Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Congratulations to Lael Wilcox, the first woman to finish the 2024 Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI350), completing the grueling 350-mile winter route across Alaska in 4 days and 27 minutes. Learn more about her ride and find a few photos from Rugile Kaladyte here…
Photos by Rugile Kaladyte
When we heard Lael Wilcox was lining up in Knik, Alaska, to participate in this year’s Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI), we knew it would be a fun event to follow. Lael needs no introduction, with a surplus of top-place ultra-endurance race finishes and records under her belt. Still, despite growing up in Alaska, long-distance fat bike racing in subzero temperatures is somewhat new to her. According to her Instagram post below, she’s using the 350-mile event as a qualifier for the 1,000-mile event next year.
Here’s an excerpt from Lael’s pre-race Instagram post: “I’m hoping to feel good & competitive out there. I’m grateful that I got to tour the route with Rue and Ana last year. We got to see everything in daylight, and it was so much more beautiful than I could’ve ever expected. Snow and weather conditions can change everything, but it’s much less intimidating to ride something familiar.”
Things went (mostly) as planned, and last night, Lael became the first woman finisher (and ninth place overall) of the ITI350, completing it in 4 days and 27 minutes. Rugile Kaladyte was at the finish line to snap some photos and hear a little about her experience on the trail. According to Lael, the conditions changed quickly every day. The first frozen river was fast until Finger Lake, and there was hardly a trail until Rainy Pass Lodge. “We all stayed in a bunk house together, heating cans of chili in an ancient microwave (it took at least five minutes to heat a bowl of soup),” Lael shared. This was also when Lael realized her breathing was in rough shape, preventing her from sleeping, and she spent three hours coughing up green gunk before getting any rest. At 4 a.m., Lael left the lodge with Tyson and Miron to climb over Rainy Pass. The wind was so fierce that their tire tracks were completely covered behind them. There was no track, so they had to walk up and over the pass. It took eight hours.
“I left Rohn with Peter from Fairbanks at 6:00 p.m., and it was scary. We hung together for a good 20 miles into the night with temps dipping below -30F. Peter stopped to bivvy, and I kept riding to the Bear Creek safety cabin. A couple of Italian guys on a bike tour started a really nice fire and stacked a bunch of firewood. I knew I had to take several hours to rest and get my lungs together. I rode the next stretches as stages, first to Nikolai. I spent hours recovering at the school in Nikolai and got to have a pasta party with Ana Jager in the middle of the night. She’s touring solo to Nome and is honestly riding as big of days as most of the racers. I set out early this morning to finish the ride.”
Congratulations to Lael for pushing through what sounds like a seriously challenging ride. Tazlina Mannix took second place for in women’s ITI350 group, finishing in 4 days, 2 hours, 58 minutes. Many riders, including Tyson Flaharty and Miron Golfman, who lead the way in the 1,000-mile event, are still on the route. Follow them live here.
Further Reading
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