Dave Gardner's 2017 Alaskaman Extreme Triathlon Race Report

What an incredible race, what an incredible experience! 

Thanks to EN for helping me prepare for this as my first full iron distance triathlon. And much thanks to @Mark Maurer for his friendship and help along the way in my preparation. Its taken a few weeks to gather my thoughts and write this report. Its written more as a story of the adventure of my last year, with the target audience being more the non-athlete. 

Alaskaman 2017 is in the books! 

My primary goal was just to finish this beast of a race, and secondary goal was to finish with a smile on my face. I accomplished both, and even danced at the end I felt so good. Of the 313 folks that signed up for the race, 200 showed up race day, and only around 150 finished before the 18 hour 30 minute cutoff.

For my non-athlete friends the Alaskaman Extreme Triathlon is essentially an Ironman distance race, but even more difficult. It's in the XTRI series of races with the others being in Norway, Switzerland and Scotland. The swim is very cold, the terrain very rugged. It's largely self supported which means you have to have your own team to supply your clothing, gear, nutrition, hydration, and bike support throughout the day.  It's basically an Ironman and an adventure race combined! And this was its inaugural year which made it all the more exciting. First off they don't make extreme Ironman training plans, trust me I looked! And no one had ever done this race so there were no one to ask or race reports on the internet to help with planning. I had never done an iron man distance, not even a 1/2.  But when my good friend Shiela Cook sent me info about the race in may of last year I was absolutely hooked from the first moment. I carefully read through the 30 page athlete guide explaining in detail what to expect, and warnings not to sign up unless you fully understood what you were in for and could be prepared for it in 13 months. I spent 2 weeks thinking about it, asking athlete friends and discussing with Shiela who wanted to be my race “support captain” as this was a requirement of the race. Vickie was NOT onboard at the beginning. She knew how poor my swim was and was worried about the difficulty of the race. It took another month of convincing her that I could prepare enough to not die! And we could make a race-cation out it since we love Alaska. 

Race preparation

I broke down the race as swim/bike/run/hike, and developed a plan to hone all 4 skills. Swim would be 2.6 miles in Resurrection Bay off Seward in approx 55 degree water. I would need to improve my very poor swim technique, build swim fitness to go that distance, and figure out how to adapt to being in 55 degree water for close to 2 hours. The bike is 112 miles along the Seward highway with 4500 feet of climbing. I saw that I would need to figure out how to rewarm my body coming out of cold water into 50 degree air temps, possibly with rain. I'd need to learn how to efficiently climb and descend mountainous terrain on the bike. The first 20 miles of the marathon are fairly flat, id just need good running fitness which was my already my strength. And lastly I'd have to build strong hiking legs as the last 7 miles of the marathon were climbing Mount Alyeska twice with 5000 feet of climbing. And lastly build the overall high level of fitness required to do these 4 things consecutively! Simple, right?!

I had excellent prep early on as we went to Philmont Scout Ranch in June and backpacked 90 miles over 11 days in rugged mountains. In July I did a 3 day guided cycling trip with Bob Wilson climbing and descending mountain passes in Colorado. And I ran the Chicago Marathon in October so my run fitness was strong toward the end of 2016. In November I joined Endurance Nation coaching to start dedicated triathlon training. This was a superb move as I had so much to learn about the long distance racing and ENs emphasis is on teaching. In particular Mark Mauer of EN, who was also doing Alaskaman, was very helpful. And what turned out to be the most important key to my success (or preventing failure) was joining US Masters Swimming, and I began slow, but steady swim improvement with Coach Jenny Brown. I literally owe my race success to her as she fixed my swim in ways no one had been able to do in 3 years of trying. And the last key was making friends with a small group of native Alaskans who were also doing the race. They became my tribe, and through athlete social media (Strava) and eventually FB messenger we kept each other laughing, motivated, and encouraged through the long months of training throughout the winter and spring. 

