Palmer woman breaks Fireweed 400 record

PALMER — It’s been just more than a week since Kristin Wolf blazed to a record-setting time in Alaska’s toughest bicycle road race, the Fireweed 400.

Wolf used her time of 25 hours, 11 minutes and 51 seconds to break the nearly decade-old women’s mark in the race. Wolf, the lone woman in the eight-person field, was also the overall winner, beating runner-up and men’s winner Erik Christensen by more than 90 minutes.

But more than a week after the Palmer woman broke the record in the race that leads brave competitors from Sheep Mountain to Valdez and back, Wolf said she’s not sure if her recent accomplishments have even sunk in yet. In the weeks leading up to the event, she said she wasn’t even sure she’d be able to compete.

“Probably up to three weeks before the race, if you talked to any of my friends, they would have told you I wasn’t sure if I was going to race this year,” Wolf said. “I’m changing jobs. We’re building a house. Just about everything stressful that can be going on in your life was going on.”

But Wolf continued to move in the direction of competing in the Fireweed 400 for the second straight year. And once she did hit the Glenn Highway pavement en route to Valdez, Wolf continued to exceed even her own expectations.

Wolf and her seven competitors battled brutal conditions, which included horrific headwinds and dense fog in Thompson Pass that left visibility at a minimum.

“Conditions were definitely harder than last year,” Wolf said. “I didn’t think I’d be anywhere near my time from last year. I thought I’d be a good hour or two behind, just based on the conditions.”

Wolf, who finished 23 minutes ahead of her time last year, didn’t immediately know that she had broken the record. At some point during the race, the meter Wolf uses to display marks such as time, distance and heart rate had malfunctioned. She had a general idea where she was, in terms of time, but no exact total. Organizers also didn’t have an official time for her once she crossed the finish line in Valdez. She didn’t know officially until late that night.

Regardless, it all came as a bit of surprise, far from an expectation.

“I didn’t go into this race trying to break a record,” Wolf said. “It didn’t go in expecting to win.”

Wolf battled Christensen, another Palmer racer and the defending Fireweed 400 champion, for a portion of the race. The Palmer duo rode together for a chunk of the first half of the race as competitors fought heavy fog.

“I caught up to Erik right as we were getting close to (Thompson Pass) still on the Glennallen side, going into Valdez,” Wolf said. “We were totally socked in fog.”

As Wolf peddled toward the pass, she said she was shocked to see the taillights on the car of Christensen’s support crew.

“When those taillights showed up it was very surreal,” Wolf said. “(I thought) those can’t be Erik’s.”

Wolf said she biked alongside Christensen to the top of Thompson Pass.

“After riding by yourself for hours it was a little bit of relief to have somebody there beside you in the thick, dense fog,” Wolf said.

As it typically does, Thompson Pass offered competitors some of the worst conditions during the 400-mile race. The headwinds during the first leg were terrible, Wolf said, and the fog made it very difficult. Once she hit the top of the pass and prepared for the decent into Valdez, the ride got even more interesting.

“When we started to head down it was really scary. There was a lot of water on the road and you couldn’t see but immediately in front of you,” Wolf said.

Christensen, who won the men’s race with a time of 26:42:33, said conditions were incredibly difficult.

“Visibility like that is tough,” Christensen said.

He said it was difficult just to stay within view of his support crew trailing him.

Overall, Christensen said the 2012 race proved to be the toughest Fireweed 400 he’s competed in. Christensen also said maintaining proper nutrition and hydration was a struggle.

“This year I took a more mathematical approach. I tried to iron out the nutrition,” Christensen said.

Christensen had his race mapped out, but once he got behind, he tried to force things.

“Getting a little behind the pace I wanted to be, I was trying to push it,” Christensen said. “That’s exactly what killed me this year.”

Christensen said a key point of the race for Wolf was her ability to separate herself as she peddled back up Thompson Pass after leaving Valdez.

“She went up Thompson Pass, put distance on me and everybody after that,” Christensen said. “It was a great race, great planning.”

Wolf also said that was a key point in the race for her.

