David Hill, 48, of Bow found out first-hand what you can do in 10 feet of snow in below-freezing temperatures on a bike, as he took part in the Susitna 100.

This 100-mile race took place in Alaska on Feb. 13 and 14. Participants had the choice of walking, skiing or biking and had to finish the race within 48 hours.

“A lot of (the race) was along the Iditarod trail,” said Hill. Hill was only able to complete 44 miles of the race, 7 miles on his bike.

“The conditions were so soft, I couldn’t ride my bike. I had to push it,” said Hill.

Hill said he had to drop out of the race at the second checkpoint. He said he wore a pair of bike pants during the race which are great for riding, but he did not realize they are not made to walk in and caused extreme chaffing.

“Everything was clicking except for those bike pants,” Hill laughed.

“One of the toughest decisions I had to make was to scratch out of this race,” Hill said on a more serious note. Hill said he got the idea to enter the race from Kim Kittredge, a friend living in Wasilla, Alaska.

“I e-mailed him to ask what he thought of Sarah Palin, and asked what he would be doing for excitement during the winter,” said Hill. “That’s when he e-mailed back the Susitna 100 Web site.”

Hill was in Alaska from Feb. 9 to 19. He rented a bike with 4-inch wide tires out there and trained for three days before the race. Before beginning the race, participants were all required to pack 3,000 calories of food and 15 pounds of gear – including tools, clothes, a sleeping bag, a closed cell foam pad and a tent or bivy sack.

Hill said at one point during the race, two different trails met at a junction in the middle of a river.

“That junction was not well marked, and a lot of people went the wrong way,” said Hill. Hill was one of those people, but realized he was on the wrong trail after 150 yards.

“Instead of backtracking, I cut across the river and hit the other trail,” said Hill.

At another point during the race, Hill said he was walking behind a guy who climbed Mount Everest.

“He pulled out this tube that was all duct tape. I could tell it was homemade. He squirted it in his mouth and it looked disgusting,” said Hill. “So I said, ‘What are you putting in your mouth?’ He walked over to me and said, ‘Open up.’ He then squirted an inch-and-a-half in my mouth. It was peanut butter, banana, oatmeal and honey. And the honey keeps it from freezing.”

“Everybody had such a positive attitude,” said Hill. “You have to. You can’t say, ‘I don’t like this, it’s hard.’ You’ll freeze to death. That’s what I love about it – hanging around all these positive people.”

Hill said he decided to use his participation in the race as a fundraiser for the Rape and Domestic Violence Crisis Center in Concord. This is an organization for children and young adults who have been abused and are trying to get their lives back together.

“Through education, the parents are done. But the children – we can educate them in the fact that abuse is a cycle. Through counseling and education, we can end that cycle,” said Hill.

Hill is still collecting donations for the crisis center. To make a donation, visit www.healthworksnh.com and click on the tab at the top of the page that says Alaskan Challenge.

There will also be a fundraising event on Thursday, April 16, at 5:30 p.m., at Healthworks Chiropractic and Fitness in Concord.

There will be an auction, a presentation on the race in Alaska and hors d’oeuvres and beverages. For more information, call 225-0025.