The Glacier Challenge is an event worthy of superheroes, and that’s who this summer’s multi-sport relay race is hoping to summon.
One of the valley’s beloved homegrown fixtures is back for its 12th installment. The annual Glacier Challenge is Saturday, July 19, and features a new element, a triathlon, that’s being added to the slate of activities. The triathlon will feature a 10K foot race, 1.98 miles of kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding and 22 miles of biking.
The traditional Challenge will feature six legs totaling nearly 50 miles — 6.55 miles of running, 1.98 miles of kayaking, 13 miles of road biking, 8.26 miles of mountain biking, another 9.76 miles of road biking, 4.03 miles of canoeing and 2.54 miles of running.
As usual, some participants will dare the entire Challenge on their own — former Flathead High School standout runner Caleb Ambrose won the solo division last year with an overall time of 3 hours, 58 minutes and 52 seconds. Steve Muller of Kalispell finished second, in 4:17:23. Makena Morley, a standout runner who will be a senior at Bigfork High School next fall, was the top female finisher, 4:35:44. A total of 25 racers completed the entire Challenge on their own.
A majority of participants compete on teams ranging from two to seven members. The Nomad men’s team, a longtime defending champion and perennial contender, was the top team last year with an overall winning time of 3:39:09.
All proceeds from the competition benefit the Flathead Youth Home, an emergency shelter in Kalispell for local kids in crisis. Last year’s event raised nearly $30,000 for the nonprofit youth home, which supports an average of 100 kids per year.
Following that spirit of support, organizers are encouraging participants to strap on a cape or don any colorful assortment of superhero attire for this year’s race in Whitefish.
“I hope a lot of people will get into it and I’m excited to see folks show up as super heroes,” Hannah Plumb, the development coordinator at the Flathead Youth Home, said.
Organizers created the triathlon as a way to add another option for participants who didn’t want to tackle the entire daunting Challenge or who couldn’t organize an entire team, Plumb said.
“We’ve had people say I’d love to do the Glacier Challenge solo but can’t do six legs. The other challenge is getting seven people on a team,” Plumb said. “The triathlon makes it a lot more accessible to people. I really hope it grows into something pretty significant.”
The biking stages are being changed this year to include the Whitefish Trail and a more scenic route for road bikers. Instead of tracing U.S. Highway 93, the first road bike stretch will travel north along Baker Avenue and Wisconsin to Swift Creek Trailhead at the Whitefish Trail. From there, mountain bikers will pedal the winding forested track toward Smith Lake before returning to the trailhead and transitioning to the second road bike phase, which returns to downtown Whitefish.
“The Whitefish Trails are a legacy and they’re beautiful trails, and we thought why don’t we use them?” Plumb said.
Registration is open through July 17.