General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Arrowhead 135 Rss Feed  
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2015-01-16 6:35 AM

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Subject: Arrowhead 135
I don't post a bunch, but you may recall my finish at this race on foot last year.

I'm headed back in less than 2 weeks to attempt it in the bike division. I know it doesn't count as a running ultra, but it's still 135 miles on snowy trail with extreme (at times) temps, and the usual hardships. Pushing a 55 pound bike up all those hills will be as hard or harder than dragging a 25 pound sled.

I've put in my hours and miles on the bike weighted to 64 pounds; so we'll see how it goes.



(Race bike.JPG)



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2015-01-21 8:08 PM
in reply to: jkron

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Subject: RE: Arrowhead 135

impressive- good luck & let us know how it goes!!

2015-01-22 7:59 AM
in reply to: jkron

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Subject: RE: Arrowhead 135
What an incredible challenge. For anyone who hasn't read JKRON's RR from last year's race, it's a great read:

http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid...

Depending on ground conditions, I could see trying to do the race by bike as being even harder than on foot...Good Luck!
2015-01-28 3:28 PM
in reply to: alltom1

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Subject: RE: Arrowhead 135
Looks like Jim finished! Pretty insane event...

Most of the people in the race were from Minnesota or Alaska. JKRON is from Houston, Tx, where I'm guessing the training opps are limited...
2015-01-30 10:32 AM
in reply to: jkron


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Subject: RE: Arrowhead 135
I just read the RR from last year and all i can say is "WOW!"
Looking forward to reading this year's!
Congrats on the bike finish! You're one tough SOB.
2015-01-31 6:03 AM
in reply to: jkron

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Subject: RE: Arrowhead 135
Well, folks I arrived back home Friday (Jan 30) evening and noticed the activity on the pages here. Thanks for the inspires and kind words. I'll do some sort of a race report to recap the details, but it will not compare with last year's race nor the report; this year's race just did not have the epic conditions of last year's.

I finished in 41hrs-41mns. My predicted goal was 38-40 hours and had we had better trail conditions, I would have acheived that. I knew I'd be back of the pack and there was never a thought of riding up to par with the locals and big boys (and girls). In fact I just wanted to take my time and soak it up because I may not ever go back.

Basically, we had mild temps that ranged from 23° to 15°; nothing approaching zero. When I got on the plane to leave it was -8°, so things change quick up there.

This was my first time biking on snow, so I got up there a couple of days early to practice. All went well and we had a good, hard trail.... until race day on Monday morning.

It snowed 3"-4" Sunday night and we had a pile of loose, fresh snow to plow through. The attached pic gives you an idea. This snow slowed us down, but I'm not going to exaggerate the details and say it was an epic effort, but it was hard and sometimes very hard pushing the 55 pound bike load up those hills but doable if you just stayed with it.

Everyone struggled some and the super-fast guys on bike would have broken the record had it not snowed. A guy from Sweden did break the record on foot. This race is now drawing world-class athletes who compete seriously. Gone are the casual efforts of a select group from MN and AK.

The fact that we did not have -35° and lower this year allowed for a very high finishing rate. We did not have the frostbite and water freezing problems to deal with. The folks on foot suffered with wet, messed-up feet and skin issues and hobbling badly. That's the good thing about biking; my feet are fine today. ;-)

I have no grip strength today due to pushing the bike up the hills; the typical procedure was: dismount, push 4 or 5 steps, lock the brakes so the bike doesn't roll backwards, catch breath, push 4 or 5 steps, repeat, repeat. Going downhill was a harrowing affair and I rode the brakes hard to keep the speed low and the bike (somewhat) under control. It was constant effort to keep the wheels from washing out and going down. I did go down 4 times (at least). Of course the snow was soft, so no harm other than snow down your jacket collar.

I spent minimal time in the checkpoints and biking 41 hours without sleep is hard, but it could have been a lot harder. This race is so different from year to year. There were plenty of rookies who learned valuable lessons and this race will always keep you humble.

More later...



(AH 135 (2015).jpg)



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2015-02-01 10:39 AM
in reply to: jkron

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Subject: RE: Arrowhead 135

Unbelievable, Jim, just unbelievable to me!  Congratuations on your finish.   For the life of me I can't conceive of doing what you just did.   Simply amazing.  Again, CONGRATULATIONS!!   

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