The 920XT on the 1,000 Mile Trail
February 28th, 2016. It may be five months away but some are already counting down to this day. What is so special about this specific day? The Iditarod Trail Invitational. It’s different than the dog sled race that may first come to mind, and it holds the slogan, “faster than the dogs”.
The Iditarod Trail Invitational is made up of around 50 athletes who embark on either the 350-mile trail or the 1,000-mile trail from Knik Lake, just outside of Anchorage, Alaska. Peter Ripmaster has completed the 350-mile trail of the Iditarod the past two years and has set his sights on completing the 1,000 mile trail this coming February.
“In this race runners haul their gear behind them in a sled and bikes have saddle bags with all their gear,” said Ripmaster who has completed this race twice before. “So in other words, we are the dogs”.
To Peter it’s not just another race, it’s his primary focus. He’s been interested in it since he was a little boy, and was inspired after reading about the legendary sled dog Balto. After he lost his mother to cancer in 2000, Peter moved to Alaska and ended up working for The Seavey’s, a family focused on training dogs for the Iditarod dog race and sled dog tours. Peter trained and managed dogs while working there, which helped mold his dreams from the dog race into the Iditarod Trail Invitational. After competing for the first time in 2014 the rest is history as they say!
“I’m a runner. I run about 40-70 miles a week,” Peter answered when asked about his training regime. “I count on my Forerunner 920 to document all my miles and help me with navigation. The navigation on the 920 is unreal.”
The Iditarod Trail Invitational is not your average race. Athletes are forced to battle not only the harsh Alaskan elements, but also their own mental and physical strength. This race is demanding as it pushes athletes to continue amidst hunger, pain, tiredness, emotion and the frigid temperatures. When Peter Ripmaster is on the 1,000 mile trail next year he will be away from family and friends, news stations and other people; in those moments he will only be able to rely on his own personal drive and the Forerunner 920XT to get him to the finish line.
We wish good luck to Peter Ripmaster as he competes in the Iditarod Trail Invitational this year! If you would like to help him raise money for cancer research in his mother’s honor, visit his website here.
The post The 920XT on the 1,000 Mile Trail appeared first on Garmin Blog.
Sample Block Quote
Praesent vestibulum congue tellus at fringilla. Curabitur vitae semper sem, eu convallis est. Cras felis nunc commodo loremous convallis vitae interdum non nisl. Maecenas ac est sit amet augue pharetra convallis nec danos.
Sample Paragraph Text
Praesent vestibulum congue tellus at fringilla. Curabitur vitae semper sem, eu convallis est. Cras felis nunc commodo eu convallis vitae interdum non nisl. Maecenas ac est sit amet augue pharetra convallis nec danos dui.
Cras suscipit quam et turpis eleifend vitae malesuada magna congue. Damus id ullamcorper neque. Sed vitae mi a mi pretium aliquet ac sed elitos. Pellentesque nulla eros accumsan quis justo at tincidunt lobortis denimes loremous. Suspendisse vestibulum lectus in lectus volutpat, ut dapibus purus pulvinar. Vestibulum sit amet auctor ipsum.
