Awhile back I wrote a post on the Arrowhead Ultra 135. I thought I'd post a friend's diary on this event. He started the race this morning in -25F actual temperature! Here is part one and part two. More to come soon.
Go Tom go!
Yesterday, February 8th, I got to catch up with Tom and chat about this year's Arrowhead. Tom sadly didn't finish this year, but it wasn't about the brutal conditions. He was quite happy with the trail conditions--packed and fast, and said he wasn't cold--even though it dropped below -30F. While he told me what happened, I couldn't help but think how smart this guy is. He chose to pull at Mel George, a bit over 16 hours into the race for him, for two reasons. First, he flatted early in the race and it took quite a bit of time and energy just to change the tube. Imagine changing a regular tube in winter conditions. Now, imagine changing a fat tire in -25. It took two of them to release the tire from the rim and about 30 minutes to get the job done. Second, just before hitting Mel George, Tom said he started looking at the snowbanks and thinking "that would be a nice place to lie down and take a break". He knew at that point he was done. He's a seasoned enough winter rider and camper to realize that could spell death. I can't express how important it is to think in this calculated way while doing extreme weather events. Tom is such a role model in my book and I can't wait to hear about his upcoming adventures.
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