Arrowhead 135 comes to a close

Endurance sports
Arrowhead 135 comes to a close
The last finishers in the 2016 Arrowhead 135 endurance race across the northern Minnesota wilderness reached Fortune Bay Casino near Tower on Wednesday evening after more than two days on the trail.
Kevin Mackie of Brule was the last official finisher; he ran in the race from International Falls to Tower that also includes bikers and cross-country skiers, and finished in 59 hours, 54 minutes - just ahead of the 60-hour cutoff time. Arrowhead veteran Daryl Saari of Rochester, Minn., was the last competitor to reach Tower but missed the cutoff by just 13 minutes.
Ninety-four bikers, 55 runners and two cross-country skiers started the 12th annual race Monday morning in International Falls. Fifty-eight bikers finished and 36 dropped out; 28 runners finished, one missed the cutoff time and 26 dropped out; and both skiers finished. In total, about 41 percent of competitors dropped out; the average in the notoriously difficult race is about 50 percent.
Temperatures were well above normal for this year’s race, causing soft snow that presented some challenges to racers.
-- Carla Goulart of Brazil won the women’s running title in 52:51 after dropping out last year, and missing the cutoff by just 10 minutes in 2014 when temperatures dropped to 30 below zero and 66 percent of racers dropped out.
-- Mike Stattelman of Duluth completed the Arrowhead 135 running-biking-skiing triad, finishing on his bike in 36:39 after previously successfully skiing and running the event.