In the endurance scene, it seems that with age comes the desire to push ones limits in longer events. Often times the people who are participating are 30 plus. If you saw a teenager standing at the start line you would assume they were there to cheer on their mom, dad or, in some cases, even their grandparent! Scanning the list of starters at this year’s ITI   , some participants where in their 70’s, which is bad ass!

Enter 16yo Jacob Hora @jacob_hora. Jacob was born and raised in Victor, Idaho, a small town located in the Tetons. Victor is an outdoor recreator’s paradise and boasts a plethora of trails for bikers and hikers to get out and explore. With this in mind, it’s no wonder this small town turns out passionate athletes like Jacob and legendary endurance athlete, Jay Petervary.

Jay would watch Jacob ride his bike to school day after day, even in the most adverse weather conditions. Jay saw talent in this young athlete and took Jacob under his wing encouraging him to tackle the Iditarod Trail Invitational.

The 2021 ITI 350 was a, pandemic friendly out and back this year taking riders from Knik Lake to Rohn, Alaska and back. Jay and Jacob completed the 350 mile route in 4 days 17 hours and 54 minutes, a mere 10 hours behind the winner, Aaron Thrasher. This a huge accomplishment for an ITI rookie but with Jacob’s experience, it was well within his abilities.

Jacob has been riding bikes as long as he can remember. When he was 12 he participated in Jay Petervary’s 60km Fat Pursuit. This was his first race and was the catalyst for his passion for racing bikes. He continued honing his racing craft, participating in various races organized by NICA, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. Jacob loves the community of cycling for it’s encouraging and supportive nature and the camaraderie he finds there.

I was really impressed by Jacob’s passion for what he does and the commitment he shows to getting out there to push his own limits and learn as much as he can. I was also really impressed by this young man’s drive and growth mindset. I’m sure we will be seeing more from Jacob in the coming years and I can’t wait to see how far he’ll go. 

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