Blog: Feature Stories

It’s a pretty good bet most of us have toed the start line with those butterflies in our belly; wondering if we’re trained, fueled, or well-rested enough to perform. Some of us have wrestled with the notion we might not even finish a race. Fewer still, have pondered whether we’d actually survive.

Peter Ripmaster has had all of those thoughts and more along the 1,000 mile Iditarod Trail Invitational, a race he’s finished, won, and yes; almost killed him.

This is not the event most of us associate with the Iditarod. There are no dogs, little to no media coverage, a handful of starters, and even fewer finishers. It’s just man – or woman – against the miles, the trail, the clock, and the wild.

Ripmaster’s Asheville home is literally thousands of miles from that trail. But the distance and the years separating him from that experience haven’t dulled the edge of the keen recollections that led him to the finish or the start.

“It took the life out of me. It took everything I had to finish this race,” says Ripmaster. He says, only half-joking, that he’s still recovering two years later. He needed IV transfusions several times a day once he got home, and slept for a couple of weeks. “I was a walking spirit. I still had a mind, but my body was gone.”

So how does a guy decide he wants to put himself through this grueling, death-defying, mental and physical torture? Ripmaster says his fascination with the Iditarod dog race began with adventures he liked to read in 5th grade.

It began with storytime

“I was reading novels about Balto and endurance, and really had a dream to do the Iditarod when I first read about it,” says Ripmaster. If you’re unfamiliar with the story of Balto, he’s a Siberian Husky who led a team of sled dogs on the final leg of a 675-mile emergency run from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, carrying a shipment of serum for a diphtheria outbreak. Balto was regarded as a hero at the time and is memorialized with a statue in New York’s Central Park.

“I really had a dream to do the Iditarod (dog race) when I first read about it,” says Ripmaster.

You’ve probably already figured out this was not a task for just anybody — but Ripmaster comes by his resilience honestly. Born and raised in Michigan, he was used to brutal winters. “If it’s cold, you put on extra layers,” he says matter-of-factly. “You don’t sit and whine about it!”

His next step came much later, when he moved to Alaska to train for the Iditarod dog race. He lived with 250 dogs, and discovered an important detail — he wasn’t very good at taking care of large numbers of big dogs. Dream unrealized, he returned to the lower 48 states and figured out a new goal — to run a marathon in each of the 50 states.

Along with accomplishing his new goal, he started running ultra marathons, too. It was the endurance challenge he needed.

“The distance wasn’t the kicker, it was just running in that extreme cold,” says Ripmaster. But the training paid off in another way. “Ultra trained me that I had a really, really strong mind, and ultras are about your mind — your body wants to stop, your mind wants to stop. So I ask myself, ‘Do I have the mental capacity to do this?’ and I found out I did.” Humbled many times, he kept going and got mentally and physically stronger along the way.

And then came the opportunity to realize a childhood dream. He read about the Iditarod Trail Invitational, which combines the toughest elements of Ultra Running with the famed dog race — just without the dogs.

“It was awesome to read about the Iditarod trail run,” he remembers. “I was excited because I got my dream back.”

A dream comes back to life

Ripmaster describes the trail run as a 1,000-mile, semi-supported race. That means there were checkpoints where competitors could eat, shower, or spend the night in a lodge, but Ripmaster says he spent most nights sleeping on a trail.

“If you’re falling asleep on the trail and it’s 37 miles until the next stop, you stop and sleep,” he says. “I hate stopping. If I want to get someplace, I want to get there.” He carried his gear with him and knew speed would be a factor in winning the race. He averaged 38 miles a day for 26 days in a row, admitting some days were harder than others to make progress because of harsh weather.

“There are days there’s 2 feet of snow and you’re going a half-mile an hour,” he commented. Those days he only got a dozen or more miles down. Other days he trekked 60. In the end, it took him 26 days, 13 hours, and 44 minutes to finish and win the race, 40 pounds lighter than when he started. But it was a major accomplishment for him — since 1999, only 16 people have finished the entire distance. “Sometimes you’re hallucinating enough to think you see stuff.”

