— Anyone who’s ever had to scrape ice off their windshield knows that Minnesota can be a pretty desolate place in the wintertime.

Snow and ice blanket the ground, temperatures routinely drop into sub-zero territory, and bone-chilling winds can make even the most ardent outdoorsman long for more tropical climates.

The majority of Minnesotans have enough trouble summoning the ambition to shovel their driveways in winter, let alone contemplate an outdoor jog. The thought of spending more time outside than necessary in 20-below weather probably sounds about as ludicrous as Kent Hrbek in a speedo to most people.

However, participants in the Arrowhead 135 race aren’t like most people.

Beginning at 7 a.m. tomorrow, 140 runners, bikers and skiers will embark from International Falls on a 135-mile race to the town of Tower, traveling almost completely on the Arrowhead State Snowmobile Trail. Participants will have 60 hours to complete the race and will need to provide their own food and shelter on the course. If that wasn’t enough, they have to carry their gear the entire way.

You read that correctly — 135 miles in 2 1/2 days on a snowmobile trail in the middle of winter. Participants will get no relief from the weather either. Most forecasts for International Falls have temperatures residing in the single digits during race days, with -20 degree temps and beyond expected during the evenings.

Does that sound like fun? Does it even sound safe?

Well, the fun part is up to interpretation. But as far as safety goes, race director Dave Pramann believes there’s nothing to worry about

“It’s challenging, but we do our best to get people prepared for it,” said Pramann, a five-time finisher of Arrowhead himself.

Preparation

Like any other race, a certain degree of preparation goes into getting ready for the Arrowhead 135. However, that preparation goes well beyond long training runs.

All participants are required to pack certain items for the race, including a sleeping bag, tent, stove, flashlight and day’s worth of food. As far as hauling the gear is concerned, cyclists will pack it onto their bikes while runners and skiers usually tow it behind them in a sled. Collectively, the gear weighs about 30 pounds, according to the race’s website.

Racers also have to get used to the notion that if they get in trouble, they likely will have to get themselves out of it. After all, the race’s unofficial motto is “Don’t expect rescue, unless it’s your mommy.”

“We try not to stress that we’re there ready to rescue people because we want people to be able to self-rescue,” Pramann said.

That’s not to say that there won’t be any emergency help on hand. The race has three checkpoints where participants have to check in with race officials to make sure they’re healthy enough to continue. According to Pramann, there will also be snowmobile teams of volunteers with emergency medical training scattered throughout the course.

The volunteer staff has been utilized in the past, with cases of frost bite and blistering and one instance where a participant got lost. However, most issues are dealt with by the racers themselves.

“The extensive training that goes into the race is the best form of safety,” said John Storkamp, an ultramarathon runner from Hastings who will be racing at Arrowhead for the sixth time. “Typically, the people you line up with at (Arrowhead 135) have paid some serious dues elsewhere.”

Those dues aren’t just paid in road races, either.

“I’ve always said that if you take two guys who have never done Arrowhead before and you told me one guy was a really great marathoner and the other guy is a really well-seasoned winter camper, my money would be on the winter camper,” Storkamp said. “The preparation for a race like this isn’t just physical. It’s extremely mental because of all the gear you have to account for.”

Slow and steady

General strategy is another aspect that makes Arrowhead unique from other races.

Even for world-class distance runners, the objective is not to run at a brisk pace. In fact, Storkamp points out that shooting for speed can actually work against runners in such frigid conditions.

“You never want to run hard enough where you start to work up a sweat, because that’s when hypothermia can really start to set in,” Storkamp said. “The term ‘runner’ is used pretty loosely in a race like this. You wind up doing a lot of walking.”

The recreational pace is likewise for bikers, all of whom pedal the snow-packed race at average speeds less than 10 mph. Jennifer Flynn, a first-time cycling participant from Coon Rapids, was actually drawn to the race because of its slow speeds.

“I kind of like the idea where you’d be doing something aerobic at 6-8 miles an hour,” said Flynn, who got into cycling after fracturing her foot running ultramarathons. “I can’t really run long distances anymore, but if I load gear on a bike and pedal for a few days it’s just like running.”

Surprisingly, skiers have actually had the toughest time with the race. Only eight ski entrants have finished Arrowhead in its six-year history, as frigid temperatures have typically made the snow hard and icy for skiers. The best ski times typically take about three times longer than elite bikers.

“I have no illusions of finishing the race in record time,” said Leah Gruhn, a first-time ski entrant from Duluth who trained for Arrowhead by racing in the American Birkebeiner in Hayward, Wis. “I signed up this to push myself farther than I thought I could. I’m really just doing it for the sake of doing it.”

Head games

Since participants will be running/biking/skiing Arrowhead in mostly sub-zero temperatures, fatigue can take on a whole new meaning.

Typically, more than half the participants drop out of the race at one time or another. Many drop-outs even happen to be the competitors who were initially favored to win Arrowhead.

“I’ve seen some of the best ultramarathon runners from all over the world come to this race. But 15 miles into it, they’ve completely re-thought their plans and they wind up falling back to the back of the race and just try to hold on and survive,” said Storkamp, who has dropped out of the race twice himself. “They didn’t know how to deal with the cold weather.”

Most racers can count on spending at least one night sleeping outside in temperatures drifting below -20 degrees. Even with thermal camping gear, the prospect of sleeping in the deep woods after an exhausting day of racing can be downright terrifying.

Like a water-starved desert wanderer finding an oasis, many Arrowhead participants will actually start to hallucinate on the course due to fatigue.

“It gets to the point where people would think you’re on LSD,” Storkamp said, declining to go into further detail about the imagery he’s experienced.

When that sort of exhaustion happens, Storkamp said the race becomes the ultimate test of mental fortitude.

“At some point your body is just going to be screaming to stop and your extremities are going to hurt all over. But the real challenge is trying to keep it together when temperatures plunge and you start feeling like you can’t go on,” Storkamp said. “It requires mental strength you really can’t train for.”

Many participants plan on using the buddy system to get them through the tough times. Aside from conversing with other racers on the course, Gruhn will be skiing Arrowhead with a friend.

“We’re looking to keep an eye on each other to make sure nothing crazy happens,” Gruhn said. “We’ve heard a lot of stories of how bad it can get. Hopefully, having the other person there will help break up the monotony.”

However, not everyone is concerned about the mental aspects of the race.

“I’m actually more worried about mechanical problems on the course,” Flynn said. “It’s not easy to change a fat tire on a bike in below zero temps. If something like that happens, I might just hop off and push.”



Regularly updated results of the Arrowhead 135 race can be found online at www.arrowheadultra.com.