When Alaska happens, wilderness endurance athletes discover silver lining in 100-mile race

Lake ice loaded with slush had Susitna 100 organizers scrambling to come up with a safe course.

The result? In a world awash in COVID-created isolation, competitors who usually test themselves in solitude were instead stopping to socialize midrace.

The 100-mile race Saturday for runners, skiers and cyclists usually loops from Martin Buser’s Happy Trails Kennel in Big Lake to checkpoints at the Point McKenzie parking lot, Flathorn Lake, 5-Star Tent (so named for the chekcpoint’s microwave), Willow Community Center, Cow Lake and the Home Stretch Checkpoint before returning to Happy Trails Kennel.

But a warm spell the week before the race forced the course to be three out-and-backs — two 40-mile roundtrips and one 20-mile roundtrip on the stretch known as the High and Dry Trail to complete the exercise in exhaustion.

The format meant race participants were frequently coming face to face with other racers.

“They enjoyed running into people on the trail and getting to visit for a minute, you know?” said Susitna 100 official Erin Kittredge, noting many are race veterans. “They got to chat and catch up.”

Even the serious racers put trail etiquette ahead of cut-throat competitiveness.

“Everybody was super courteous, and they got out of the way,” Kittredge said. “Will Ross, the winner, he would pull over and say, ‘Ah, just go on by.’ It’s like, Will, you’re racing. Not everybody is racing. He’s like, “Nah, that’s cool.’ So I heard that from a couple people — ‘There’s Will Ross, and he’s just making way for people.’ ”

Ross led four Anchorage men in the 100-mile cycling event with a time of 6 hours, 44 minutes, followed by Oliver Sternicki (6:52), Nicholas Baudin (7:00) and Peter Pounds (7:15).

Laura Fox of Anchorage won the women’s 100-mile ride in 7:46:30 to easily outpace Palmer’s Kristin Wolf (8:42) and Anchorage’s Shelley Giraldo (9:05:31) and Christina Grande (9:05:02).

Among the 100-mile men skiing, Anchorage’s Chet Fehrmann (10:01:30) beat out Palmer’s Ben Marvin (10:28) and Bob Gillis (11:55) of Fairbanks. The top women 100-mile skiers were Denali Park’s Jan Tomsen (12:28), Melissa Lewis of Fairbanks (13:25) and Anchorage’s Rosalind Worcester (14:15).

Anchorage’s Laura McDonough, who was competing for the 20th time, was the fastest woman (22:13) in the 100-mile running division. Allen Spangler of Anchorage clocked the fastest time (17:29) among the men.

For more on the Susitna 100, check here.

Susitna 100 Results

Running

Women

1) Laura McDonough, Anchorage, AK, 22:13:00; 2) Teri Buck, Palmer, AK, 23:41:00; 3) Stephanie Schmit, Fritz Creek, AK, 27:07:00; 4) Nina Schwinghammer, Anchorage, AK, 28:04:00; 5) Danielle Grimaldi, Anchorage, AK, 36:41:00.

Men

1) Allan Spangler, Anchorage, AK, 17:29:00; 2) Brandon Wood, Anchorage, AK, 22:11:00; 4) Jacob Bera, Chugiak, AK, 22:50:00; 5) Tony Covarrubias, Palmer, AK, 23:15:00; 6) Joe Davis, Eagle River, AK, 23:30:00; 8) Eric Thomason, Kenai, AK, 24:47:13; 9) Fred Pinero, Broad Brook, CT, 24:50:00; 10,Andre’, Michaud, Eagle River, AK, 25:36:00; 11) Elijah Haines, Anchorage, AK, 26:38:00; 12) Stephen Sweezey, Santa Fe, NM, 26:47:00; 13) Martti Lindeke, Chugiak, AK, 26:55:00; 14) Jason Hutchins, Fairbanks, AK, 26:55:01; 17) Dean Denter, Eagle River, AK, 28:12:00; 18) Chris Bitz, Tok, AK, 29:35:00; 19) Jamshid Khajavi, Kirkland, WA, 30:17:00; 20) Wilmer Higgs, Anchorage, AK, 30:17:01; 21) Dustin Glazier, Eagle River, AK, 30:40:00; 22) James Hadlock, Eielson Afb, AK, 32:36:00; 23) Todd Robertson, Boulder, CO, 34:07:00; 24) Felipe Restrepo, Anchorage, AK, 34:24:00; 26) Paolo Pizzato, Vicenza, , 37:50:00; 27) Samuel Speak, Eagle River, AK, 41:50:00.

Skiing

Women

1) Jan Tomsen, Denali Park, AK, 12:28:00; 2) Melissa Lewis, Fairbanks, AK, 13:25:00; 3) Rosalind Worcester, Anchorage, AK, 14:15:00; 4) Tracie Curry, Fairbanks, AK, 14:28:00; 5) Lisa Pekar, Anchorage, AK, 18:30:00; 6) Lisl Coady, Anchorage, AK, 31:51:00.

