Dark Horse Invitational

The Dark Horse Invitational is the brain child of SS bike pack racing extraordinaire Chris Joice.  This "not a race" 😉😉😉 takes place in the vast expanse of the Cherokee National Forest (Reliance, Coker Creek, Tellico Plains area). In its 3rd year, Chris upped the ante by having a 3 day event, where you could just do the main event on Saturday or the full pull. As the name applies, you must have an invite to "race."  Those who raced the prior year get an automatic entry and can extend an invite to newcomers. The "not a race" is staged out of Fireside OutPost, owned and operated by Kim Murrell, the infamous creator of the Tennesee Gravel's ITT series, as well as the Three Rivers Way Vista 316/Mountain 430 bikepacking races.

This is a team event (teams of 2-3). I teamed up with Lisa Randall and extended an invite to Dave Jolin, who teamed up with John Switow and Justin Hunter. While the forecast leading up to the event had me  questioning my life choices, it changed enough to take it from Type 3 fun to Type 2.

DAY 1:  Friday Night Time Trial

For the full pull, only one team mate needed to ride Friday and Sunday.  But Lisa and I both wanted to experience the entirety of Chris' madness.  The fastest time of the team would be scored.  I pre rode this the week prior and boy was I glad.

Think of a back country cyclocross course on a decommissioned forest service road with downed trees and washed out roadbeds as barriers and saplings growing up in the roadbed that you had to weave through.  Now do this at night and after rain had fallen the previous day.  Yep, super spicy 6 mile TT!

📷: Graham Skardon

We took off in 30 second intervals.  Lisa started behind me, but caught up when there was a bit of a rider pile up at the road wash out, where we had to descend down, cross a creek, and then hike back up.  Overall, Lisa and I managed a win for the team, as she had the fastest time.  All that adventure racing paid off!

DAY 2:  Check Point Race

This was the big day out in da woods.  Think PMBAR, but on gravel bikes.  Using a map, passport, and experience, you had 10 hours to collect 3 mandatory CP's and 3 bonus CP's.  The passport, which contained rules of travel and the check points was not given to us at the start.  Instead we were given a boarding pass to the Hiwassee River Train.

📷: Graham Skardon

This was so freaking cool!  A 6 mile train ride to start.  Which meant 6 less miles to pedal and warmth for 15'ish minutes.  The boarding pass contained information regarding 2 checkpoints, 1 of which would have our passports.  The 2 CP's were the bridge at the Powerhouse and Kimsey Mtn/Piney Flats intersection.  So for those 15 minutes, my mind went back and forth between which CP had the passport. If I chose wrong, then it would cost us extra miles to head back to the other CP.  In the end, I figured heading to the Powerhouse was the lesser of two evils.  Most teams chose to go this way.  Most times when I have a 50/50 guess, I end up choosing wrong.  Well, the statistic gods were with me today, hoo-ray!

Once we arrived at the PowerHouse and grabbed the passport, we quickly plotted the CP's and I chose to head in a CCW direction, starting with the Kimsey Mtn/Piney Flats CP. The roads were wet and sloppy in spots, made worse by the fact that it was opening weekend for bear hunting, so all the Bubba's were out in their trucks driving the roads at breakneck speeds.  Think bass fisherman, but in Tacomas!

Lisa was on fire early on, as she dragged me through Piney Flats and then up Kimsey Mountain.  Not having any troubles snagging the second mandatory and then the bonus CP at Deep Gap TH, we motored over to Ditney Mountain.  I began to question my route choice when several teams came down Kimsey, going in the opposite direction as us.  Did I miss something in the rules of travel?  Perhaps 2 pages got stuck together and there were more CP's than we thought?  While I had this internal struggle for a few minutes, Lisa came through and assured me, even though she had no idea where she was, that I was going the correct way.  Later that night, at the campfire, as we exhchanged our route choices, those teams took the more arduous route up Smith Mountain.

Ditney Mountain Road was in the best ... shape ... ever!  Like a highway almost, it had been graded and compacted.  We made exceptional time going down to Farner. A short descent on Hwy 68 led us to Shuler Creek Road.  This was also in amazing shape, dry and fast!  We came upon Chris Joice and Rachel Woods, the photog.  We stopped briefly for a water refill and some candy.  Chris told us that Ali's team was just up the road.  

