Rain on the Parade

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After five weeks of sunshine and record-breaking heat in Alaska, Mother Nature changed direction and dumped inches of rain throughout the state—right smack in the middle of the twenty-fifth running of the Sadler’s Alaska Challenge (July 21–26).

It rained during six of the eight stages and turned a tough race into a brutal one as competitors battled wind, rain, and hypothermia. For the first time in ten years, race officials shortened a segment because of weather. Stage 6, which was slated as one of the toughest—55 miles up and over 3,000-foot Thompson Pass—was cut to just 25 miles, finishing near the top.

“We just couldn’t send racers down a death-defying descent at 50 mph in 48° and in the pouring rain,” said race co-director Heather Plucinski. “In addition to the danger of crashes, we were extremely concerned about hypothermia in such conditions, especially since it was on the heels of five days of rain.”

Two racers scratched and did not finish, and two more failed to complete an individual stage but still finished the event unofficially. Unbelievably, no participants faced any long-term sickness from the race, which is due in large part to the staff and volunteers, all of whom went the extra mile to ensure all were dry and warm immediately following each stage.

Road Rash

Ironically, the worst injury happened on sunny Stage 7, where Germany’s Norbert Mosandl (men’s kneeseat handcycle) crashed spectacularly at 50 mph when he was entering a rough section of road and was hit by a severe crosswind. He had no broken bones but incurred severe road rash, including a huge gash on his elbow that required two dozen stitches. The crash was unfortunate for Mosandl, who was within two minutes of the lead at the time. His injuries may prevent him from competing at the World Championships in Italy in September.

Known as a tough racer, legendary Swiss athlete Heinz Frei was almost a statistic this year as well, and had to dig deep to finish. Stage 5—the Tour of Cordova—was supposed to be a flat, easy stage that would allow participants to recover prior to tackling the mountains. Frei, a 30-year veteran of wheelchair sports who won double gold in the handcycling events at the 2008  Beijing Paralympics, was shivering amidst the downpour at the stage’s start.

As the stage continued, the course was bombarded with more than an inch of rain. By the finish, Frei had somehow managed to hang on for fifth but was hypothermic. Within seconds of crossing the line,  he was whisked away to a hot shower. It took him almost eight hours to thaw out, and at the evening’s dinner he was unsure about starting Stage 6.

“For 30 years I have always raced because it was, in part, fun. But today was not really fun for me, so I must consider this for the race tomorrow,” Frei said.

Frei did eventually recover, started the next day, and raced to an impressive third place overall.

His recovery, as well as the ability of all competitors to finish this year’s race, might have something to do with the food. For the second year, Challenge Alaska brought in award-winning chef Naomi Everett to work with the Salvation Army to create meals that fueled the athletes as well as helped them recover. An incredible menu of healthy carbs and proteins—that usually included fresh local fish—kept the racers, staff, and volunteers fueled all week. Couple this with the nightly meals prepared by the local communities that hosted race finishes, and nobody had a chance of going hungry during the event.

With so many incredible elements to the event, competitors knew this was something special.

“Today, I have won the ‘King Stage’ and the overall victory of an amazing race—and today I feel like a Tour de France champion,” said longseat winner Elmar Sternath (Austria), following his Stage 6 win atop Hatcher Pass on the final day.

Check out the complete article in the September 2009 S’NS.

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