Susitna 100

The Susitna 100 is a ski, foot, or bike race held on packed snowmachine and dog sled trails in the Susitna River valley, north of Anchorage. The remoteness of the trail, distance between checkpoints, and the winter conditions during the Race make it necessary for the racers to carry with them survival equipment. Gear to be used must pass inspection.

The current 100-mile course has evolved through changes in availability of checkpoint locations. Attached to this document is a link to a map that depicts the Susitna 100 course. The rivers and lakes that are named in this description can be oriented to the U.S. Geological Survey's Tyonek Quadrangle, should the truly curious want a clearer picture of what the course looks like in, say, mid-July. In February, however, this country is reduced to two colors, white and green, and is typically framed by a blue sky. Thanks to drifting snow, the region's shallow topography is barely distinguishable. This classic rendering of winter in simple colors and contours is marred only the intrusion of four-foot wide snow machine trails that run for miles across lakes and rivers and through breaks in the tree line. You are grateful for these trails, because they provide the foundation that makes human-powered travel faster than would otherwise be possible.