Drew’s Angel Creek 50k
The mist shrouded the mountains hiding their peaks & adding a mysterious air to the dense forest surrounding the Angel Rocks trailhead. A moose morphs out of the thick undergrowth and disappears again so quickly I question whether my mind conjured up this vision.
It’s Saturday August 3rd 2024 and I’m at a trailhead about 1hr15 north of Fairbanks, Alaska to run one of the toughest summer ultras in the state; the Drew’s Angel Creek 50km with a punchy 6,500ft of climbing along ridge lines that I was told will challenge the most experienced of trial runners. Here goes nothing then!
It had been raining for the week leading up to the race so the streams & rivers were full to bursting & rushing hard & fast. Pre race advice was of that; wet feet were guaranteed with numerous creek crossings at close to waist height, along with recent bear and moose sightings so advisable to make some noise along the trail and keep the bear spray at the ready.
It was a cool 40ºF (4ºC) start, although it was dry it was most certainly wet underfoot and within the first mile we were ankle deep in freezing water. It wasn’t long before the single track route started to headed up wards for the first 3,000ft climb of the day. I’d befriended two ladies from North Carolina, Tracy & Anderson, at the start and found we had a similar pace, their enthusiasm and positivity matched well with me and together the 3 of us certainly were making some noise chatting & laughing as we ascended Chena North Dome. The mist and clouds had settled on the dome about 4 miles into the race and visibility was low, making route tracking difficult so following the breadcrumb trail on my watch proved the most viable option to stay on track.
Mist at the top of Chena Dome: Photo credit Lucja Leonard
A tricky, technical descent brought us back down to the first checkpoint, being passed by the race leaders as they’d gotten off track on the dome in the clouds. Taking in a few calories and a slug of coke we headed off on some cruisy fire trails onto checkpoint 2. This section was super runnable so we made the most of it to have miles ticking quickly by.
Descending off the Dome – Photo credit Anderson Dibble
A nasty little out ‘n back greeted us there, this section was only 1.5 miles in total but was full bog for the entire length, we all took turns sinking into the quicksand like bogs of mud, water and grass. At one point I was thigh deep praying my shoe would come out along with my foot, thankfully it did. Double knotted laces saving the day!
Returning to the checkpoint we were offered an alternative route along the road if we didn’t feel comfortable tackling the next section that had an untold amount of water crossings, but we opted for the full route, you’re only cheating yourself after all! It was no joke! 3 miles took an eternity as we spent most of it in creeks, some up to mid thigh for extended periods in freezing water, so cold it made our legs scream and turned our feet into ice blocks. We laughed and screamed our way through this section, if we didn’t laugh we’d have been crying! It was fun in the Type 2 way that’s for sure.
Reaching checkpoint 3 we were back at the start as we’d just done a big loop around North Chena Dome and now had the final 8.6 miles up and over Angel rocks descending into the finish at Chena Hot Springs. The thought of soaking in the hot springs at the finish was the motivation we needed to tackle the last 3,500ft climb.
Angel Rocks – Photo credit Anderson Dibble
The clouds had started to clear and we were greeted with some stunning views from the top at Angel Rocks, stunning rock formations surrounded by a never ending landscape of thick, green wilderness. The legs were put to the test to reach the top through a couple of small boulder fields but then rewarded with a lovely section along the ridge line before we were again hit with the Alaskan wilderness on full blast. Overgrown bushes hid the trail that we pushed and shoved our way through, battling bogs and downed trees all whilst staying alert and remaining noisy for the bears. We’d seen plenty of fresh bear scat along the way and were stoked we’d stuck together as a trio, it definitely would have felt pretty eerie and I’d have felt vulnerable had I been on my own.
Boulders – photo credit Anderson Dibble
There were no signs of the finish line coming anytime soon but then we literally exploded out of some overgrown bushes and there it was, the steam rising from the hot springs and the smell of bbq wafting towards us. A final sprint finish and we were done, just over 9hrs! A tough but well spent day out forging new friendships and pioneering the Alaskan wilderness at Drew’s Angel Creek 50k.
Finish line – Photo credit Lucja Leonard
As we soaked our weary bodies in the natural hot springs talk quickly escalated to planning new and exciting adventures for the future. Friendships formed on the trails have a unique way of transforming you over and over again.
Hot springs soak – Photo credit Lucja Leonard
Speaking of friendships, check out my new friend, Anderson Dibble’s YouTube vlog of the race.
