If all goes according to plan, next Monday morning I will begin the Arrowhead 135 race in far northern Minnesota. This is a 135 mile journey from International Falls, MN to Tower, MN on what is typically the coldest week of the winter. The event can be done on foot, bike, or ski, but no matter the method you need to be done in 60 hours and carry with you all the required survival gear. This is similar to the Tuscobia 80 race that I completed a couple years ago, as well as the St Croix 40 Winter Ultra that my wife and I host.

For my attempt this year I will be doing the course on foot. I feel like I’m most reliable on foot, and given the current conditions (soft snow), I don’t think a bike is going to give me a huge advantage. As of this moment the current forecast is for mostly mild temps in the teens and 20s and no real sign of getting below 0°F (-17°C). The area has not gotten a ton of snow so there’s been very little grooming done on the trail and not a lot of snowmobile traffic. This has the potential to slow things down a bit and make soft and slow conditions.

The upside to the milder temps is that I don’t need to pack as much “oh sh*t” gear and can rely on more traditional cold weather items. This will help lighten the sled I’ll be pulling a bit, and I can substitute in more clothing changes to keep myself dry if I work up too much of a sweat. I’m not going to be stupid though and some heavy mittens and a big heavy jacket will still be with me at all times.

I’m also getting my food situation in order. At Tuscobia I was able to rely on local businesses (gas stations, restaurants, etc) for more for variety. Arrowhead is much more remote and after the checkpoint at the Gateway convince store at mile 35, you’re pretty much out of luck. I’m hoping to cram enough variety in my menu to encourage myself to eat regularly, as a big danger in these multi-day efforts is simply getting tired and bored of eating. The means you’re not fueling your engine, which means everything is going to be much worse for you.

This challenge will be one of the biggest things I’ve ever attempted. I have some time goals (finishing around 50 hours would be great), but realistically I need to focus on just finishing. To be clear, this is a race that very few people finish. In the history of the event the average finish rate on foot is 46%, with some years being as low as 17%-18%.

Simply put: The odds are NOT in my favor.

That doesn’t mean I’m not going to give it a solid try though. I’m starting the race with a mindset that I’m there for an adventure and to simply soak in the beauty of spending 2-3 days in nature. All I need to do is eat and walk. Maybe 2-3 hours of napping throughout the event, but otherwise… eat and walk.

If all goes well, next Wednesday I’ll be crossing the finish line in triumph. However, even just starting this event is a bucket-list worthy item and I’ll get to cross that off Monday morning.

If you want to follow along on the trackers that we’re all wearing you can view the event on Trackleaders: https://trackleaders.com/arrowhead25

The dots aren’t going to move very quickly, but it’ll give you a sense of how things are going.