 2/26.  Good news is box delivery has been confirmed for the next two locations.

We caught up on random things….Barkley Marathons, whether to start the shishito pepper seeds, our niece's pole vaulting meet, books he’s downloaded (Lonesome Dove and Shantaram (43 hours FTW!!)…thanks Aaron for the recs!).  There were a few moments of frustration over a few choices made, but agreed that there was plenty of time to dissect after he did the damn thing.  He was upbeat, funny as always, and optimistic.  

As the three walkers were hours out, he was thrilled to have the gym to himself and didn’t have to feel bad about spreading his stuff out everywhere. All his stuff was blanketed in snow from the ground blizzards faced on the Yukon.  

Oatmeal for breakfast, fresh veggies from a trail angel teacher (seriously, fresh food is so coveted by racers, but that had to be like $13 dollars worth of vegetables), and an Alaskan “KFC bowl” for school lunch (ehem, take note SD Legislature, even a remote Alaskan village knows the value of ensuring every child does not go hungry!)

You may be thinking, “Emily! He looks SKINNY!”  He does and is…hoping he stuffs as much food in his face as possible over the next few days.  Update soon from his trek to Unalakleet (spoiler alert: he made it and is currently mowing down on some pepperoni pizza).

Day 14-15: Eagle Island (581) to Kaltag (647.5)

Well folks, I think Ryan’s getting all he could ask for (and then plenty more) in the adventure department right now.  I think it’s safe to say that the Yukon River is not his favorite place and this has not been his favorite two days at the ITI. And yet, less than 10 miles to Kaltag and off the stupid river. Finally.

Two nights ago Ryan made a good push from Grayling (mile 526) to Eagle Island (581).  His leg was better, but not great ("it doesn’t hurt in the morning!"), the weather was okay, but not great (temps were fine, but the wind was picking up)...ultimately, he wasn’t in any hurry - he was under the impression they weren’t going to get any sort of aid or accommodations at Eagle Island and he really didn’t want to blow up on the river with over a day and a half left (minimum) left to go before a true rest.  

He ended up staying a bit behind the bikes he had been with, but alone miles are typically pretty fine with Ryan.  We in the real world heard stories from Leah and George that the Eagle Island volunteers were wonderful, offering up a warm tent, spaghetti and meatballs, WiFi, and whiskey!  I was so excited for the surprise that was in store for Ryan!  But with a midnight arrival, the food and whiskey and company were all packed up for the night.  He said he slept in the tent’s vestibule, but I’m not sure if that was a space issue, a minimal disturbance issue, or what.  He was able to text and eventually call the next morning while mowing down on some oatmeal.  He seemed upbeat, but I would be lying if I said he didn’t sound less than enthused about the push to Kaltag....that feeling you get when you just know it's going to suck.  He did seem pretty pumped about the first bottle of water he scored the whole race (it's the little things!).

The wind was supposed to be even worse, temps were dropping, and the last of the dogs came through…meaning no more snowmobile and dog sled traffic knocking down the trail, not more trail markers, etc.  Because of this, Ryan felt compelled (I think) to not let the group of 5 get too far ahead of him…if trail needed breaking it would be much easier with six than one.   He left around 10:20am after only a 9hr. rest (the bikers have been taking about 12 hours to recover from each segment before heading out again…it’s actually quite amazing the rhythm they fall into).  12 hours later he had fallen hours behind the bike gang having traveled 36 miles in the time they covered 60.  At that point he texted he was going to take a bivvy nap and that it was very apparent he had not eaten enough the day before.  *Side note: one of the biggest hurdles for Ryan in his transition from foot to bike is the eating…he has trouble eating while biking and stopping to eat in winter events is cumbersome and cold.*

Between a miserably cold two days and a missed Italian feast in Eagle Island, this information was heartbreaking to hear, but not all that unexpected. All I could hope was that he would eat and sleep in the bivvy, replenishing the energy he would need to get to Kaltag.  He started back up again at 3:15am AKST only to indicate slowing speeds…like, clearly no longer biking at all.  He messaged at 5:30am having only covered 5.5 miles that there was no longer any semblance of a trail and he was going to bivvy again until daylight.

At this point I’ve started to refer to this stop as his Bivvy of Denial (and don’t get me wrong, I completely understand (no I don’t) and we’d probably all be the same way!).  He knew the wind was only going to get worse, he knew no one was near enough to share in the trail breaking, he knew there was only one way to Kaltag…and the sun was now up.  He started pushing the bike (yup, still no riding of said bike) at 9:15am after what I hope was some sleep and a lot of food.  He’s currently moving at a variety of speeds, but is navigating at 20+ headwind and 0 degree temps without the windchill. 8 miles to Kaltag…8 miles to Kaltag and off this damn river!