Stage set for annual races

WASILLA — Endurance racers on skis, bikes and foot from 12 states and one foreign country are set to hit the snowy trail Saturday in the Little Su 50-kilometer and Susitna 100-mile races, the Valley’s annual gift to those who enjoy trekking across vast expanses of frozen Alaska wilderness in the dead of winter.

“We’re excited,” race registrar Rita Wade said Thursday.

Wade said the 100-person field for the Little Su 50-K footrace is already filled, while at least 77 entrants are expected for the 100-mile event, which can be skied, ran or biked.

The race is set to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Point MacKenzie General Store, located at Mile 7 of Point MacKenzie Road, which can be accessed at Mile 17.2 Knik-Goose Bay Road.

While it would seem that such lengthy races would be more easily completed in warm temperatures, Wade said it’s just the opposite.

“We think the ideal temperature is zero to 10 degrees (Fahrenheit),” Wade said.

Recent warm temperatures in the Valley, she said, are likely to be a bigger concern than had chilly conditions that persisted earlier this month.

“Real cold temperatures, you can dress for that,” she said.

Wade explained that warm temperatures — near-freezing conditions are expected for the race start — can make for a sticky situation both for the racers and the trail. The trail, she said, can get mushy and difficult to traverse, while racers struggling to stay cool can get covered in sweat — a dangerous condition if you plan on spending up two days out in the wild.

“It’s really perfect hypothermia weather right now,” she said.

That’s why participants are required to carry plenty of life-saving gear, including a sleeping bag and foam mat, 3,000 extra calories worth of emergency food, flashing lights and extra water. Racers on foot or skis typically carry a small sled behind them, while bicycle racers have to pack everything on their frames.

The course for the 100-mile race heads out from Point MacKenzie toward Flathorn Lake and then on to the Yentna River, then back to Point MacKenzie. Last year’s fastest finisher, cyclist Pete Basinger of Anchorage, completed the course in just 10 hours, 41 minutes. The top skier, Eagle River’s J.T. Lindholm, finished in just more than 14 hours, while the best time on feet was turned in by Juneau’s Jeff Roes in 21 hours, 43 minutes.

The 50-K race takes an abbreviated course out to Flathorn Lake and back.

Racers from Alaska, Idaho, Colorado, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Kentucky, California and Australia are signed up for the race. That list includes 54-year-old Jamshid Khajavi of Seattle, who’s making his bid to become the first racer to complete 10 Susitna 100 races — all of them on foot.

If Khajavi finishes the race — and with nine 100-mile races already under his belt, there’s no reason to think he won’t — he’ll be recognized as the first winner of the race’s 1,049 Award. Since the course actually takes racers a little more than 100 miles, organizers decided 10 races likely would mean a participant had traversed at least 1,049 miles — the distance mushers travel in the annual Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

Endurance racers put a lot more stock in completing races than winning them, Wade explained. There are no prizes for winning, just a commemorative belt buckle or coffee cup for athletes to remember their race by. Just completing the race, Wade said, is usually more than reward enough for the racers.

“It’s a tough thing to do, so we think everyone who finishes gets bragging rights,” she said.

Race fans can follow the race online at www.susitna100.com, where Wade said she’ll be posting updates beginning around 11 p.m. Sunday night.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com