This is the type of adventure story you don’t get to hear about very often. You very likely know something about Alaska’s Iditarod Trail dog-sledding race, a grueling, multiday wilderness endurance test from Anchorage to Nome. Did you know that there is also a race where humans bike, ski, and run on the course? Leadville’s own Mitch Dulleck trained for months in the high Rockies and then attended a camp in Alaska to prepare to run the Iditarod Trail Invitational 150-mile race. There was no designated route as he pulled a sled with all of his gear, the only rule being that he had to pass through several checkpoints. The entrants truly have to be self-sufficient in that sometimes-harsh environment. For instance, the race organizers don’t promise any rescue should some misfortune befall racers. Competitors need to problem-solve for themselves while enduring possible issues with weather, terrain, injuries, wildlife, and more. Few of us will ever get to breathe the air in such beautiful and serene wilderness, much less race there, so I don’t have to tell you that Mitch will be describing a very unique outdoor endurance experience that will have you fascinated as much as it did me, including discussing his training, food, equipment, and seeing the aurora borealis, all of which has stoked Mitch’s fire to go back and try the Iditarod Trail’s even more challenging 350-mile race.

Mitch Dulleck

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