You want to Denali Tangle?! Great! Here is what we have found works pretty well in the last couple years:
This event is untimed, self-supporting, and very flexible to your needs.
#4: Team Building
Meghan and Val are not assigning teams in 2018. It’s on you to organize a group of runners, bikers or a combo of each to cross the Denali Highway with you. If you are having trouble making a team, please let us know! There is a pretty good chance we know some people that want to run or bike too.
Please keep in mind that is not really an “official” event. While we are providing a format, we are putting this together for our friends and family (you!) and half the fun is the camaraderie, camping, fishing and berry picking with family and friends at the finish. We aren’t providing any thing (vehicles, food, lodging, etc.) so your team needs to be self-sufficient.
#5: Who does what leg
Our fun Denali Tangle tradition has been to draw names from a hat to know who does what leg. Personally, we (Meghan and Val) like to draw names AS WE GO.
For example: Runner 1 is drawn by a stranger at the start. Then, Runner 2 is drawn by Runner 1, when Runner 1 has one mile left of their leg. This continues until the only name left is the final runner/biker.
#6: Runners
To relay-run the highway, we recommend you have 10 people on a running team, with each person running about 11 miles. In the past, we have done this with anywhere from eight to 10 people. It takes around 18 hours to complete with each runner taking around two hours.
#7: Bikers
In the past teams have had six riders that bike approximately 20 miles each. This makes the Tangle much faster while still enjoying all the sites along the road. A bike team is a really great low-impact version to allow maximum participants in this portion of the weekend.
#8: Shortcuts
Don’t want to run that far? No problem-o! The beauty of this family-friendly event is that you can start and finish ANYWHERE YOU WANT! Every mile there is a milepost sign; Meghan and Val can happily give you an idea of terrain if you would like to cut it a bit shorter, or skip some crazy inclines (Hint: East of the Susitna River and climbing the Maclaren Summit, just east of Maclaren River).
#9: Vehicles
We advise 2-3 vehicles per team. This way one car can always follow the runner/biker and the other vehicle can go ahead every mile or two (or five) to cheer, pass out water and warn of upcoming traffic or wildlife, etc. Also, at least two people per car is highly recommended as a safety precaution so no one is driving or waiting by themselves (buddy system!).
#10: Relay Start
You can depart Cantwell at anytime you like, but something to keep in mind is your estimated arrival time to Tangle Lakes and how tired you may be after you get there. The run is only half the fun, so make sure you plan enough rest time to be able to enjoy the company and activities (fishing! berry picking! camp cooking! yard games!) at the finish! To give you an idea of how long this will take here is a rough breakdown of past Tangles:
2016 Team: ~24 hours
- 5 runners / 3 bikers / lots of scenic breaks + a lunch & beer break at MacLaren Lodge
2017 Biking Team: ~12 hours
- 6 bikers / Completed the Tangle on Friday, start to Finish.
2017 Run/Bike Team: ~17 hours
- 7 runners / 3 bikers / minimal breaks (and Maclaren Lodge was closed when we ran by)
Denali Tangle TM 