Sports

Versatile, adventurous Kurka adds handcycling to his athletic resume

The breadth of Andrew Kurka's athletic interests seems boundless -- Paralympic alpine skiing, wrestling, bodybuilding, waterskiing, X Games, Arctic Man Classic -- and this week he is adding yet another sport to his resume.

Kurka will make his handcycling racing debut in The Alaska Challenge, which merely bills itself as "The Longest and Toughest Handcycle Race In The World." Seven days of racing starts Tuesday in Anchorage with a time trial from Lake Hood to Kincaid Park starting at 9:15 a.m. followed by racing on the 400-meter oval at Cuddy Family Midtown Part at 2 p.m.

To Kurka, his foray into new territory isn't just about sport, but also about life.

"The way I judge life is by experience," said Kurka, 23. "You've lived more if you've experienced more."

The Palmer athlete will be among of a field of 11 racers who will compete in eight stages over seven days -- there are a pair of two-stage days -- and cover in the neighborhood of 250 miles in the 28th edition of the race.

The Alaska Challenge, previously known as the Midnight Sun Ultra Challenge and Sadler's Alaska Challenge, debuted in 1984 when race founder Don Brandon and his pal Tom Carnahan traveled from Fairbanks to Anchorage in standard wheelchairs, camping along the way.

Breaking down The Alaska Challenge: 7 days, 8 stages, 250-plus miles of handcycling

The race has evolved into a biennial handcycling event that has drawn some of the best racers in the world. The race is held every two years to avoid Paralympic years. And even though this year's race conflicts with the World Road Championships in Spain – thus a field of 11, compared to 17 in 2013 – the field appears strong.

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Among the athletes is Muffy Davis of Salt Lake City, Utah, who won three gold medals in road cycling at the London Paralympic Games in 2012. She has competed in winter and summer Paralympics and owns seven combined medals. Here too is California's Anthony Pedeferri, a London Paralympian and member of the U.S. National Paralympic Cycling Team.

The field for the event delivered by Challenge Alaska, which provides recreational and other opportunities for disabled Alaskans, is made up of two Alaskans -- Kurka and Edwin Jones -- and nine Outsiders.

"It's exciting for all those who get to compete," said Challenge Alaska executive director Beth Edmands-Merritt. "And it's really exciting for Alaskan racers because it's a wonderful opportunity to race with, learn from and compete against some of the best in the world."

This year's race initially was canceled because of lack of funding. But new sponsors aided the race and allowed Challenge Alaska, which puts on the race, to come up with the $50,000 needed to stage the event that begins in Anchorage and later travels from Fairbanks to Palmer in stages.

"It's just amazing the generosity of people in our state," Edmands-Merritt said.

For Kurka, accustomed to short bursts of training and racing in alpine skiing, making the switch to an endurance sport has been a revelation. He's been mixing in 30-mile training rides with the 15- to 18-mile grind from Palmer to Hatcher Pass. He calls the latter "my advantage" because that stretch is the final stage of The Alaska Challenge.

Kurka, who was injured in an ATV accident as a teenager, describes handcycling as a sport of brute strength. He intends to use the work ethic and will he developed as a young state champion wrestler in his handcycle debut.

"The training just takes consistency -- consistency and hard work," Kurka said.

He knows something about both, and recently was named to the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team.

Now, before Kurka heads out for ski training camps in California and New Zealand, his handcycle training is over and it's time to race.

"I'm going to do my best," Kurka said. "It's that simple."

Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr

Doyle Woody

Doyle Woody covered hockey and other sports for the Anchorage Daily News for 34 years.

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