Expedition Team 88 hotfoots it to Nome in time to cheer on arriving teams
Team 88, Brian Jurenka, Mike Telkamp and Nick Harrington stop for a sunset photo of the sea ice out of Elim by the Walla Walla cabin on Saturday, Feb. 18. They were the first Expedition Class team into Nome, a day earlier than the rest of the field. Courtesy Brian Jurenka
While the Iron Dog Pro Class race to Kotzebue heats up on Sunday, Expedition Class riders are making their way to the finish in Nome.
And one team hasn’t wasted any time. Team 88, Brian Jurenka, Mike Telkamp and Nick Harrington, have proven that you can take the rider out of the Pro Class, but you can’t take the Pro Class out of the rider. Jurenka and Telkamp, both Iron Dog Pro Class veterans, arrived in Nome a day ahead of the next incoming team. Harrington, a first-timer to the Iron Dog trail, had arguably the most successful Expedition Class run of the field. The team came into town at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, just in time for a big dinner.
Team 88 stopped in White Mountain on Saturday for a group shot with some young supporters. Courtesy Brian Jurenka
“It was absolutely perfect from Galena to Nome, so we just decided to keep going,” said Telkamp, who just before noon on Sunday was about to make his way into town to start cheering on the next team expected to arrive, Team 73 father-son duo Sam and Jake Maxwell.
Telkamp said the snow wasn’t so deep to create big holes, and the bluebird skies motivated them to continue riding.
“We could see really good,” Telkamp said. “We knew there was some snow coming and some low visibility on the way, so we decided to go ahead and try to get here. The visibility was absolutely perfect yesterday.”
Also, Jurenka added, trail volunteers outdid themselves.
Volunteers like White Mountain Lady Wolves basketball team members (l-r) Xevera Shenanigan, Lori Nassuk, Caitlyn Lincoln and Lana Ashenfelter help prep stakes to make sure riders and racers can find their way. Expedition Class riders applauded the work of the volunteers. Courtesy Irving Ashenfelter
“The trail was marked amazing from Unalakleet all the way to Nome,” he said. “The guys marking did a perfect job; they put in some serious time marking almost 200 miles of trail.”
Telkamp said the team’s most challenging moment on the trail was leaving their fourth teammate, Dave Schreier, behind in McGrath.
“He had a motor that blew up on him, and we couldn’t fix it,” Telkamp said. “It was tough for us to leave him behind, but he encouraged us. He’s already flew back home.”
The roughest section of trail was between Ophir to Poorman, where deep snow made the going slow, and wind drifts between Poorman to Ruby were challenging, as well, Telkamp added.
Fortunately, the riding improved from Unalakleet on.
“The pro racers are going to make super good time on that section of trail,” Telkamp said. “It’s not that deep of snow, so having lots of riders on it before probably won’t make that deep of holes for them.”
Sam Maxwell and his son Jake celebrate their finish in Nome on Sunday. For Sam, it was a replication of the father-son race he completed 50 years ago with his father, Les. “My dad always had a bottle of blackberry brandy with him,” Sam said. “We wanted to honor him.” Courtesy Sam Maxwell
As of 1 p.m. Sunday, the remaining Expedition Class teams were spread between Unalakleet and the finish and expected to arrive before the end of the day. Team 73, the Maxwells, had just arrived in Nome, and Team 50’s Kim Bergeron and Jean-Pierre Bernier were just 10 miles out.
“It’s wonderful, to be here,” said Sam Maxwell, who 50 years ago, as a 17-year-old, ran the Nenana-to-Nome race with his father – and this year replicated that journey with son Jake in the Expedition Class.
“We pulled in and had family here just like we did 50 years ago, and we Facetimed with my mom, who was with us 50 years ago,” he said. “And now we are heading down to the finish line to greet all the other people coming in.”
Maxwell said he and his son had an even better experience than he had anticipated.
“We had no hiccups at all; it went extremely well, we learned a lot about what the Expedition Class is all about, and the participants in it made it even more fun than what we thought it was going to be,” he said.
Team 88’s Harrington, Telkamp and Jurenka said they will be at the finish line all day to cheer everyone in. Getting in early is a benefit to retaining a little of that racer’s edge Telkamp and Jurenka experienced as Pro Class riders.
“It’s a lot less stress if you’re not on the clock all the time, and I love Alaska and getting to slow down,” Telkamp said of his Expedition Class experiences. “But yeah, we end up racing… that happens to us about every time we do this.”
Maxwell wholeheartedly agreed.
“They were all in full race mode since we left Big Lake,” he said. “There’s no messing around; these guys are serious.
“But we did spend a little bit of time at each of the checkpoints and villages,” he added. “All the locals and volunteers at all the villages are so smiling and happy and accommodating. The people are just as nice now as they were in ’73.”
Expedition Class riders will stay in Nome for the Halfway Ceremony & Banquet on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Also, all Expedition Class riders this year will receive a commemorative gold pan for their accomplishment of traveling 1,049 miles in the 2023 Iron Dog.