Smoke Signal Photography

That lit a fire under me and I had an amazing climb up to Unicoi Gap. It also helped that the sun came out and allowed me to thaw out ... again.  The previous 5 hours of riding had been super cold and I had experienced no fewer than 4 freeze/thaws of my extremities, between the climbing and descending.

Unicoi Gap CP

After snapping a selfie, we descended down and stopped at the Coker Creek visitor center for a quick pee break and bottle refill.  As we pulled in, Ali's team was just heading out.  I was shocked, as I had not expected to catch them.  Ali had brought some heavy hitters to this adventure, what with the likes of Amy and Chelsea, who between them, had multiple national titles and at least one world title.  And Ali is no slouch, as she represented the USA at UCI Gravel Worlds. 

We might have had a bit of an advantage on the descents, as we were on mountain bikes and they were on gravel bikes.  But, now that there was a lot of pavement left, I did not expect to be able to hang with them or even catch back up to them.

The next CP at the junction of Epperson Road and CR 631 was a bug a bear to find.  We knew we were at the right intersection, but could not find the CP.  It also didn't help that while the Nat Geo map listed county road numbers, all the road signs were names. I was looking for a white bag, figuring it was similar to the one at Kimsey/Piney Flats, since we had to grab a sticker as proof.  But nothing!  In the end, a couple walking up the road, helped us to find it, as the lady saw a tiny post with a red reflector that had never been there before.  Sure enough, that was it, along with a tiny note saying, "Take a pic."  Come to find out, there were some hooligans playing shenanigans with this CP.

Epperson at CR 631

with a little help from our friends

We had plenty of time left on the clock at this point and headed over to Witt Cemetery for the final bonus CP.   Arriving at the cemetery, we could earn an additional 1 hour time bonus if we took a pic of the oldest readable headstone.  We found one from 1878 and snapped a pic.  As we began heading  back to Fireside, we had to contend with a pack of dogs.  No less than 6 papillons began squeaking at us.  Seriously?!?  😆😆😆 All it took was an aggressive pedal stroke towards them and they skedaddled.  

We finished up our adventure a little after 4:30 pm: 76 miles and 8300 feet.  Along with Ali's team, we were 1 of 6 teams to get all the CP's.  Chris had warm Peppo's 3 pound burritos (I had the burrito bowl) awaiting our spent selves.

DAY 3: Short Course "not race" Race

A frosty cold morning greeted my bike hangover.  Today's ride was a 9 mile neutral roll out, followed by a 33 mile timed segment.  We were escorted by a moto dude (sorry, but forgot your name).  On our way, we had an amazing road find.  Not a discarded tool, not a dirty diaper, not a shoe, but an AR-15!

Spring Creek Road treasure!

We regrouped at the fire station.  I opted to ride my gravel bike today.  Lisa stuck it out on her SuperCaliber with the wibble-wobble rear wheel (she broke a spoke yesterday). I knew there was no way I was going to make up 18 minutes on Ali's team, but I was still gonna go hard because that is just what I do.  The timed segment was about 50:50 gravel:road.  

The hangover was real. 📷: Smoke Signal Photography

As we got rolling, Dave and I settled in with each other.  He had some gas left in his tank from yesterday and did not have the route loaded.  So that gave me extra incentive to push the gears, so he could follow my lead.  Despite my fatigue and the 29 degree start, I loved this course.  Towee Pike --> Fingerboard --> Ivy Trail --> Bullet Creek --> Starr Mountain --> Hwy 315 --> Spring Creek Road. Compared to yesterday, the gravel bike felt fast, and the gravel roads were in spectacular shape.  Slowly it did begin to warm up and I dropped a layer at Chris's vehicle on Bullet Creek Road.  Dave and I rode well together and I was super glad to draft off of him on Spring Creek Road.  As soon as we crossed the train tracks on Spring Creek, the fog rolled in and the temperature must have dropped 15 degrees.  And that wind!  I tucked in tightly behind Dave and rode his wheel to the finish.

