Inside The Alcan 5000 Rally As It Celebrates 40 Years

The Alcan 5000 Rally organization is celebrating 40 years of existence. This fabled time-speed-distance (TSD) road rally began in 1984 and challenges adventure vehicles of all sorts. From Porsches and pick-up trucks to Subarus and sedans, the Alcan 5000 Rally pits two-person teams against 5,000 miles of North America’s most remote roads in just 10 days. How you finish it and in what condition your vehicle is at the end is up to you.

This somewhat unknown TSD road rally is notorious for potential extreme conditions and exhausting hours, attracting those brave enough to attempt it. Starting near Seattle, Washington, the Alcan 5000 Rally runs like the Olympics. Its events are typically held every two years and follow the same cadence: winter, then summer, then winter and so on.

A TSD rally is a precision-based competition, not a go-fast one. Teams travel on public roads at or below public speed limits and must be precisely on time and on course based on a route book supplied by the rallymaster. Teams with the closest on-time perfect scores (zero) win their class, or the overall event.

The route book lists 5,000 miles of line-by-line directions, with incremental odometer readings, overall mileage markers, and what to do at each point. Additionally, TSD rally challenges add in specific speeds teams must maintain, like 23 MPH for .26 miles, then change to 38 MPH for 1.83 miles, and so on. Sign descriptions and other pertinent info related to said challenges are also included.

My husband, Andy Lilienthal, and I first competed as privateers in the winter 2020 Alcan 5000 Rally. We piloted our customized 1991 right-hand-drive Mitsubishi Pajero turbo diesel 4x4 for the event. We successfully battled blizzards and big game to reach the Arctic Ocean and Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories and more before finishing in Anchorage, Alaska 5,040 bone-chilling miles later. Andy and I completed all extreme controls, plus extra driving routes for bonus points, like 146 miles of ice roads (the same haul roads the truckers use), going to Coldfoot Alaska and back from Fairbanks in one day, in temps that dipped as low as -43 degree Fahrenheit.

We got bit by the Alcan 5000 bug hard. So, we subsequently entered the 2022 summer iteration with Subaru of America and drove a new 2022 Outback Wilderness. During that 5,000-mile competition, we trekked over 1,500 miles of dirt and gravel as the route had changed. We garnered a Gravel Travel award for going after all optional extreme route challenges, something not all teams do.

This year, however, we drove a new 4x4 SUV from a brand-new auto manufacturer: a 2024 INEOS Grenadier Trialmaster from UK-based INEOS Automotive. This vehicle was only sold in the U.S. for a few weeks before we started rallying. It’d be the first time anyone competed with this marquee and vehicle, especially in conditions so extreme.

The 2024 Alcan 5000 Rally covered approximately 5,000 miles of snow- and ice-covered roads. Teams drove through Washington state, British Columbia, Alberta, the Northwest Territories (to Yellowknife), over to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory and then to Fairbanks, Alaska. From there, ralliers had an optional jaunt to Coldfoot above the Arctic Circle, a dip down to Valdez (after Thompson Pass reopened) and then to the finish in Anchorage—within 10 days.

There were 36 total teams. Seventeen trucks and SUVs were in our segment: the 2 SOP (Seat of Pants) Truck/SUV class. Some players used rally computers or apps during the competition phase of the rally (they’re in the Unlimited classes). Others, like those in Seat of Pants classes, used old-fashioned calculators, GPS-based or vehicle odometers and long-form math to figure out what exact times they needed to be at specific places during TSDs.

The weather was more favorable than 2020, but we saw temps plummet more than 30 degrees within two hours on our way to Yellowknife. A stiff headwind greeted us as our fuel economy plunged, too. Temperatures fell to -37 degrees Fahrenheit during the rally, we had pass closures to and from Valdez, Alaska and saw multiple days of whiteouts and icy conditions.

However, teams prevailed and every one of them finished the 40^th year of the Alcan 5000 Rally! My husband and I took 1^st place in the 2 SOP Truck/SUV Class and came in 10^th overall. We earned the Arctic and Go Farther awards for successfully completing all optional extreme routes, too.

No matter what you drive or how you finish, the Alcan 5000 Rally camaraderie is great. People help each other when someone is in need and folks are friendly. We’re all there with a common goal: to experience the journey as much as the end destination.