Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
After 3 days, 4 hours, and 55 minutes of pedaling through Alaska’s frozen wilderness, Justinas Leveika of Lithuania was this year’s first rider to complete the 350-mile Iditarod Trail Invitational route, arriving at the finish in McGrath yesterday evening. Learn more about his impressive win here…
Finish photo and portrait by Iditarod Trail Invitational, pre-race photos by Nacho (Natxo)
The 350-mile option of the Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI)serves as a prerequisite for the full 1,000-mile route that follows the historic Iditarod Trail from Knik to Nome, Alaska. That’s exactly why ITI rookie Justinas Leveika signed up for this year’s ITI 350, in hopes he would earn a spot in next year’s ITI 1000. His hard work and preparation paid off, as yesterday evening, he was the first to finish the ITI 350, with a time of 3 days, 4 hours, and 55 minutes.
According to Kari Gibbons of the Wild Winter Women group, this year has dished up exceptionally challenging conditions. There have been sections of fast-rolling trail, areas that were warm and soft, and riders were surprised by freezing rain before temperatures plummeted. Of course, Alaska has it all. The final day of Justinas’ ride was extremely cold and windy, with temperatures as low as -30°F and strong headwinds along the entire route.
Despite Justinas’s lightning-fast time, John Lackey’s 2015 record of 1 day, 18 hours, and 32 minutes still stands, as does Heather Best’s 2015 record of 2 days, 8 hours, and 9 minutes. Jeff Oatley currently holds the ITI 1000 record at 10 days, 2 hours, and 53 minutes.
Head over to the event page to track the rest of the riders, including Tyson Flaharty, who is currently in fourth place in the 350-mile race and first for the 1,000-mile route. There is still plenty of ITI dotwatching left!
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...
Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.