But merely describing the harrowing conditions of the race makes it sound doable (for some people). The details are where this story goes off the rails — and remember, Ripmaster didn’t finish until his THIRD try. He decided to give the race one last try, after dropping out in 2016 — after a near-death experience.

And yes, it nearly killed him

“I was by myself and the sun was going down. I was on the most dangerous part of the trail — along 4 miles of river, in a year there’s not much ice,” he begins. “I was crossing a river by myself, mashing it with my trekking pole to make sure it would hold, and I made it halfway across the river on that trail. I smacked it one last time and the whole bridge cracked beneath my feet.”

Hear Ripmaster tell it in his own words on this episode of the Running Around Charlotte Podcast!

In the next heart-stopping moments, Ripmaster describes being in water over his head. Every time he swam out, he’d crack more ice and get pulled in. With his sled beneath him pulling him down, he thought he was done for good. He was trapped for what seemed like an eternity. He “barely snuck out” with his life.

“I’m still shaking and it’s been 2 years,” he says. “It was just a very close call, and I actually made it 300 more miles after that accident, and quit because my mind was gone. I had lost it in my mind, and I knew I couldn’t go another 500 miles after that.” Another year, he quit because he just couldn’t endure -65 degrees on the trail.

“I went back in 2018 and was going for it again,” he recounts, “but this is the last time I’m trying and if I don’t do it I’m done because it was hard on me and my family. It came together. I had no idea about how, but it did.”

Go-Getter, Goal-Setter

Ripmaster uses his experience to motivate others, often sharing his story when speaking to businesses. He tells his audiences that if they’re achieving all of their goals, their goals aren’t big enough.

“If you’re failing, you’re actually in a good place because you don’t know if you’re succeeding or not, and that, to me, is the very definition of adventure,” he says. While he knew he could finish marathons and ultra races, failing the first two Iditarod trail runs made him dig deeper and learn about what he’s really made of.

“In day-to-day life now, if I fail at something, I don’t get down about it. I tried and did everything I could to succeed — and if I didn’t, I have to go back to the drawing board,” he says. “But most of the time when I look in the mirror, I didn’t work hard enough to succeed — and it’s on me.”

It’s a good lesson for anyone trying a new challenge, in any of life’s venues.

“I did over 2500 miles on Iditarod races and learned a lot about myself,” he says. “I would never have found that if I hadn’t pushed myself hard enough and long enough to find that — and I found that.”

If you love running and want to add some weights to build cardio and strength along the way… do we have the workout for you. Grab a backpack, pack a few pounds of weight in it, strap it on and get moving! OK, rucking is a little more complicated than that. It’s also harder than you might think, says rucker Michael Sweeting.

“Starting out, I used an old-school, metal-framed backpack and logged 2-3 miles, and I was really, really sore after that,” says Sweeting. “I had run and done different workouts, but this was really different.”

Rucking, for those unfamiliar with it, is the basis of military training. The military term for a backpack is a ruck, and rucking is putting weight in a backpack to “move with a purpose,” as on a long hike — like in military training. The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon includes a Rucking Division, in which competitors carry 10- or 20-pound weights (or more!) on their backs for the 13.1-mile event.

With the marathon’s timing in November, the Rucking Division competitors usually pay tribute to the military and veterans through their participation in the event. Sweeting heads up the division, which started in 2017, though the group took a year off in 2020. Traditionally, the group carries flags to honor military men and women.

“I have all the respect and honor for those who served,” says Sweeting. He adds he didn’t serve in the military himself but is a former college soccer player who was challenged to give rucking a try in 2016.

“It was a great opportunity to get an idea of special forces training — a very tiny snapshot into how they train,” says Sweeting. “It gives civilians a chance to do those events.” While rucking is only a fraction of the training and sacrifice military members make, Sweeting says the rucking community is close-knit because of the mental and physical endurance and training required to complete their 6, 12, and 24-hour events.

