A dream come true. As a child, I dreamed of racing in the Iditarod. Later in life, before I started running far, I had a dream. I found myself walking in the infamous Happy River steps, but when I looked around I had no dogs. I was alone. When Kyle sent me the invite for the Iditarod Trail Invitational 150, I was so excited and grateful. I spent a lot of time outdoors in all types of weather and in the mountains training. So glad I focused on my hiking strength, my little Anvil prepared me for those steep and never ending climbs. I was alone most of the time, as I prefer to be. The footprints and bike tracks reassured me that I was on the right trail. They inspired me to keep pushing forward. I mainly used my watch for navigation, occasionally pulling out my phone to check Gaia. My sled runner broke around mile 37 which made it difficult to pull. I didn’t have tools to fix it or take the runners off. But even if it felt like 100 lbs. I was determined to drag it to the finish. When I got tired I stopped to rest for a few hours. Then I would tell myself, you’ve got to keep going. I heard someone call out my name in the night and there was no one around. My elders instructed us to never answer when we’re alone and someone calls out our name. It scared me a bit. The scenery was amazing, I was in awe every single time. The mountains. Everything I love is there, and it kept me happy. I whispered many prayers out there. I met incredible people. They love to push as I do, and all were so encouraging. It was amazing to watch them go day after day. It was a long and tiring push to the finish. Another athlete caught up and we made it in together. As we reached my finish line he cheered for me. It was just him and I. Some tears came out. We high fived and I went straight to bed completely exhausted. Looking back at my life and how it’s brought me on this path, I was meant to be here. It gave me quite a few tears thinking about it on the trail. And yet again, I have become strengthened to keep moving forward no matter how hard things get. Keep going. Many thanks to all those who supported me. Looking forward to coming back to go farther ❤️