Lisa and I ended up second behind Ali, Amy, and Chelsea for the full pull. I need to give Avah Cherry and her team mate a shout out for Saturday's main event.  Despite having rarely ridden this area, they acquired 5 CP's and did not have any "wandering and wondering" moments.

Despite the freezing conditions (for me), I had an absolute blast.  Coming from a mountain bike background, I appreciated the "spiciness" that Chris added to this gravel "not a race" race.  While I do like to ride gravel, sometimes gravel races can be a bit boring to me.

Saturday Podium

The vibes all weekend were amazing.  It was so much fun to engage with others during the neutral roll outs and afterwards around the fire.  I loved hearing about everyone's day and route choices.  I told Chris this was my favorite gravel race because it combined adventure, competition, and camaraderie. And huge props to Rachel Woods for capturing the weekend on film.  She was everywhere and managed to take over 2000 photos!

If you are interested in the 2026 Invitational, let me know and I will send you an invite when the time comes.

 

The Fig 12 Hour Adventure Race

This year was the 24th edition of one of the longest running adventure races in the U.S.  Jimmy the Greek gave it two thumbs up, so I entered into the solo category.  It would be a great opportunity to work on my navigation skills ... hopefully one day they will be #LisaApproved. The course was within the Red River Gorge, a place I had never been to, but had heard it was stunningly beautiful.  And the race director had been teasing us all week by posting amazing views and arches where the CP's would take us to.

It dumped rain the night before, but the morning brought warm temps (50 degrees) and abundant sunshine.  Maps were handed out at 6 am, with the race to start at 7. That left me with about 45 minutes to read the course instructions and plot my route, as 15 minutes was spent back and forth to the bathroom.  Apparently making race weight at the cabin did not fully happen.

One of many gorge vistas

Leg 1 was a 5 mile bike TT on pavement to CP1.  Leg 2 was a bike/trek to acquire 19 CP's.  All the CP's were either on trails or a short bushwhack off trail, but no bikes were allowed on trails.  Four CP's were just a short run on trails, right off the gravel road that ran atop the gorge.  I quickly acquired those and then had to make a decision.  Do I acquire the next 10 CP's on one big trek from either Water Stop #2 or near TA1, or break it up into 2 smaller treks with a bike in between?  I decided on the latter for 2 reasons.  The first being that I had rolled my ankle earlier in the week and sprained some ligaments in my foot.  While 95% of the pain had resolved, I was concerned that one big trek might cause a flare up, whereas breaking it up by bike might give my foot a rest.  The second reason was that one big trek was daunting to "newbie" me.

One of many creeks I had to cross; feet stayed wet most of the day.

After grabbing those initial 4, I dropped my bike at the Red River Gorge TH and began trekking down the gorge to collect 4 CP's.  These trails were gnarly!  Rocky, rooty, and damn steep, I had to be careful of foot placement.  It was also a little bit muddy and I did not want to end up busting my ass.  I still motored along fairly quickly: all that trail time on the Cumberland Trail paid dividends. 2 of the CP's were at trail intersections, the third was up a stream, and the fourth was on a hill top.  The only one that gave me pause was the hilltop, CP7; it seemed that the trail on the map was not quite in sync with real time.  I only lost a few minutes finding it.  From there it was a doozy of a climb out of the gorge and back up to my bike.  

I then pedaled another 5 miles and dropped my bike at Koomer Ridge campground to nab CP10 at the Hidden Arch.  The clue said the punch (no flag) was at the bottom of the stair case.  Welp, I went ALL the way down several stair cases and did not find it.  I then back tracked UP the staircase and there she be, at the bottom of the first staircase 😠.

Another 3 miles on bike and then I dropped it at the Sheltowee Trace TH to go and get the remaining 5 CP's in this area. I nabbed CP12 first, another hilltop, backtracked along the Sheltowee Trace and then proceeded to get CP13, CP11, CP 14, and finally CP15 at Gray's Arch.  There was a shit ton of ascending and descending to collect these, and my glutes were beginning to hate me.

Gray's Arch was by far my favorite CP.  This arch was spectacular and I could tell it must have been one of the best ones to see, as noted by all the people here.

