When most people sit down to figure out how to make a 1,000 journey, the question is, “Drive or fly?” Well, for Peter Ripmaster of Asheville, the answer the past three years was, “on foot.”
Ripmaster isn’t talking about any old journey either — he is talking about the Iditarod Trail Invitational, a 1,000-mile foot race through the wilds of Alaska in February. No dogs in this race — it’s all on foot, and it’s cold, with brutal storms, many mountains and rivers to cross, and few roads. And not only was he one of only six people to finish the entire 1,000 miles, but he finished first.
Or as Ripmaster puts it, “I slayed the dragon this year.”
In this segment of The Outdoor Guys podcast with Jesse Brown’s Outdoors, Ripmaster recounts for Don Yager and Bill Bartee the ups and downs — both literal and figurative — of this grueling competition, and what kept him going all the way to the finish on his 5th – yes 5th – Iditarod Trail Invitational.
Listen here!
Show Highlights:
- Hear what Ripmaster learned on previous attempts that prepared him for this year’s race
- Can you imagine? Braving a blizzard with miles to go before he sleeps, and turning down the chance for a free ride
- The mind-numbingly slow pace at which his race progressed at points, and how long it took him to finish
- Finding food, supplies, or a hot meal, and how much of it he pulled behind him on a sled
- Finishing the race, and finding the journey home to be the last big challenge along the way
More insights from The Outdoor Guys:
- Ripmaster’s website: http://peteripmaster.com
- Ripmaster’s blog: http://theripmasterramble.blogspot.com
- Iditarod Trail Invitational website: http://iditarodtrailinvitational.com
- Iditarod Trail Invitational Facebook: https://facebook.com/iditarodtrailinvitational/
- Iditarod Trail Invitational Instagram: @iditarod_trail_invitational
- Ripmaster recounts the journey for his hometown paper: https://citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2018/03/28/asheville-runner-wins-worlds-longest-ultramar-1-000-mile-iditarod-trail-footrace-longest-ultramarath/466321002/