I spent January - early April focusing on the Galveston 1/2 Ironman. During this time I ramped up my training volume from 5-7 hours a week to 10-12 a week for the first time and my body really struggled to adapt to the increase. I continued to work on my swim. And come April I nailed my race execution, and did very well in Galveston in difficult conditions in my first 1/2 iron race. I then pivoted to Ironman specific training and ramped up my volume again, this time from 10-12 hours/week to 12-15hours /week. with another real struggle to adapt. I began looking for work layovers where I could run/hike in rugged terrain, and swim in cold water. These were awesome opportunities and I took full advantage. And in May we took a trip to New Zealand to see Dyess who was studying abroad there for the semester. I rented a bike, rode and ran more hilly terrain and did several hikes on steep terrain early each morning while we were on vacation. And at the end of May I jumpseated up to Alaska, stayed with my new friends, and we had our own 3 day Alaskaman training camp! The final volume push in June was a total beat down, where I did 4 100+ mile rides (I had never done 1), most of those combined with an hour swim before and a run afterwards. As I tapered my workouts the last few weeks before the race, I looked back at how far I had come, and knew I had a high level of fitness, had developed the necessary skills, and acquired the knowledge I would need to finish this beast of a race.

I can't thank Vickie enough for supporting me in this very time consuming endeavor over the last year. Especially the last 6 months I continually ate all the food in the house, generated reams of dirty laundry, and was too tired most days to help much around the house. Without her love and support this project would have never got off the ground. 

For the race itself I was very fortunate to have a support team of 5 awesome people with a diverse set of skills. Mike and Shiela Cook, my wife Vickie and daughter Brenna, and good friend Ray Wyrick. We did a practice swim the day before the race. I was confident in the cold water and swam about 1000 yards on a circular course right at 2:00/min per hundred which is slow but a good steady pace for me. If I held that race day I'd come out of the water in about 1:35, a time I would have been thrilled with. This would end up being nowhere near my time, as the race day swim would prove far more difficult.

Race day

Transition opened at 2:30 am, busses to the swim start were at 3:30 for a 4:30 am race start. I was up at 1:45, pounded calories, and Ray came over at 2:15 to load my bike and gear. The weather was mid 50s with a light drizzle. It didn't take long to set up T1 (swim to bike) as I left everything in bags to keep it dry. It was great seeing my Alaska friends Eric and Heather in transition, as they're both faster than me and I didn't expect to see them very much later in the day. We loaded on the busses and headed 15 minutes south to the swim start at Millers Landing. I talked to Shantel on the bus, we had chatted online and tried to get together to swim in Lake Michigan but couldn't coordinate schedules. 

The swim- 2.7 miles, 1 hour 58 minutes 

The National Anthem was stirring. We were in the water at 4:30 to "warm up", and the race started at 4:35. I hung toward the back of the pack, I felt good in the water as I've come to really enjoy the cold water. There were no buoys as the water was too deep and the currents too difficult. We were told to sight on a bright light 2.5 miles away and keep the kayaks on our right. Within a few hundred yards I noticed a rock solid steady swimmer going my speed. I slid over and got on his right hip. For the next hour I hung with him gaining a slight draft, but more importantly I didn't have to sight! An hour into it I bumped into him and I guess he got tired of me and took a 45 degree bid away from me. As the second hour progressed I felt myself getting colder. As it turns out the previous week had been record warm (mid 70s lol), causing increased glacier melt to a waterfall dumping into the bay about a third of the way in. The temperature of the water has dropped to the upper 40s, and slowly warmed to the lower 50s by the exit. Of course I knew none of this til afterwards. In addition the tide had started coming out and everyone's swim times were getting longer. Vickie saw the first swimmers come out of the water stumbling and with swollen faces and got worried. When one of my Alaska friends who is a fast swimmer came out of the water 25 minutes late she knew I was ok and that it was just going to be a long swim for everyone. The last 600-700 yards were incredibly slow. It felt like I wasn't moving. I was right along the shore and seemed to be making little progress. I was also getting a bit mentally confused as mild hypothermia set in, I wasn't sure if my form was breaking down or the tide was going out. I finally exited in just under 2 hours and was so happy to see Ray there to help me up.  

Lights are on but nobody's home! Ray helps me out of the water

T1 (Swim to bike transition) 45 minutes

I stumbled as I got out and found my legs very wobbly. It took Ray and Mike to help me walk back to the transition area. I was laughing and joking, proud of my swim but not really realizing what bad shape I was in physically and mentally. ET flew by me as we walked, he was a little behind me coming out of the water but I knew he would be quick getting on the bike. I stopped to help him take off his wetsuit. Apparently I also stopped to hug another Alaska friend Jason who couldn't race because of injuries from a bike wreck 2 weeks earlier, although I don't remember. He said it didn't seem like I was all there.

Bundled in my parka and space blanket while Ray dresses me; I think I may make the movie!

