Technically, Kenny Herriot won The Alaska Challenge handcycle race when he finished Monday's final, taxing stage, an 18.8-mile, rain-soaked, mist-shrouded climb from Palmer to Independence Mine in Hatcher Pass.
By the Scot's reckoning, though, the springboard to victory was loaded in the weeks and months prior to the week-long, eight-stage grind of the Challenge.
Herriot put in training weeks of 100-plus miles. He regularly exhausted himself in the gym. And he steeled his mind for the challenge of the Challenge – more than 230 miles of competition with, seemingly, daunting hills throughout.
"Races are won and lost on hills,'' Herriot, 53, said by cellphone Monday afternoon. "So, you put in the work and get here and hope you perform.
"I'm really pleased. I was strong every day. But again, that's preparation. And it's about being able to survive every stage and stay strong.''
Monday furnished proof. Herriot covered the final stage in 1 hour, 49 minutes, 40 seconds, nearly 20 minutes faster than stage runner-up Andrew Kurka, 23, of Palmer, who often trains on the climb to Independence Mine.
"It was a tough, tough climb,'' Herriot said. "Hard climb. Very hard. You get into a groove and keep cranking.''
Herriot's cumulative time of 13:58:54 was about one hour faster than overall runner-up David Neumer of Tennessee. Herriot won seven of eight stages outright, and tied for the fastest time in Stage 7, Sunday's 58.4-miler from the Denali South viewing area to Talkeetna, with Neumer and Keith Winchell of Florida.
Muffy Davis, the seven-time Paralympic medalist from Utah, posted the fourth-fastest performance Monday (2:32:01), trailing only Herriot, Kurka and Neumer. That cemented her win in the women's division and vaulted her into third place overall in the field of 10 athletes.
Sunday's penultimate stage came on the 15th anniversary of a slow-speed motorcycle accident that injured Herriot's spinal cord and paralyzed him from the waist down. Handcycling internationally uses an H scale of 1-5, with 5 representing the most mobility and 1 the least.
Herriot competed in the H-3 division as part of the Paralyzed Veterans Racing Team, which also included Challenge racers Neumer, Winchell, Wesley Bergin and Mike O'Neill.
A soldier and fitness trainer before his accident, Herriot was competing within a year afterwards. He has raced around the world, winning marathons and stage races. In April, he won the prestigious Clocktower Classic, a three-day, five-stage event, in Rome, Georgia for the second straight year.
Apart from competing, Herriot gives motivational talks and conducts clinics. One of his mottos: "Bad things happen to everybody – it's how you handle them that make you different.''
Herriot handled the Challenge by icing his shoulders nightly and relying on his exacting training. That helped him cope with the physical toll of the race as well as the hotel changes and constant travel from Anchorage to Fairbanks and south down the Parks Highway. And that preparation mattered, as Herriot dominated throughout.
"I actually got stronger,'' he said.
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr
The Alaska Challenge Handcycle Race
Overall results through 8 stages
Women – 1) Muffy Davis 17:04:53; 2) Ashli Molinero 24:35:21.
Men's H-2 – 1) Ryan Kelling 17:09:31; 2) Anthony Pedeferri 18:34:16.
Men's H-3 – 1) Kenny Herriot 13:58:54 (overall winner); 2) Wesley Bergin 18:21:52.
Men's H-4 – 1) David Neumer 14:57:59; 2) Andrew Kurka 17:18:09; 3) Keith Winchell 17:23:27; 4) Mike O'Neill 19:58:43.
Stage 8 results
Palmer to Independence Mine, 18.8 miles
Women – 1) Muffy Davis 2:32:01; 2) Ashli Molinero 3:18:29.
Men's H-2 – 1) Ryan Kelling 2:39:28; 2) Anthony Pedeferri 2:41:12.
Men's H-3 – 1) Kenny Herriot 1:49:40; 2) Wesley Bergin 2:52:13.
Men's H-4 – 1) Andrew Kurka 2:09:16; 2) David Neumer 2:15:50; 3) Mike O'Neill 2:53:19; 4) Keith Winchell 2:59:30.