From the inspiring to the tragic, ‘Adventure News of the Week’ presents a wrap-up of top news in the world of exploration and adventure.
ALASKA: Rookie Wins Iditarod Trail Invitational 350. The 350-mile version of the Iditarod Trail Invitational in Alaska wrapped up last week. Kurt Refsnider of Prescott, Arizona, managed a first-place finish despite having never competed in a winter bike race of this caliber.
“That sure was an adventure of epic proportions,” he told GearJunkie. “I’m not really a winter racer, so I was way out of my element, but things went dang well despite that.”
He finished in 4 days, 2 hours, and 25 minutes on a course where temps dipped to nearly -50 degrees Fahrenheit. You can see the 350 race results and 1,000 distance race progress here.
RUN: Treadmill World Record Broken Twice in 2 Months. German citizen Florian Neuschwander just broke the world record for running a 50K on a treadmill, and he did it just 6 weeks after Mario Mendoza broke the record. Neuschwander’s final time was 2:57:25, a minute and 38 seconds faster than the previous record. Read more here.
PARK: Ms. Superpark Snowboard Comp Graces Eldora Mountain. Held at different resorts each year, the Ms. Superpark invite-only park competition is a highlight in the women’s snowboarding community.
Competitors from this weekend included Jamie Anderson, Hana Beaman, Janna Meyen-Weatherby, Kelly Clark, Kimmy Fasani, and many more. See the event highlights here.
FISHING: Ice Fisherman Lands 50-Pound Muskie. A fisherman in Minnesota pulled a 50-plus-pound muskie through a very tiny hole on Mille Lacs, reported several news sources. The 54-inch muskie was just shy of the state record for that fish: 57.5 inches long. Read more about the catch here.
RACE: These 6 Athletes at the Marathon Olympic Trials Made the USA Team. The top six finishers at the Olympic trials this past Saturday earned a spot on the American team that will head to Tokyo. This year, a few records were set, including the oldest runner to join the national team.
Aliphine Tuliamuk finished in first for the women with a time of 2:27:23, and Molly Seidel in second at 2:27:31. The difference between the first- and second-place runners was the closest marathon trial finish in history. Abdi Abdirahman, who finished third for the men, became the oldest Olympic marathon runner at 43 years old. Read more here.