“That’s when I have the advantage,” Wolf said of peddling up the steep grades. “All the downhills and the wind, men have the advantage. They’re bigger, stronger. Climbing is where I have the advantage.”

Wolf also stopped at the top off the pass on the way back to Sheep Mountain. It was a 19-minute stop, but well worth it for Wolf, who was nearly hypothermic during the race in the same area last year.

“I changed every single item of clothing,” Wolf said. “All new gear went on, including a winter cycling jacket and winter gloves.”

After reaching the top of the pass, the Richardson Highway sends racers downhill for about 30 miles. It’s typically early in the morning, and cold temperatures can really impact competitors.

“Last year several people dropped out there. I was in the van for 15 minutes, shivering, on the verge of hypothermia,” Wolf said. “We just said this year at the top of the pass, everything is coming off. It was a long break, but I think it paid off as well.”

Wolf said the experience of the 2011 race certainly helped her in 2012. She also gave much of the credit to her coach, Janice Tower.

“There’s no way I’d be able to do it with out her,” Wolf said.

Coincidentally, Tower held the record, a mark of 25:17:18 set in 2003, before Wolf’s run in 2012.

Wolf said she’s not sure if she’ll compete in the Fireweed 400 in 2013. She’s competing in a 400-mile race in California in September, but said she might like to try some shorter races next summer.

Christensen is all-in for 2013 and beyond.

“Every year,” Christensen said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com, follow him at twitter.com/matsu_sports and find him by searching Valley Sports Huddle on Facebook.

Fireweed 400

July 13-14, Sheep Mountain

Fireweed 400:

Women — 1. Kristin Wolf, 25:11:51. Men — 1. Erik Christensen, 26:42:33; 2. Danny Martinez, 27:17:58; 3. Trevor Jones, 29:41:52; 4. Brian Wright, 29:44:50; 5. Todd Goodman, 29:53:41; 6. Leonard Fancher, 29:56:10; 7. Ben LaFevers, 32:18:01. Two-person male — 1. Superal Mitchell/Kim Kittredge, 27:13:03. Four-person male — 1. Connor Scher/Jacob Wahry/Keenan Brownsberger/Skyler Frank, 21:53:57. Four-person mixed — 1. Louis Mass/Robin Smyth/Annette Cartier/Shawn Wendling, 24:53:29; 2. Andrea Tesch/Carmen Thomas/Charlie Tesch/Diane Loopstra, 26:49:50; 3. Scott Goldsmith/Yvonne Goldsmith/Glenn Cravez/Pam Cravez, 29:28:10.

Fireweed 200:

Men — 1. Peter Jackson, 10:42:47; 2. Mark Davis, 11:18:26; 3. Andy Sorensen, 11:40:42; 4. Kirk Pintar, 11:50:57; 5. Eric Cross, 11:59:08; 6. Tom Moran, 12:12:58; 7. Scott Freeman, 12:28:32; 8. Jay Cable, 12:30:00; 9. Martin Renner, 13:27:11; 10. Charles Homestead, 14:16:42; 11. Dave Meyer, 14:16:43; 12. William Wesley, 14:16:45; Tandem female — 1. Janice Tower/Darcy Davis, 10:23:25. Two-person female — 1. Rose Theisen/Katherine Lindstrom, 11:21:45; 2. Elaina Hveding/Jenny Greeve, 12:58:39; 3. Laura Hilger/Patty Chase, 13:05:47. Two-person male — 1. Erik Ostberg/Doug Schutte, 8:41:11; 2. Steve Clautice/Larry Hodges, 10:49:46; 3. Jamie Blom/Robbie Blom, 11:17:12. Two-person mixed — 1. Mackie Derrick/Laurie Derrick, 10:19:39; 2. Erica Betts/Joel Homan, 10:30:01; 3. Leah Ballard/Gene Till, 10:50:26. Four-person female — 1. Colleen Franks/Tanya Kirk/Valerie Kirk/Lori Deschamps, 9:54:01; 2. Marisa Rorabaugh/Becca Rorabaugh/Eliza Rorabaugh/Kate Fitzgerald, 9:58:12; 3. Maddy Boutet/Zoe Xavier/Jules Parke /, 10:11:23. Four-person male — 1. Pat Terhune/David McPhetres/Riley Troyer/Jonathan Koenig, 8:42:45; 2. Greg McDuffie/Tom Coolidge/Dan Thorsness/Mark Burson, 9:23:06; 3. Andrew Kirk/Macky Franks/Shawn Aspelund/Scott Digert, 9:29:41. Four-person mixed — 1. Logan Hanneman/Hanna Gillis/Karl Hanneman/Marion Woods, 9:21:14; 2. Madigan Stanley/Will Wright/Anson Moxness/Rachelle Kanady, 9:28:37; 3. Laura Gardner/Randall Kanady/Judy Kanady/Rick Rogers, 9:30:05.

