Not Quite Over the Hill: Chena River to Ridge Run - Another Step Closer to an Overall Goal

Post by Eric

I got the running monkey off my back!

I finished the Chena River to Ridge 26-miler on foot yesterday (March 2). I have been trying to do that for four years. One year I got sick and two years I had calf injuries (though I was able to ski on one of my injury years.)

It took me 8 hours and 45 minutes and I finished in second-to-last place (and the last runner), but I finally got ‘er done.

Cold Start, But Quick Warming

It was a good day for the race, the first loop of which takes in the Colorado Creek and Compeau trails, as well as part of the Yukon Quest Trail, in the Chena River State Recreation Area. (The second loop, which fills out the longer race, uses the Stiles Creek and Yukon Quest trails.)

Right before the start of the CR2R. Lots of layers!

Temperatures were a bit cold in the beginning, but not too bad. A weather station near the Granite Tors parking lot had read -38F that morning, so I came prepared for that. However, my car thermometer read just -23F at the Compeau Trailhead parking lot. And when I headed over to Twin Bears Camp, where the race starts and ends, it felt warmer. Less than a mile into the race, I was already peeling layers. Then the rising sun started to make a difference.

Peeling layers less than a mile in.

Taking My Gear for a Run

I brought too much stuff, as is usual for me. I left my snowshoes at the car, but I brought my Wiggy’s lightweight waders. I hadn’t planned to bring them, but my buddy Ned Rozell had just done an Alaska Science Forum column on overflow and that swayed me. I figured I would ask about wet overflow at the start, but I forgot, so my waders got a nice outing. None of the overflow was even a tad bit wet.

At the race start, one guy had a pair of snowshoes. He said the year before he was happy to have had them after about 10 miles. Snowshoes are a tough call on these races. The CR2R stays low for about 8 miles, but then it has a lot of climbing. The trail can get really chewed up for the back-of-the-packers. After the race start, I second-guessed my call to leave my snowshoes at the car, but since the race runs right by the Compeau Trailhead parking lot, it was easy to run over and get them. I lost less than 5 minutes retrieving them. But, of course, I never used them on the trail. Ah well. (It’s a proven fact that if you don’t take your gear out occasionally, it won’t work as well when needed. Well, maybe not proven, but I’m sure that’s the case.)

Me at my car with my snowshoes on my backpack.

I did use my collapsible poles. I pulled them out at the Colorado Creek Cabin, the first race checkpoint and the place the trail starts a long climb up the ridge. I was glad I had them since they help with climbs. I was going to put them away on the descent, but my body was feeling a bit beat up by then, so I kept using them hoping they would help reduce the pounding. Not sure how much they helped overall, but they did help on a few steep drops. And I got to wave them over my head as I ran into the finish!

A Great Day to be Out

I quickly became the Red Lantern, especially with my snowshoe retrieval diversion, but I eventually caught a couple of skiers on the way to the first checkpoint. I was a little surprised to catch skiers, but I had talked to one of these guys at the start and they were new to these races. (He had never done ANY kind of race.) We exchanged cheery greetings when I passed them. I was pretty sure they would catch me on the downhill portion of the course.

One of the skiers right before I caught him.

A little while later I caught and passed a biker. That really surprised me. I recognized him from the start. He had a floor pump sticking out of his backpack. He was stopped, so I asked him if everything was OK. I thought maybe he was having a mechanical. But he said he was doing fine, so I headed off, assuming he would catch me on the downhill, too. (He didn’t. A little after the first checkpoint he broke a pedal but was determined to finish. Tough guy!)

The only other competitor I saw on the course was Lisa Stuby, who was skiing. I passed her at the first checkpoint, and she caught me at the second checkpoint. I left before her, but she eventually caught and passed me. And a while later the two skiers passed me, too.

Lisa Stuby, on skis, caught me at Checkpoint #2, but I left before her. Of course, she caught me on the downhill, because skiing makes a lot more sense than running in winter!

Otherwise, I was pretty much out there by myself. The day was gorgeous. The views superb. I eventually started listening to music on my iPod. I did a rock mix for a while but got a bit bored. I next went with an all-songs shuffle, which has a bunch of stuff from me and our family. So, I would go from Katie Perry to Van Halen to the Homemade Jamz Blues Band to Adele to Doobie Brothers to songs from the Little Mermaid (those last are mine, by the way. I love “Under the Sea”!). And occasionally I’d get comedy sketches from Monty Python. All that was truly entertaining. Toward the end I switched to a good audiobook I had been listening to. I love being outside and moving, but I get tired of being in my own head, especially when that head starts focusing on aches and pains. It’s good to have distractions.

I love the tracks animals make in the snow!

Can you see the Alaska Range in the background? Gorgeous!

Ticking Off the Local Multisport Winter Races

I have been wanting to finish every version of the local winter multi-sport endurance races that I am capable of. The three races are the White Mountains 100, the Tanana River Challenge, and the Chena River to Ridge. (And now the T-Dog just started, but I haven’t included that in my goals.)

The races offer ski, bike, and run divisions. (The TRC also offers a skijor division, but we don’t have dogs.) I have done every version of the WM100 (including kicksled). I’ve done every version of the TRC except biking or running the 45-miler and skiing the 25-miler. I’ve done every version of the CR2R except running the longer version and officially biking the 26-miler. (I did bike it one year but was signed up for the longer version. I’ve also kicksledded the 26-miler.) I can’t run either longer versions of the TRC or CR2R, because I’m way too slow to make the cut-offs (a fact, I’m infinitely thankful for!). Besides, I’m tired of running long distances. I get pretty beat up. And whenever I’m on the downhills I keep thinking, “Human ingenuity gave us a lot better ways to go downhill on snow than running!”

Me finishing the 2022 CR2R 26-miler on skis.

So, now I just need to bike the TRC 45-miler and ski the 25-miler, and officially bike the CR2R 26-milers, and then I’ll be done ticking off the boxes. Then I can participate however I want. (Spoiler alert: I won’t be running.)

Me finishing the 2020 Tanana River Challenge 45-miler on skis.

It’s Good to Have Healthy Goals

I’m not sure why this has become my goal. I didn’t start out with that intention. It developed over time, especially with the WM100. I’m not a fierce competitor or anything like that. In fact, I’m proud of my many Red Lantern finishes. (You can’t be trying to get them or they don’t count!) But for some reason I like having these goals. It’s not just the physical aspect. (I don’t care about doing any races outside of the Fairbanks area.) I like the social aspect, too. I like seeing a bunch of people I know, on the trail and at the checkpoints. Almost everyone is in a good mood. And being outside in these beautiful places is a win, even when the weather is crappy.

I have a hard time articulating why I like doing these races, but I guess that’s not important. They are fun (even more so now that I’m done with the running!), and it’s healthy for me to be training for and participating in them. I guess that’s enough.

Now with all this training under my belt I should ski the Sonot Kkazzoot again. (I can’t do the TRC since Corrine and I have a cabin trip planned for that weekend.) But which version of the Sonot should I do, the 30K or the 50K? With both, I’ll get to be outside, doing something I love, surrounded by a bunch of great people, most of whom I know.

Either way will be a win.