Men

1) Chet Fehrmann, Anchorage, AK, 10:01:30; 2) Ben Marvin, Palmer, AK, 10:28:00; 3) Bob Gillis, Fairbanks, AK, 11:55:00; 4) Grant Stevenson, Anchorage, AK, 11:58:00; 5) Zach Bonham, Homer, AK, 14:58:00; 6) Dan Maclean, Anchorage, AK, 16:58:00; 7) Douglas Amidon, Fairbanks, AK, 21:21:00; 8) Keith Blanchette, Anchorage, AK, 25:10:00.

Cycling

Women

1) Laura Fox, Anchorage, AK, 7:46:30; 2) Kristin Wolf, Palmer, AK, 8:42:00; 3) Shelley Giraldo, Anchorage, AK, 9:05:01; 4) Christina Grande, Anchorage, AK, 9:05:02; 5) Kinsey Loan, EAGLE RIVER, AK, 9:05:03; 6) Rose Garner, Anchorage, AK, 9:17:00; 7) Kori Marchowsky, Anchorage, AK, 9:26:00; 8) Elizabeth Rexford, Anchorage, AK, 9:50:00; 9) Mayella Krause, Layton, UT, 12:47:00; 10) Shannon Hardwick, Wasilla, AK, 13:16:00; 11) Jen Neuberger, Anchorage, AK, 13:26:00; 12) Amanda Sweetland, Boise, ID, 17:38:00; 13) Colleen Kersgard, Wasilla, AK, 17:38:01.

Men

1) Will Ross, Anchorage, AK, 6:44:00; 2) Oliver Sternicki, Anchorage, AK, 6:52:00; 3) Nicolas Baudin, Anchorage, AK, 7:00:00; 4) Peter Pounds, ANCHORAGE, AK, 7:15:00; 5) Jason Rowland, Palmer, AK, 7:31:00; 6) Brad Manderfeld, Anchorage, AK, 7:34:00; 7) Mike Monterusso, Anchorage, AK, 7:34:01; 8) Tommy Vanvliet, Fairbanks, AK, 7:38:00; 9) Chris Robertson, Anchorage, AK, 7:39:00; 10) Tanner Ramey, Anchorage, AK, 7:46:00; 11) Duncan Green, Anchorage, AK, 8:05:00; 12) Mark Moeller, Palmer, AK, 8:15:00; 13) Brian Stone, Anchorage, AK, 8:20:00; 14) Andy Pohl, Wasilla, AK, 8:22:00; 15) Michael Filipowski, Anchorage, AK, 8:29:00; 16) Jim McDonough, Anchorage, AK, 8:36:00; 17) Anthony Berberich, Palmer, AK, 8:50:01; 18) Adam Looney, Anchorage, AK, 8:53:00; 19) Gregory Michaelson, Anchorage, AK, 8:59:00; 20) Jason Hartz, Anchorage, AK, 9:05:00; 21) Chris Olsen, Wasilla, AK, 9:23:00; 22) Chris Layfield, Anchorage, AK, 9:23:01; 23) Todd Fisher, Anchorage, AK, 9:23:02; 24) Tim Olsen, Wasilla, AK, 9:24:00; 25) Derek Ford, Anchorage, AK, 9:24:01; 26) Spencer Martin, Palmer, AK, 9:26:01; 27) Paul Ferucci, Anchorage, AK, 10:01:00; 28) Cameron Lawson, Bozeman, MT, 10:06:00; 29) Mark Stewart, Anchorage, AK, 10:42:00; 30) Garth Schulz, Anchorage, AK, 10:43:00; 31) Logan Schulz, Palmer, AK, 10:43:30; 32) Matthew Davis, Spokane, WA, 10:53:00; 33) Noah Lohr, Anchorage, AK, 10:53:01; 34) James Keck, LEXINGTON, KY, 11:15:00; 35) Benjamin Ekstrom, Anchorage, AK, 11:15:01; 36) Michael Lopez, Palmer, AK, 11:34:00; 37) Timothy Thomas, Anchorage, AK, 12:01:00; 38) Kelly Maixner, Big Lake, AK, 12:18:00; 39) Robert Maixner, Lake Elmo, MN, 12:18:01; 40) Jeff McPhetridge, Palmer, AK, 12:49:00; 41) Sean Doody, Anchorage, AK, 13:07:00; 42) Greg Mills, Anchorage, AK, 13:17:00; 43) David Hart, Anchorage, AK, 13:24:00; 44) Charles Pratt, Anchorage, AK, 13:24:01; 45) Chris Allard, Anchorage, AK, 13:30:00; 46) Jason Kutsurelis, Wasilla, AK, 17:38:02.