“It’s a battle for your mind. I will never underestimate that,” says Sweeting about the toughness required to do the longer events. Your body will give out with a few hours left, he says, but then it’s up to your brain to keep going. “You may look like you got run over by a dump truck when you’re done, but you’ve finished,” he says with a laugh. Weekend events that involve 60 – 80 hours of rucking push participants to dig even deeper.

“You find your spirit animal at some point so it’s all relative, says Sweeting. “It’s a bond you can’t explain and understand until you’ve been there and done that. You see someone with a (finishers) patch on their backpack and you immediately have a relationship.”

Does that sound like your kind of fun? Sweeting says there are several clubs around the Charlotte area to help you get started. Clubs in Charlotte, Cabarrus, Mooresville, and Lake Norman have pages on social media to help you, and more tips are available on goruck.com. Find your closest club here: https://www.goruck.com/pages/find-a-goruck-club

And if you’re ready to jump right in, you can register for the Rucking Division at this year’s Novant Health Charlotte Marathon.

We can’t let near-freezing temperatures keep us from running, can we? Yes, we know about layers and hats and other things to keep us warm. But what about our skin? No matter how we cover up during winter, we need to treat them like the vital organ they are.

“Skin is one part of your immune system,” says Dr. Alyssa Daniel of Novant Health Dermatology – SouthPark. “One of its big functions is to be a barrier against invaders, like bacteria and infections.”

We’re not talking about COVID here, though much is still being learned about its spread. The most common culprit is eczema — that dry, itchy skin that can get red and cracked, and make us miserable. When that happens, the immune system is off-balance because our skin’s natural moisturizers dry up. Once dried, your skin loses some immune function.

“In winter, the dry atmosphere lacks humidity,” says Dr. Daniel. “We have very little humidity in the air and that leads to dry skin, because we’re evaporating the natural moisture in our skin.” Your skin simply can’t keep up with demands in winter, so you have to depend on store-bought moisturizers to do the job.

Wash, Moisturize, Repeat

The first step to protecting your skin is prevention. “Make sure before going out you’re giving your skin the best shot not to get dry,” says Dr. Daniel. That means using a gentle cleanser that is fragrance-free and hypoallergenic. Cleaning skin before moisturizing removes dead skin cells, and allows skin to breathe.

As you step out of the shower or rinse your face and hands after washing, seal some of that leftover moisture in with a moisturizer or emollient barrier. A moisturizer is creamier and adds moisture to skin, where an emollient is thicker and prevents water loss.

“You’re looking for moisturizers that are non-comedogenic,” says Dr. Daniel. “There are no oils likely to clog pores.” Choose moisturizers with ceramides, a natural moisturizer made by your skin. Aveeno, Cerave, Cetaphil, and Palmer’s all make lotions with ceramides, and are recommended for oily skin.

Emollients soften skin and prevent moisture loss. Again, avoid oils that can clog pores, or alcohol that can dry skin or evaporate too easily. Some surprising choices that work? Vaseline, Burt’s Bees, and aloe vera are all low in oils. Dr. Daniel also likes Aquafor. Use them generously around the nose and lips, which are most likely to be exposed to cold, dry air.

Cover Up

Your hands deserve as much attention as your face, because they are usually the first place to show wear in the winter — especially this year.

“Right now we’re over-washing them to keep them clean and COVID-free,” says Dr. Daniel. “We’re using a lot of hand sanitizer, too.” Alcohol-based (60% or more) hand sanitizers are effective against COVID, but dry the skin. Keep lotions by the sink to replenish the skin’s moisture after washing.

After moisturizing, put on some cotton gloves. If you’re just fixing dry skin overnight, socks will do. If you’re going for a run, cotton gloves are less irritating to sensitive skin than synthetics. And don’t forget to cover your face! Masks we’re all wearing for our health are doing double duty by keeping our skin and lungs warm. Just make sure you take it off and wash your face — AND your mask — as soon as you get home.

Top it Off

Your hands and face aren’t the only part of your skin that get dry and itchy during winter. Do you notice that your head itches sometimes, too? That’s normal, says Dr. Daniel.