Gray's Arch

While I was humping it back out of there, my head was mostly down, watching the technical trail.  I smelled her before I saw her, like I was traveling through the beauty department at Macy's.  The perfume emanating off her singed my nose hairs.  When I looked up, my first thought was there was a high probability of a wardrobe malfunction.  If those puppies were pushed any higher, they woulda rolled right out of her V-neck shirt.  I was having a hard enough time on the trail with my Brooks Calderas and here she was with some sort of fancy boot with a 2 inch + sole!  The yin and the yang crossed paths and she was the comical "boost" I needed to get back to my bike quickly, quietly laughing inside.

Reaching my bike, I quickly pedaled the short distance to TA1.  At the start, Jim had said that I should leave TA1 no later than 3 pm, in order to finish the last trek, paddle, and then the 5k road run to the finish.  It was now 2:30.  There were a cluster of 5 points to the NW of TA1, but seemed so far away.  I did not want to take the chance to even to an out/back by bike to the first CP in that area.  As I approached the TA, Jim and Susie were leaving.  

I quickly transitioned, grabbing a hot dog, and then ran to catch up to the Farmer's.  I reached them just as we were approaching the Sheltowee Trace Trail.  They were moving as fast as I was, so I opted to hang with them during this trek (leg 3) to the paddle (leg 4) where we  could get 3 CP's along the way.  Many other teams seemed to be congregating along this corridor, so it was pretty easy to find the CP's.  And dayum, Susie was moving on the trail!

After knocking out those 3 CP's on the Sheltowee Trace, it was a 1/2 mile pavement run to the paddle.  I got in the water ahead of the Farmers and made my way to the first paddle point.  The clue was spur edge, small cemetery and a Question:  How old was Paul?  Although I navigated perfectly to the point, upon getting out I was looking for a flag and a punch.  I did see a metal marker on a steel post indicating Paul's name, bit it did not register that was it.  So I spent 5 minutes trudging around in that area looking for a flag/punch.  Finally Jim and another racer saw the marker and confirmed that it indeed was the CP. His date of birth and death was also on that marker in tiny letters. If only I had stopped, took a big breath, and read it in its entirety.  Damn squirrel brain!

Fortunately the remaining 8 CP's were a bit more straight forward, but acquiring them required getting out of the kayak and trekking up some pretty steep re entrants, slogging through muddy creeks, and crawling on all 4's up to an escarpment, traversing a 45-60 degree hillside to nab another, and then butt sliding all the way back down to the lake.

Sketchy AF climb up to paddle point 3

I was grateful to be in company of giants.  Even though Jim was nav'ing, I was also looking at my map and matching up the spurs and re entrants as we went. It was good to see that I was headed in the right direction; I was just able to knock out those 2 cliff side points faster with the Farmers. As I finished collecting my last CP, I passed a female racer headed up to it as I was headed back down.  It did not even register to me that she was solo. As I got back into my canoe, Jim called out that I had better "bust a move" to get back to the kayak take out and then run like a scalded dog to the finish.

I had no idea how many CP's she had collected, but I told myself that we were "even steven" so it was a foot race to the finish.  Fortunately, the final 5k was a slight downhill run on pavement, but damn were my feet getting angry on that hard asphalt.  So many times, my lizard brain telling me it would be ok to just walk.  Every time that thought flickered, I picked up the pace.  It also helped that I had many carrots ahead, all of whom were walking.  

I hit the finish line with 52 minutes to spare.  That final run was mostly in the dark.  I was glad I had not attempted those 5 most northern CP's, as that could have meant a dark paddle.  And especially those 2 cliff base points would have made for a pretty sketchy trek.  After everyone returned and CP's were tallied, I did end up with the win in the solo women's field and an overall placement of 14/35 teams. After doing some rough Strava math, I trekked 33 miles, biked 20 miles,  and paddled 2 miles.  And 95% of the 7700 feet of gain and descent was on foot.

