Best American Adventures: Race the Arrowhead 135

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By Kate Siber; Photograph by Jim Johnson, iFalls Daily Journal

The Arrowhead 135 race is long, difficult, and
bitterly cold, but that’s all part of the fun. Right? Undoubtedly some
competitors question this line of reasoning while standing at the
starting line of this 135-mile (217-kilometer) ultramarathon in
International Falls, Minnesota, a town that routinely registers the
coldest temperatures in the Lower 48 and is more commonly known as
Frostbite Falls. The self-supported race follows the Arrowhead State
Trail through the hilly, densely forested hinterlands of northern
Minnesota, and the rules are relatively few: Racers can ski, run, or
pedal with fat-tire snow bikes, and they must finish with 15 pounds
(6.8 kilograms) of emergency gear and 3,000 calories of emergency food
in the good old-fashioned spirit of Midwestern self-reliance.

In
spite of starting-line jitters, the unique perks of the race—one of the
coldest of its kind—soon reveal themselves: the sound of your misty
breath and the snow crunching beneath you, the sight of the moon
pillowed by a halo of clouds, and wolves standing as silent as monks by
the side of the trail, to name a few. Fewer than 120 people do it each
year and as many as 80 percent don’t finish, but the value lies simply
in participating. In fact, the most coveted trophy is the one reserved
for the dead-last finisher. And the true booty is the camaraderie that
comes with joining a select clan of people who step up to such a
singular challenge.

Need to Know:
The 2011 race, with an entrance fee of $190, is scheduled for January
31. To register, contact the Arrowhead Winter Ultra organizers (www.arrowheadultra.com).