I'll never forget the July 2006 late-night arrival of Jeff Oatley, the current record-holder of the Fireweed 400 Ultracycling Race. Oatley shattered the previous record, riding through a brutal rain in unseasonably cold weather and in the dark of night, in the popular Alaska race in 19 hours, 56 minutes and 32 seconds. Pedaling into the parking lot at Sheep Mountain Lodge, he was nearly hypothermic, semi-coherent and ready to be off the bike.
At that moment, the reality of his accomplishment set in. While impressed and admiring, I couldn't fathom the depths of energy -- cycling across the Glenn Highway, up and over Thompson Pass, to Valdez and back again -- that ride must have taken.
This year's Fireweed 400 could inspire a repeat performance. Oatley and fellow Fairbanks rider Rocky Reifenstuhl, the winner of the 2007 race, are both entered, which makes it a race worth watching.
Those two -- and the 10 or so other men signed up for the event (including 74-year-old Lew Meyer, an incredible soul from Pennsylvania who has completed the race every year since 2005) -- will make the race interesting. But for me, I'll be following JoAnn Fafrowicz of Durham, N.C., and Anchorage's own Terri Huebler.
The Fireweed 400 has generally been the domain of men, and only a handful of women have entered the race, which debuted in 2003. The current women's record holder, Janice Tower, was in that first race and is the only woman to have completed it. Her record of 25:17:18 still stands.
So Fafrowicz and Huebler could really shake things up in this year's race, set for July 10. They are the only women in a field of 14 competitors. I contacted both of them this week, and they admitted that the race will be one of their biggest challenges yet.
Their philosophies on riding are similar.
"I'm not a super athlete, but I am stubborn. I wouldn't consider myself a racer, but perhaps a seeker of adventure. My goal is to finish," Huebler said.
"I am a cyclist who (loves) the sense of becoming energized and liberated when riding ... but at the same time I am also a cyclist who enjoys pushing my physical and mental limits," Fafrowicz said.
While neither woman claim to be an expert rider, each has a cycling resume that begs to differ.
Fafrowicz, 55, was the first woman to finish the Adirondack Golden Gallop, a 408-mile race consisting of 136-mile loops through the mountains. That was in 2007. Last year, she completed the Last Chance 1,200-kilometer Brevet from Boulder to Kansas and back.
Huebler, 42, has completed the 200-mile Fireweed, and the Susitna 100 on foot. She trains in Alaska conditions and knows the 400 course well.
I'll be cheering them both on, and no matter who wins, they'll join the ranks of an elite few.
"Since there's only two women attempting, I will say I'd like to finish first or last; I'd be happy with either," Huebler quipped.
Jim Galanes, keeper of Fireweed registration, said this year's field in the solo 400 is one of the largest yet, a few shy of the record field of 17 in 2006. While the other Fireweed events continues to grow -- there are race distances of 50, 100, 200 and 400 miles for both teams and individuals -- the solo 400-miler has remained the signature event, which because of its difficulty has some years drawn as few as six competitors.
For Fafrowicz, that is plenty.
"I am really looking forward to seeing the raw beauty of this part of Alaska and experiencing the challenge of the hills and wind during the 400," Fafrowicz said. "Whatever happens during the race, afterwards I will spend a week enjoying the people, geography and wildlife of Alaska, which is very different from North Carolina."
Outdoors freelance writer Melissa DeVaughn and her blog "Deadlines and Stopwatches'' can be reached at www.melissadevaughn.com
Melissa DeVaughn
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