With darkness upon, the temps began to fall.  I quickly changed out of my soggy shoes and damp clothing, and made my way over to the food line at Hop's.  Hop's is a farm to table restaurant in the gorge.  While waiting, the wave of fatigue hit me all at once and I got light-headed.  Oh please, oh please, don't let me faint in front of my fellow racers. Fortunately I went into a deep squat and instantly felt much better.

Sweet potato curry, amazing post race comfort food!

I also give this race 2 thumbs up. It was a low key event with a grassroots feel (my fave!), the volunteers were wonderful, and the schwag and meal was most excellent!  The way the course was laid out gave you many options at choosing your adventure. Having slept and replaced my calorie deficit, I could have had a better route.  I should have nabbed those most northern 5 CP's (1 bike, 4 trek) instead of dropping my bike near TA1 and going after CP11-15.  Studying the maps post race, I probably could have gotten all 5 up North and then went back and grabbed CP 12 and 13 along the rim of the gorge in the same amount of time I acquired CP11-15, just do to the harshness of the terrain.

But this is just one more amazing aspect to adventure racing: being able to debrief with others as well as your inner self about route choice. And if you know me, I just love looking at maps ... all ... day ... long!

And one step closer to becoming a master at this nav thing.  But I probably have another thousand steps to go 😄😄😄

Buff Betty 10 Hour Adventure Race

Last weekend I traveled to James River State Park for a women's only adventure race. I signed up for solo as I wanted to hone my navigation skills.  Last year I raced my first solo at the 10 Hour Chattanooga Epic. But I felt that it did not really challenge me, as I am so familiar with that area.  I needed to get out of my comfort zone.  

I arrived at 6 am Saturday morning and got all my shit together.  At 6:30 am, I received the maps and the rules of travel. There were 5 legs: trek, bike, paddle, big trek, and big bike.  The map for the big trek we would not receive until later.  I spent the next hour plotting my route; man, I love Mark Lattanzi's maps!

There were 46 CP's and 4 TA's, so a total of 50 points.  While I would love to be able to clear the course, my goals were to: 1) not get lost, 2) find every CP I went after, and 3) make it to the finish before the time cut-off.

At 9 am, we were turned loose.  The first trek was short, just 3 CP's, and close to the start/finish. I made quick work of them in order and got back to the start/finish to transition to bike.  My first mistake was to start in my trekking pants instead of just bike shorts, which would have made my transition quicker. Although I was one of the first back, I ended up having to play catch up on the 2nd leg (bike). 

This bike leg had 4 points that you had to acquire in order. It took a moment for me to get my nav eyes adjusted to the map on my bike as I rode up a gravel road.  I wish I did not have "old" eyes that required readers.  Do they make eye ball gimbals? 😆😆😆

I slowly reeled in the leaders on this bike leg and by the time I hit the paved road to head to the last CP and then TA1, I was in the lead.  Once at the TA, I dropped my bike, changed again into my trekking pants and paddle shoes, made sure I took all the necessary items with me in the kayak, and handed my bike to the volunteer to be loaded into the box truck , where it would be taken to TA 4.

I and another fellow soloist, Allie, were on the water first.  The river was extremely low, so a few sections required some boat butt scooting to get through some shallow areas.  Fortunately I never had to get out and drag the kayak.  We stayed together for the majority of the paddle and had a nice conversation. At the CP, I did have to get out and take a picture of me on the island as proof.  There was not a flag or punch on the island because Michelle had forgotten to put that in her boat on the day she was setting the course.

I about flipped the kayak getting back into it, as I  did not quite have my land legs under me. From there it was about another 30 minutes of paddling to the take out at TA2.  I drug my kayak up to the grass, packed up my paddle bag, and then semi-hid behind a tree to pee. There I received my map for the third leg, a big trek.  There were 20 possible points, and all but 2 were off-trail.  During the pre-race briefing, we were told that it took 3 1/2 hours to vet that trek, at a fast walk. 

It was 12:45 pm, so a little over 6 hours to finish.  I was figuring 2 1/2 -3 hours for the bike, so that left 3 - 3 1/2 hours for this trek.  Looking at the points and seeing several of them that would be very hard for me to get, if at all, I dropped 2 of the points in the first half on purpose.  I Airborne shuffled when I could and power hiked when the terrain became challenging.  I started knocking off the CP's one by one, pretty much nailing them.  And when I did not immediately find one, I carefully looked at the terrain and was usually one re-entrant or 1 spur too soon.  I tried pace counting, but damn sometimes that can be hard, especially when my brain is trying to think at race pace.

