Playing in the Snow: Gearing Up for The Embark Oasis at the Arrowhead 135
The Arrowhead 135 is touted as “coldest gosh darn race anyplace, even the Arctic” with lows regularly in the -30 to -40 F range. Team Embark will be there for our third year wrangling Checkpoint #3, the Embark Oasis.
What is the Arrowhead 135?
The Arrowhead 135 is a human powered ultra marathon, with racers traversing 135 miles through the frozen wilds of northern Minnesota by foot, ski, fatbike or kicksled. Fewer than half the starters make it to the finish line. This race is not for the faint of heart.
The cold is not the only thing that makes Arrowhead unique. The sheer wild solitude of moving silently through an unpopulated wilderness; the vulnerability of having to rely wholly on your own body; the way the sound moves through a snow-covered forest, uninterrupted by traffic, streetlights or sirens; the brightness of the stars; the connection with something bigger and older and deeper in the landscape and in yourself. The real possibility of serious danger. The strength you find that you never knew you had.
Arrowhead is truly something special.
What is the Embark Oasis all about?
The Embark Oasis is checkpoint #3 at mile (approximately) 111, over 40 miles of cold, low wilderness from the last checkpoint. We have oodles of Good Energy, a fire, warm water, and a hot tent for racers to come in from the elements and collect themselves. Unless they are unsupported. Unsupported racers are checked in and are on their own. The Good Energy though, that is for everyone.
The Embark Oasis serves a critical safety point, as well as a 48 hour party in the woods. As racers come through we check them in, making sure nobody is lost in the wilds, and give them a chance to check in with their body and mind to make sure they’re fit to continue. The intensity of the event, along with the cold and sleep deprivation cause many racers to hallucinate or lose their bearings. Yes, we’ve brought racers off the trail and to the hospital, but we’ve helped more embrace the challenge ahead and get back out there for the final grueling miles.
Why do y’all do this madness?
Team Embark starts heading North nearly a week before the race starts to dig out our campground, pitch our hot tents and get the fires started. Once racers start rolling in on Monday evening it’s a two day party to the finish!
We have bonfires, dozens of grilled cheese sandwiches (sorry races, those are just for volunteers), maple steamers , fireworks, cowbells and the special kind of camaraderie that only comes from a winter night below the stars. We meet amazing people. We help each other out. We share Good Energy and are invigorated and inspired in return. We don’t sleep. We celebrate the successes of the past year and dedicate ourselves to the new year. We challenge ourselves and rise to those challenges. We drink more maple steamers. We unplug. We recharge. We feel the frost on our eyelashes and know we are living a full, difficult, beautiful, nearly impossible, unique life, and we wouldn’t trade it for all the comfort in the world.
It short, it’s a heck of a good time!
Where do I sign up?
To qualify for the Arrowhead 135 racers are required to prove they know what they are getting into by completing prior cold-weather endurance events, such as Tuscobia 160. The St. Croix 40 is a great place to get your start in winter endurance racing, building your skills for Arrowhead. Registration for this year’s race is closed, but if you’re interested in getting a taste for this awe-inspiring event, we’d love to have your help at the Embark Oasis! We’re looking for volunteers to help with check-ins, fire keeping and water tending. Hope to see you there!
