Peters Township resident recounts attempt at 1,000-mile Iditarod foot race
About 420 miles into his attempt to complete â in reverse â the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Invitational race, the worldâs longest, hardest ultramarathon, Rick Freeman, an ultra-runner from Peters Township, knew his trek was likely coming to an early end.
Freemanâs companion, Greensburg resident Tim Hewitt, the most accomplished runner in the ITIâs history â heâs completed the punishing race 10 times and holds the record for fastest finish on foot at 19 days, 9 hours and 38 minutes â was in trouble.
âWeâre both really experienced at traveling in the Arctic, but Tim came up to me and said he couldnât feel his thumb. It was a sunny day, but we were coming off the river and it was 17 degrees below, and we were about six miles from the next village, Nulato, where they have a very well-equipped medical clinic, so we went to the clinic there and it ended up that we got medevaced to Anchorage,â said Freeman, who arrived safely back home on Feb. 17. âI noticed when I was separating Timâs gear at the clinic that his sleeping bag, down parka, and gloves were all very wet. When gear gets wet, thatâs when things get dangerous.â
Hewitt, 70, a labor attorney, suffered frostbite in all 10 fingers and seven toes, and has recovered except for a badly injured thumb. Doctors will determine in upcoming days whether or not it can be saved.
It was Freemanâs second attempt at the 1,000-mile race. He completed the ITIâs 350-mile route four times, in 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014 â his best finish came in 2009, clocking in at 7 days, 8 hours, the equivalent of running nearly two marathons a day â and he qualified to compete in the longer race.
The ITI, first run in 2002, is an unmarked route that follows the historic Iditarod Trail from Knik Lake, Alaska â near Anchorage â to Nome, and typically is run a week before the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Itâs considered the longest and most arduous winter ultramarathon in the world, and participants have an option to run, bike or ski to complete it.
Freeman and Hewitt â who was captivated by the idea of running the route backwards, with no support teams â wanted to finish their race before the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race on March 3. They set off from Nome on Jan. 29 and were 18 days into the race before they were forced to stop.
Like the ITI, Freemanâs backwards Iditarod trail tests the limits of human mental and physical endurance, as the pair pulled their own food, gear and medical supplies on sleds strapped to their bodies while they skirted the Bering Sea, crossed frozen rivers, lakes, swamps and desolate expanses of wilderness. They braved sub-zero temperatures that plunged to 46 degrees below, freezing rains, and 50 mph winds that forced them to find shelter and retreat into their sleeping bags for 24-hour stretches.
At one point in the race, Freeman and Hewitt, navigating by GPS, ran into whiteout conditions with 50 feet of visibility, and veered hundreds of feet off course.
âUp by the Bering Sea and the Yukon, there was about four feet of snow, and we were trudging along, punching through at maybe one mile an hour,â said Freeman. âWe were expecting that, though. We ended up at safety cabins, which were equipped with wood for fire. We knew we were going to go slow and persevere, and we knew we had to get to the safety cabins. Once we left Nome, we didnât see a person until three days into our run.â
Freeman packed runnerâs gels, candy bars, and freeze-dried meals, and carried a portable stove to melt water to drink. He and Hewitt got resupplies of food from packages they mailed to themselves at stops along the route.
The pair stayed at the safety cabins maintained by the Bureau of Land Management, and at schools, libraries, and apartments in villages along the route.
They trekked in snowshoes â during previous competitions, Freeman had run in Hoka Gore-Tex running shoes, but the trails on this trip were mostly snow-covered.
Despite their preparation and dogged determination to finish the route, Freeman knew that there was always a possibility that he and Hewitt wouldnât complete it.
Last year, the pair abandoned their race at the 350-mile point.
âI never take these trips lightly, and I enjoy them immensely,â said Freeman. âWe get to embrace the wilderness as few others do. With much respect, the ITI race is the intramurals compared to this race.â
Freeman, 66, ran his first ultramarathon in the 1980s, when he completed the Punxsutawney 50K race. He got the ultra running bug and couldnât shake it.
âI loved it. It was a really, really small fraternity of people who did these races, and Tim, whoâs one of the legends in the ultrarunning world, was one of them,â said Freeman. âThen, 50-mile races became more popular, and we just kept on doing them. As the community grew, more races became available. We donât do them as often because weâre getting older now.â
Freeman has completed almost 100 races longer than the 26.2-mile marathon distance, including one of his favorites, the Leadville Trail 100 in Colorado, a grueling race with a starting altitude of 10,200 feet, and the Massanutten Mountain 100, a brutal run that includes rugged mountain climbs with an ascent of more than 18,000 feet.
For his 60th birthday, Freeman trekked across South Dakota on a bike.
Freeman shared his travels with fourth-grade students at Peters Township School Districtâs McMurray Elementary School, who followed his trek on a satellite link and mailed him letters of encouragement that were delivered to a village along his route.
âMy class loved following Rick on the trail. They looked up pictures and facts on Alaska,â said teacher Rebecca Fox-OâKelly. âRick shared with them what an arduous journey it was, and exemplified the true character traits of grit, determinate and perseverance that we strive for at any age.â
Freeman showed students his sled and some of the supplies he carried, and Fox-OâKelly said they were fascinated when he told them he ate caribou and moose burgers.
Freeman witnessed the northern lights, and enjoyed sunsets on the Bering Sea. He saw moose, lynx and wolf tracks, but he didnât encounter the animals.
Freeman and Hewitt were aided by âtrail angels,â who at several points provided shelter and meals â including caribou, moose-rice-and-vegetable stew, and salmon â at tiny villages on the route.
âEveryone was so welcoming to us. We had great conversations with people who lived in the villages, and they were so good to us,â said Freeman.
On Jan. 24, Freeman retired from his career as an industrial salesman for Overhead Door Co. and announced to his co-workers that he was packing for the ITI and leaving three days later.
This year, Freeman and Hewitt stopped the race 580 miles short of their finish line. But the trip, Freeman said, was worth it.
Freeman has no ultra running plans right now, but he said there will be more adventures in his life. And, he hasnât ruled out the possibility of returning to Alaska to race.
âI do know Iâm not done going to the Arctic. Itâs like a magnet. It draws you,â said Freeman. âTim and I were on a hilltop overlooking the Bering Sea one day, and I said, âHow many people do you think have ever been here?â Very few people have watched the sun set over the Bering Sea like we did. It was very humbling. You look in all directions and itâs beautiful, and you donât see any signs of civilization. I was in awe. Iâm grateful for all of the things Iâve seen and for these experiences.â