Denali 100k Race Report

The trip to Alaska has been a continual blessing with my son Hudson, daughter Kalea, wife Kristin, and mother-in-law Holly. We started the journey by picking up an RV rental in Anchorage from Great Alaskan Holidays. This was officially the start of our first RV adventure as a family. We took time to go to Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria on our way out of town and picked up some groceries and were on our way.

The first item on our list was to make our way up to the race start of the Denali race series which includes a 50k, 100k and a 135-mile event on the old Denali Hwy. We set up at an RV park for the first night figuring out our 25-foot Minnie Winnie. Thankfully I slept well and the next day we made our way to the Alpine Creek Lodge where I got to meet Sean, the Race Director, and the other dozen runners taking on the 100k course. After a race briefing which included activating our trackers and briefing for the crew, we were on our way at 6:00pm to start the run.

This race for me was a training run for the 24-hour event that I’ll be doing at Salt Creek Recreation Area near Port Angeles, WA. My running partner Kyle and I have been doing at least one 50k a month this year and this would be my first 100k of the year with a focus on pacing and fueling. The first half marathon went well, and I would alternate between jogging a few minutes and walking a few minutes with longer runs on the downhills and more walking on the uphills. I came across the 13.1 mile and was at 2 hours and 44 minutes on my watch, a fast pace as my overall goal was to finish somewhere around 15 hours. I started pacing with a few other runners Anna and Julie and made it through the marathon mark at 6 hours and 4 minutes.

The evenings in Alaska around summer solstice are absolutely incredible! With clear skies and Mt. Denali in the background with the Alaska Range all around, moderate temperatures and clear crisp air it was the best conditions I think I have ever had consistently for that long of an event. I broke off from the two runners and started running with Matt, another runner, and we came through the halfway point at 50k in 7 hours and 12 minutes. During our run we saw a moose cross the road in front of us and a wolverine make his way across one of the bridges before sauntering off into the distance. The only struggle I had during this section was when the mosquitos seemed to start coming out in mass. About 15 minutes into our bout with them, Matt pulled up his mosquito net over his head and another person’s crew came up and gave us some bug spray which we put all over in generous amounts putting an end to the mosquito ordeal. Throughout the early evening and night Hudson aka Tornado Blanco who is now 8 years old would jump out of the RV at breaks and run between a half mile to a mile with me cheering me on and giving me pointers. Holly served as head of nutrition helping get things ready for each quick stop about every hour. Kristin took over the leadership of the crew chief and was in her element with all the nature and scenery around and fully stocked on supplies and things to keep the kids busy during the journey. In the middle of the night, we started doing longer touch points so that Kristin could get some sleep and then drive ahead 5-10 miles and meet up again to restock on supplies which I carried in a running vest.

The second half of the race I teamed up with my new friend Andrew and we shifted to hiking out the end of the course. My feet were holding up well and energy was high, and I did consider continuing to push through for that sub-15-hour goal but the thought of having another runner to talk with for those early morning hours on the longest run of his life was too much of an opportunity for me to pass up on. We were still clipping along at close to a 16 minute per mile pace and came across the 50-mile mark at 12 hours and 19 minutes. As a reference point my goal for the race in October is to be between 54 – 62 miles at the 50-mile mark, and with a great deal of energy and reserves in the tank at that point it feels very doable.

As the sun rose over the mountain after its slight dip the temperature slowly rose up to meet the day. Those last dozen miles were filled with stories from Andrew and his time in the Army and his young kids and how we both balance adventure, work, and family with hopes and plans for the future. Hudson joined in more and more and as we hit the 60-mile mark. He jumped out and hiked in the last few miles with us up a large incline to where we could see the finish line. We jogged in the last 100 yards finishing in 15 hours and 51 minutes and proudly accepted our awards which were made from Moose antlers with engravings of the race distance. I continued my tradition of giving away the awards from events to the most influential person helping me and Hudson proudly wore it around his neck.

There aren’t a lot of struggles to write about this race. It was beautiful, light the entire time, had a great crew, good pacers and some great fellowship with other runners on the course. This was by far the most enjoyable time I’ve had at an overnight event and a hidden gem of a race for those interested in a trip to Alaska near the summer solstice. So thankful for my crew and the race director, and who knows if someday I’ll be back up for another round on this incredible route.