I had brought lots of gear to warm up my core temperature during transition. I didn't expect to need it, but If I hadn’t brought it I would have ended up with the medical folks. My body started really shivering and I was slurring my speech badly as Ray helped me change clothes. We got wet stuff off, dry bike kit on, then a space blanket, parka, and a hot water bottle inside my shirt. My hands and feet were fine, but my core temperature I guess had really dropped. It took a long time for my speech to return to normal, I was anxious to get on the bike as time was starting to become my enemy. 

The Bike- 112 miles, 4500 feet of climbing, 7 hours 25 minutes

I still felt cold leaving transition but I wasn't shivering and could control my bike. Fortunately I had ridden the first 50 miles of the bike course. Its steady uphill most of the way, so I knew I would be slow. I focused on my wattage output. I knew from training I could ride 145 watts all day and still have energy to do a long run afterwards. Going uphill this makes for slow going, but if you push harder you'll burn out. Starting the first hill just out of Seward I knew I was in trouble. My heart rate should have been in the mid around 130, but as I pushed my goal watts my heart rate spiked to the 150s and I had to back off to get it down. My other problem was the clock, I had to get 29 miles in to Moose Pass by the 9:30 cutoff. I was between a rock and a hard place. I had to make the cutoff but risked burning out. I pounded calories, liquids and electrolytes, and fought back negative thoughts. The first hour on the bike was the low point of my entire race. I sat there pedaling in the rain pushing to make the cutoff, and watching the numbers tell me I was not going to finish the race. After an hour my heat rate suddenly dropped 15 beats, and another 1/2 hour another 5-10 and I was back in my normal range. My head cleared as well and I realized my body and mind had still been out of whack from the swim, but now I had brought myself back to life! I made the Moose Pass cutoff by 10 minutes and made the fist pitstop with my crew. I was so happy to see them, I picked up 3 new bottles of Tailwind and more food and quickly pressed on.

The scenery along the Seward Highway is simply stunning. During the uphill climbs I sat up and enjoyed it. The views of Kenai Lake around mile 20, and the Summit Lakes around Mile 50 were highlights.

Pitstop at Mile 52; Its always fun with Vickie around

Within 90 minutes on the bike the rain had stopped, the sky cleared, and the sun came out for the rest of the day. At our second pitstop I shed most of my outer layers and picked up a few more bottles. The rest of the bike was lighthearted and fun, getting to see my crew several times. They were simply awesome and took great care of me. Around mile 75 is a beautiful descent in the Turnagain Arm. The winds and traffic both really picked up. The only crew miscommunication we had was a potentially major one. We missed a food drop and miscommunicated with each other when I needed more. The thing with endurance racing is you can be totally fine one minute, but your always on the razors edge of running into a brick wall if you let yourself run low on nutrition/hydration or electrolytes. As a result I pounded extra calories along the Portage road (mile 78-92) and got a bit sick to my stomach. Mile 92 was the last time my crew could support me on the bike. I actually would be self supported from there till the end of the bike and for the first 14.5 miles of the run. I took a few minutes to get off the bike, lay down to stretch my back, and got my feet up. I ate a few Tums, switched my bottles to water and flat Coke and headed out with a really nice tailwind through the Arm. After about 45 minutes of just drinking water my stomach cleared up and I knew I was in going to be in great shape starting out on the run. At mile 102 I stopped and gave my friend Rey Letada my spare tube as he had just had his second flat. I pulled into transition and was so happy to be off the bike! Now it was time to “do what I do”, which is run. 

T2 (Bike to Run) 15 minutes

The volunteers were awesome. One met me as I walked my bike in, handed me my gear bag and walked me to a rack spot. As I was changing Heather pulled in! I started out on the run a little bit before her but she quickly caught up. 