Fireweed 100:

Women — 1. Laurel Brady, 5:19:45; 2. Emily Bodner, 6:30:04; 3. Joyce Jenkins, 6:31:39; 4. Liz Friedman, 7:09:50; 5. Sheila Best, 7:37:09; 6. Shannon Sinclair, 7:52:55; 7. Saree Timmons, 7:57:45; 8. Elizabeth Irving, 8:01:06. Men — 1. Dashiell Feierabend, 4:55:04; 2. Nathan van der Most, 4:59:25; 3. Tim Gravel, 5:05:05; 4. Buzz Scher, 5:08:03; 5. Stewart Osgood, 5:12:59; 6. Jeromie Sandall, 5:23:21; 7. Steve Kiefer, 5:42:40; 8. Robert Wiggins, 5:53:35; 9. James Singleton, 5:59:52; 10. Greg Galanos, 6:01:17; 11. Will Timmons, 6:03:42; 12. Ralph Comellas, 6:05:40; 13. Jon Sears, 6:09:06; 14. Ken Fitzgerald, 6:52:12; 15. Tanner Best, 7:35:07; 16. Justin Harris, 8:01:13.

Fireweed 50:

Women — 1. Shannon Donley, 2:04:18; 2. Janus Reyes, 2:30:36; 3. Colleen Ulbrich, 2:32:26; 4. Janet Smalley, 2:43:21; 5. Maggi Arend, 2:48:16; 6. Kerry Reardon, 2:52:19; 7. Janna Harvey, 2:57:38; 8. Kelsey Coolidge, 2:57:38; . Jane Whitsett, 3:00:34; 10. Anne Doubek, 3:05:47; 11. Charla Lee, 3:06:14. Men — 1. Dick Quinn, 2:09:17; 2. Daniel Libbey, 2:09:21; 3. Kevin Donley, 2:24:55; 4. Joey Austerman, 2:25:26; 5. Bob Eastaugh, 2:28:44; 6. Vispi Mistry, 2:29:58; 7. Matt Kinney, 2:37:53; 8. Daniel Reyes, 2:40:27; 9. Bob Ulbrich, 2:41:00; 10. Jay Holtan, 2:48:50; 11. Curtis Wilson, 2:49:25; 12. Joshua Brown, 2:56:34; 13. Randy Taylor, 2:58:31; 14. Max Beiergrohslein, 3:04:41; 15. David Williams, 3:12:10; 16. Jay Ehly, 3:43:41. Tandem mixed — 1. Daniel Safranek/Laurel Safranek, 2:48:16; 2. Mike Beiergrohslein/Zoee Beiergrohslein, 3:04:41; 3. Kenneth Cook/Tara Cook, 3:29:55. Fat-tire female — 1. Paisley Meekin, 2:11:25; 2. Mary Herman, 3:25:31; 3. Jenny Nugent, 3:37:44; 4. Sarah Marechal, 3:38:59; 5. Diane Firmani, 3:43:59; 6. Kellie Merrill, 4:10:22; 7. Pamela Maslyk, 4:17:47; 8. Tina Tomsen, 4:44:11; 9. Veronica Green, 7:12:26; 10. Jennifer Green, 7:12:29. Fat-tire men — 1. Gabriel Beecham, 3:18:14; 2. Alexander Belvo, 3:18:17; 3. Toby Merrill, 4:10:24; 4. Bruce Schulte, 4:17:47.