“Your hair produces oils, and can cause seborrheic dermatitis, or a ‘subderm’ rash,” says Dr. Daniel. “Excess oil production leads to a dandruff condition.” Wearing a hat during extreme temperatures can cut down on the irritation. Shampoos formulated for dandruff or dry scalp, like those including zinc, can bring relief.

Stay consistent in your washing, moisturizing, and covering up, and your body’s largest immune barrier will stay healthier all winter long.

So that cool, crisp, fall air has now turned cold. Welcome, winter; but that never stopped you from running, right? Running in Charlotte is easily a year-round pursuit, but this time of year your nose wants to “run” with you. Keeping your snot to yourself is more than just a courtesy this year. It’s a necessity.

The obvious choices might be to wear a mask (handy for keeping your face warm!) or bring some tissues. Those are good ideas, says Dr. Karan Shukla, a Family and Sports Medicine Physician at Novant Health Randolph Family Medicine, and a longtime member of the medical team at Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. Masks are especially important if you are running on a busy or popular path where you can’t easily avoid being close to people. And remember to sneeze or cough into your elbow so you don’t broadcast your germs to anyone in your sphere.

But right about now, there’s a bigger question: Is my runny nose from the cold, an allergy, or COVID-19? A number of people who test positive for the virus report that they just thought they were having allergy problems, for which running in cold weather is a common culprit.

“Upper respiratory symptoms with exercise brings into discussion ‘exercise-induced rhinitis’ and ‘exercise-induced asthma,’” says Dr. Shukla. “Exercise is a well-established trigger for allergic disorders like hives, asthma, and anaphylaxis, but can also cause symptoms of rhinitis or inflammation of nasal passages – like sneezing, stuffy nose, and drainage.”

Dr. Shukla says as many as 50% of Olympic athletes have this problem, and about a quarter of all winter-sport athletes. In addition, if you’re new to the Carolinas, says Dr. Shukla, you’ll likely develop a few allergies you never knew you had. That’s perfectly normal. There are a few ways you can tell the difference between allergies and a virus.

First, if you get sniffles and congestion after a run, ask yourself: Are these symptoms that just started? Do they occur with certain identifiable triggers like exercising? Outdoors? Pets?

And now, more importantly, did they go away after a few hours? Have I been around a group of people who were not wearing masks and may have been asymptomatic COVID carriers? And the most common markers: Do I have a fever? Loss of taste or smell? Am I suddenly exhausted beyond belief?

“If you’re dealing with a COVID illness, your symptoms may fluctuate, but will be present and noticeable even when you’re not active,” says Dr. Shukla. “Fatigue and body aches, along with fevers and chills, and a loss of taste and smell – these symptoms suggest more than just an allergic response.” In other words, if you feel like you’ve been hit by a truck after activities you normally do, it’s more than allergies. It’s time to call your doctor, and take a day off.

“If you’re sick, don’t even do moderate activity because it can lead to potential worsening complications,” says Dr. Shukla. “If you’re sick, your heart is working harder, and your body is working harder to fight infection. You could have heart problems.” Doctors are learning more every day about COVID-induced heart problems like myocarditis or viral cardio myopathy, so give your heart a rest until you’ve recovered. If you want to get moving and feel up to it, walking is fine, says Dr. Shukla.

But if you rest and take care of yourself, and still don’t see improvement, keep your doctor in the loop about that. In addition to possible heart problems, blood clots are possible with COVID-19, which lead to shortness of breath.

“If you’re feeling unusually short of breath, see your doctor because you could have blood clots in your lungs or problems in your heart,” says Dr. Shukla. You can also get more easily dehydrated because fever and diarrhea both increase fluid loss. Drink plenty of fluids.

Otherwise, if it turns out that runny nose and congestion are just allergies, nasal sprays and anti-inflammatory medicine can help. Your doctor can point you to the right one.

So keep active, but to recap: Mask. Tissues. Sneeze or Cough into your arm. And NO SPITTING. (So no “snot rockets.” Ugh.)

“Blowing snot rockets right now is not a good idea when around others,” advises Dr. Shukla. Good idea.

And stay warm!