CP 10

After nabbing 7 CP's in 45 minutes, I was crushing it!  Until I wasn't.  CP 17 had me wondering and wandering for 20 minutes.  At first I was at the wrong spur.  Once I figured that out and found the trail, I tried to take a bearing, but my compass got all wonky on me.  I knew I needed to go due North, but my compass was telling me just the opposite.  I finally said F'it and went where I thought North was and then I finally found the flag.  

Knowing I now had 2 hours left before I needed to get to TA 4, I dropped a few more points (18-21) and focused on those that were relatively close to the TA.  I picked up CP 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, and 29 on my way to TA 4.  After getting 24, I bushwhacked on a bearing and came out EXACTLY on the trail that led me to 25 ... hoo-rah!

CP 25, overlooking the James

The bushwhacking had been relatively clear of underbrush up until the point where I needed to head to the road after nabbing CP 29.  Floundering briefly through hip high grasses, I just knew I was going to be chiggered!

I ran on into TA 4 at approximately 3:15 pm. I was so focused on transitioning to bike, I did not take a moment to realize that I probably should have attempted another CP or 2 that were relatively close. One of them, CP 27, was said to be the hardest/trickiest to find.  I let my monkey brain win on that one ... durn it! 

With a quick change (8 minutes) from trekking attire to cycling attire and a hydration bladder fill up, I was off on the last leg (bike) to attempt to clear it (17 CP's). I quickly knocked the ones out that were down on the River Trail, going in a CCW direction. I slowly began gaining elevation and picking off more of them.  

CP30

Most were right on the trail; a couple were 30-40 meters off the trail, but visible from the trail. I was in a flow state, nabbing these CP's until I hit the MTB specific trails, Burnside and Kerr Loop.  These were spaghetti like in nature and I wanted to go CCW on Burnside but took the wrong entrance.  I was confused for a while until I figured out my mistake.  I quickly corrected and was able to find CP 43 and 42 on this trail.  

I then tried bike whacking over to the Cabell Trail to find CP 45, but was unsure exactly where I was or which way to go to get to 45.  So I played it safe, bike whacked back to Burnside, rode it out and then hit the Cabell Trail and found CP 45.  Definitely the right call, as that took less than 10 minutes.  From there I rode Cabell out to an intersection, and then bike whacked to the Kerr Loop and found CP 44. Bike whacking back to Cabell, I finished this trail by nabbing CP 46.

CP 32 was the last one to get and then I pedaled back to the finish in a time of 8:35.  I accomplished my goal of clearing the bike leg, but ended up leaving 85 minutes on the clock ... meh. The last leg only took me 2 hours and 10 minutes.  

1st: Anna Stewart     2nd: Erin Brandt

I ended up with 43/50 points, which gave me a 3rd place in the solo division and 5th overall.  First and second soloists ended up with 52 points each and with a finishing time of 9:50 and 9:52.  I had a solid day and learned a lot.  I was pleased with my performance, but wish I would have had the cahones to go for some of the more challenging trekking points.  But this race has definitely boosted my confidence factor.

Adventure Addicts put on a great race with a challenging course, very nice maps, and a delicious post race meal.  

A Coke does pair nicely with jumbo shrimp 😂

USARA Nationals

 

Team Dragon's Back

Several months ago, I was approached by John Eichler and and Jeff Glassbrenner, who were looking for a female to round out their team for USARA Nationals, being held in Bentonville, Arkansas.  He had touched base with Susie Farmer, who had given him my name.  We set up a Zoom meet and greet in May, which went well, and then I rode with them in Little Rock, when I was on my way to the Maah Daah Hey 100.  These guys were super cool and super chill and definitely not "man-babies" as Lisa had mentioned looking out for 😂.

