Iceman 2023 was truly the definition of an end-of-year celebration. Michigan weather came through with a clear, sunny day in the low to mid 40’s. While it was a bit chilly at the start, there is nothing quite like gathering around one of the finish line fires with a Bell’s Two-Hearted while rocking the Iceman beanie. When I say that everyone is at Iceman, I mean it. Athletes from the mountain bike, road, gravel and even triathlon circles turn up to race or cheer on their friends.
My race looked a little different than in years past. I had a last-minute roll-down spot to run the Javelina Jundred (100K) in Arizona the weekend before Iceman. It’s an iconic race in the ultramarathon world. It’s the Halloween-themed party in the desert featuring fire jugglers, costumes, and a rave. Running for 10 hours was definitely not the ideal activity for an Iceman performance the next week. Running in the 85 degree desert heat wasn’t good acclimation for a chilly November morning in Michigan either. However, there was no way I was going to turn down either event! As soon as I lined up at Iceman start, I felt that competitive spirit spark one last time for the year.
Iceman is such a wild time because it is a competitive event, but it’s also just plain fun. Every road crossing, aid station, and most of the hills have a cheer squad – from a handful of volunteers pointing you towards the trail, to the costumed folks screaming at you to make it up that climb. It’s easy to keep smiling through the rough patches with that type of energy bolstering you along. I’ve said it many times, but my adrenal glands didn’t power me through Iceman this year – I pulled all my energy from the spectators!
The course was a little different this year, slightly shorter but with more single track. The classic climbs were still there and sure enough, Rob Meendering was parked up at Icebreaker to capture the smiles and grimaces coming up that last stretch.
The highlight of the race for me was getting to hang out and recap the season afterwards with all of our cycling friends. A close second highlight is that several of the amazing juniors on my team, Athletic Mentors, raced in the women’s pro field. I hope that collectively, we in the amateur field and the incredible pro women, inspire the next generation of strong women cyclists to turn out and turn up. See you all at the finish line next year!
Thank you to our 2023 Iceman Cometh Challenge Ambassador Elaine Sheikh @elaine_muskrat