The Marathon (first 20 miles of run), 1400 feet climbing, 3 hours 52 minutes

I am so incredibly proud of her, she had got injured in the Spring and thought she wouldn't be able to race. As a result she had never ridden more than 56 miles, and here she was right with me after over 10 hours of racing! We ran together those first 14.5 miles, and what a joy that was. We kept our effort easy, roughly 9:30 min/miles, and walked the steep hill portions. It was along the Bird to Gird Trail, and was quite scenic. It got a bit hot, but I had plenty to drink as my running vest was loaded with Tailwind in the bladder and a water bottle in front. I also carried bear spray, as we were running very close to where a fatal black bear attack had happened 3 weeks earlier. There was a small aid station at mile 12 and we picked up some water. At mile 13 Heather got very quiet, I could tell she was suffering. I worried that with her loss of fitness during her injury she would really struggle to finish. Boy was I wrong! More on that later. We saw our people at mile 14.5, Heather took off with her race support friends. Vickie refilled my vest with nutrition and liquids and was off by myself. 14.5 - mile 20 is an out and back along the Nordic Loop at the base of Mount Alyeska. Its through a gorgeous forest with a well groomed soft surface trail. I was excited to see #202, the guy I had drafted off in the swim! I apologized for bumping into him and we talked a minute. He was from Brazil, and his support friend told me that he had raced many major endurance events around the world. I was impressed. I hadn't hurt all day till mile 18 of the run. From there to the base of the mountain at mile 20 I had to focus and run through the discomfort. I was actually really looking forward to stopping running and “just” hiking the mountain!

Vickie and Ray refill my bladder at Mile 14.5 while I pound a flat Coke and Alaskan Potato Chips

T3 (run to hike transition)

Ok, Im calling this T3 but thats not really a thing. As I had planned to just hike the last 7.5 miles, I stopped at the base of the mountain, totally changed clothes and got swapped to a hiking Camelbak with water and required gear. Rain jacket, insulating layer, map, compass, whistle, bear spray, hiking poles. I was in great spirits and physically felt amazing. We took some crew pictures at the base of the mountain. Its required to have someone on the mountain with you, mostly for your safety as the potential for physical and mental problems is high at this point of the race. Sheila had trained all year doing mountain trail running so I knew she was strong and ready for the final difficult challenge ahead.   

Shiela and I head up the mountain

Mount Alyeska (mile 20-27.5), 4500 feet climb, 2200 ft descent, 3 hours, 57 min

The first 1/2 mile of the mountain was practically STRAIGHT UP! A 25% grade. I was so glad to have my hiking poles. Shiela and I took it easy and enjoyed chatting about the day. The views as we climbed were stunning back toward the Turnagain Arm and the mountains to the south. We reached 2500 feet in about 2 miles, it was quite a bit chillier at the top. We even walked over areas of unmelted snow. Ray and Mike came down a little ways to see us, we chatted and took pics. Before long we reached Mile 23 at the base of the aerial tram. We talked with Vickie and Brenna for a few minutes, got some food, used the restrooms and started down. You see we were at the backside of the finish, but we had to go down and back up for 4 more miles! A volunteer told us that we only had 2 hours left, oh crap, time to hustle! I hadn't planned on running down but Shiela and I took off down the mountain. It was steep, but I felt surprisingly good running. I was glad I had practiced downhill trail running with Jeff Pettett and Heather as my legs were conditioned for it. 

Great view from near the top of the first climb

Unfortunately I was so focused on my feet I missed the 90 degree turn onto the Blueberry Hill Trail and we went off course. We ran into a barrier 300 ft further down the mountain before we realized the error. We spent 5 minutes trying to figure out where we were and how to get back. When we did we had to climb back up 300 vertical feet and lost over 20 minutes. Now we really were pushing the final 11 PM cutoff! We ran another mile to the base of the final climb on the North Face Trail.We hiked steady and strong, passing 5 racers on the final climb. One of the people we passed was an amputee, how inspiring to see him climb to finish the race! As we approached the top my phone was pinging with messages of encouragement. We also could hear our family and friends hollering down to us. I expected to be very emotional at the finish, as I had cried while finishing my 2 marathons. But here I was incredibly happy! Shiela and I power hiked across the finish as they announced my name, I gave Vickie a giant hug, high fives everyone else, and started dancing as Mike ran the Go Pro. 

We finished at the top of Mount Alyeska just after 10:30 PM, 18 hours and 13 minutes after starting 142 miles away at Lowell Point in Seward.    

Post race thoughts

Finishing this race ranks among the proudest moments of my life. Im so glad to have had the opportunity to do something like this. When I started a year ago I had numerous challenges to overcome to put myself in a position to be successful. I couldn't see clearly what the path was, but with lots of help from others, and a lot of new friends along the way, we figured it out and were successful. As it turns out Heather finished the race 90 MINUTES ahead of me! Im so incredibly proud of my friend, and she also had the fastest woman mountain time (the mens fastest mountain time was by the overall winner…let that sink in). And all my Alaska friends that started, finished. What a day to remember!