Homer Epic 100K

[patirwin]

Registration for the 2013 Homer Epic 100K opens Nov 1st w/ a limit of 150 racers.
Fee is $150

The trail is a 16ft wide piston-bully groomed snowmachine trail in the Caribou Hills on the Southern Kenai Peninsula near Homer.

6470 ft of climbing

We hope to see you in March!

Check it out:

Homer Epic 100k — Kachemak Nordic Ski Club

Homer Epic 100 | Facebook

[Falcon2000]

Looks like a lot of work.

[Velobike]

Fancy a crack at that. Getting there is the problem.

[patirwin]

The Homer Epic organizers are contemplating a 50K option in addition to the 100K. It's one big loop w/ a lot less climbing than the 100k which uses the same loop AND another section that has most of the climbing sections.

If we include a 50k we'll most likely change the date of the Epic so we don't conflict w/ the Homer Marathon 42k ski race (We don't want to steal ski racers from that long-standing event).

Do you folks think there's a big demand for a 50K or is only having the 100K good enough?

Your thoughts are appreciated!

Pat

[JordyB]

I'd like to do the 50k! Also makes a good pre qualification for the 100k?

[curly1]

I think the 50 is a great idea. How long would the 50 take, anybody have a guess?

[Valhalla]

I like the 50 inclusion too. Might take 4-6 hours to do the 50. The Su 50 average for men is about 5 hours with the fastest times between 3-4.5 hours.

[damnitman]

...Team Fresh Off The Couch in in for 50k...

[patirwin]

Due to an expected increase in 100k racers that hopefully will reach the 150 racer limit the organizers, including yours truly, have decided against having a 50k in conjunction w/ the 100k.

We want the Homer Epic to grow slowly so we can continue to offer you a great event on awesome backcountry trails w/ minimum growing pains for us. We're a small group who organize this event and we want to make sure we do it right.

We hope to include a 50K option next year.

Registration for the 2013 Homer Epic opens on November 1st and I look forward to seeing many of you down here.

Homer Epic 100k — Kachemak Nordic Ski Club

Pat

[Ak29]

See you in March, if not before.

[patirwin]

Just a few more days until the opening of Registration for the 2013 Homer Epic. It's a beautiful course and we hope to see you in March!

Homer Epic 100k — Kachemak Nordic Ski Club

Pat

[patirwin]

Registration opened today for the 2013 Homer Epic 100k. The limited entry is filling up fast so don't delay if you want to experience one of the coolest events in Alaska.

So far we have a fun group coming together so it's sure to be a good time on this awesome and scenic course in the Caribou Hills overlooking beautiful Kachemak Bay.

We look forward to seeing you all in March!

Homer Epic 100k — Kachemak Nordic Ski Club

Pat

[patirwin]

Homer Epic 100k - YouTube

Hope to see you soon!

Pat

[curly1]

Was a decision made on the 50 mile loop?

[JordyB]

Was a decision made on the 50 mile loop?

Ya, no go this year, maybe next!

[patirwin]

we hope to add a 50k loop option in 2014. We're a small group who organize the Epic and we're just not staffed for an additional race at this point. The 100k covers the 50k loop plus.

Hope to see you all in March

Pat

[patirwin]

check out your competition and come join the fun

Homer Epic 100k — Kachemak Nordic Ski Club

Pat

[patirwin]

We have a fun crowd registered so far and the course is looking pretty good. Like everyone else we're waiting for more snow but much of the course is rideable now.

We hope to see more of you in March!

Pat

[patirwin]

Just to let those who care Homer got about 3 ft of fresh as a Holiday gift. The Epic course is shaping up to be as good as it gets. Hope to see you down here in March!

Pat

[patirwin]

Happy New Year!!!

Just a reminder that Early Registration for the 2013 Homer Epic ends on Tuesday Jan 15th, just 2 days away. The fee will increase from $150 to $250 after Tuesday so now is the time to beat the increase.

Weather on the course has been pretty good up until the past few days when light rain has replaced the daily snowfall we've been getting in the Caribou Hills. So far the course conditions are bomber so plan on coming down to have a go on some of the best trails in the state!

Homer Epic 100k — Kachemak Nordic Ski Club

Pat

[patirwin]

The Epic trails are in awesome shape right now since our local snowmachine club grooms regularly with a pisten bully! We still have room on the roster so come on down and join in the fun. 62 miles of groomed trail-you can't beat that!

Homer Epic 100k — Kachemak Nordic Ski Club

Pat

[patirwin]

The 2013 Homer Epic is in the books and what a race it was. Jamie Stull broke away from Josh in the last few kilometers to take the win in 5.5 hrs after they'd swapped leads the entire race. In fact a group of 6 fatbikes broke away at the start and formed a paceline, yes a paceline, and took turns taking pulls at the front. Racers slowly fell off the back until it was just Jamie and Josh left going into Checkpoint 3. Jamie was able to pull away heading to the finish to take the win! With 6500' of climbing he still averaged 11.3 mph. How awesome is that!

I know this sounds like a road race report but that's exactly what it was like on the most awesome trails I've ever seen in a winter race. It was a race organizers dream to have a trail that was perfect for bikers, skiers and runners. Thanks to good timing for pisten bully grooming and perfect weather I don't think it could have been any better. It was the trail we all dream about!

Thanks to everyone who came down to participate. I won't guarantee we'll have the same trail conditions next year but we'll do our best, so plan on joining us in 2014!

I'll upload some pics as soon as I figure out how so in the mean time you can check out the Epic page to see more photos and comments:

Homer Epic 100k — Kachemak Nordic Ski Club
Homer Epic 100 | Facebook

Pat

[patirwin]

I'm still learning the Upload ropes here so please bear with me.

2 of the pics show Jamie and Josh leading the charge after dropping the chase pack on Mathews Hill then crossing the plateau at 2000 ft. The groomed trail pic is after 6 bikes went over it. Can you tell?

Hope this all works...

[patirwin]

Just to let everyone know that the trails you see in the Epic Photos are open all winter and groomed once/wk. And there are way more ungroomed snowmachine trails as well as the pisten bully trails that are groomed for the many folks who just want a smooth ride into their cabins, so the fat biking is pretty endless. The Caribou Hills trails stretch from Homer all the way up to Kasilof, so there's no shortage of fun to be had. There are also good trail/beach combo loops if you want to mix it up. The trails down here are usually good to mid April but call someone before you drive this far or ask on this forum.

Have a good rest of the winter,

Pat