Blaze, my trusty adventure race steed

On September 12 at 6 am, we loaded buses for an hour ride to an undisclosed location.  At 7:15 am we were given our course instructions and maps.  That left 1 1/2 hours to plot our route.    The first leg was a trek with 15 CP's.  During the pre-race briefing the night before, the race director told us that we needed to be finishing the trek to TA1 and starting the paddle no later than 2 pm in order to make the cut off at CP 17 and therefore be able to continue the paddle to TA2.

The race started at 9 am. With 77 teams of 3 starting, it was a conga line to the first 3 check points.  The teams then thinned out and we were able to motor on at our own pace.  John's nav skills were spot on and we had nabbed 7 of the 15 in 2 1/2 hours. We continued on to get 4 more as the day was beginning to get hotter than damnit.  Both John and Jeff had started out with 3 liters of water and I had 2 liters.  Having been so dry leading up to the race, there was nowhere along this first trek to filter; all the creeks were dry as a bone. We all ended up without water for the last 1 1/2 hours.  And we still had 5 miles along a gravel road to TA1.  

John began to struggle in the heat and Jeff had a mechanical with his artificial leg.  The tread came unglued to the carbon plate and would repeatedly slide off.  Between our slowed pace due to the heat and Jeff's leg issue, our forward progress was significantly hampered.  We weren't the only team to seriously underestimate the time it would take to get to TA1.  What should have taken us 60 minutes to get to the TA ended up taking 90 minutes.  

We arrived at TA 1 at 2:22 pm.  No water was provided by the race, but we had 1 gallon in our paddle bag and I had a full 50 ounce bladder in my PFD.  Jeff was able to find some medical tape at the TA and temporarily fix his leg issue. We ended up getting on the water at 2:35.

Transitioning to the paddle

The second leg was an 8 mile paddle on the Illinois River with 1 CP midway.  It was a meandering river with a lot of strainers so we had to be on point.  It was also shallow in a few spots, where we had to get out and drag the canoe a short ways.  Although it was flowing roughly 3mph and we were paddling as fast as we could, it still took us 2 hours to get to the take out and CP17.  The final 100 yard stretch had some man made class 2/3 rapids. We made it down the first, but took in quite a bit of water and ended up sinking after clearing the second set of rapids.  Fortunately there were a couple of spotters in the river who grabbed our "yard-saled" items, including Jeff's hydration bladder.

We missed the 4 pm cut-off by 28 minutes ... meh.  We were then short-coursed, causing us to miss the second paddle leg and a trekking leg.  22 teams ended up getting short-coursed, including a few of the big names (Rootstock Racing, ThisAbility, TanZ Navigation).  

From TA3, we were on bikes to TA4 at Siloam Springs.  We transitioned to foot for a Photo O course. There were 6 CP's.  And once at each CP, we wrote down the number of the photo that was taken at the precise spot indicated on the map.  There were 12 photos to choose from, 6 of them being decoys. During this leg, Jeff noticed that his shorts and prosthetic liner were sopping wet.  It ended up being that his hydration bladder got a hole in it during the canoe fiasco at take out.  Fortunately he had an extra liner and a couple of smaller hydration flasks. 

We nabbed all 6 correctly and quickly transitioned back to our bikes. This next leg had us biking on pavement and gravel, collecting 5 CP's along the way (all of which were right alongside the road, no need to hop off the bikes and do any bushwhacking). Leaving the nicer side of town, heading into the less nice side, we got to witness a police versus toothless woman in a night gown and flip flops, similar to an episode of "Cops."  Now, that was funny!

We made it to the TA5 on the University of Health and Performance campus at 9 pm.  This was the "chuck wagon TA"  where a hot breakfast was being served (pancakes, bacon, and sausage), while individual team members would tackle a portion of the 0-relay course.

There were 3 parts:  one had you getting 1 CP (of the 6 possible), one had you getting 3 CP's (of the 6 possible), and one had you getting all 6 CP's.  But each part was only worth 1 point.  John went first on the 3 CP course.  Meanwhile, Jeff worked on his prosthetic leg, having secured 3 feet of duct tape.  I ate some sausage, drank a Coke, popped a 200mg caffeine tab and then tended to my gear, getting my hydration ready for the next leg.  I was gonna nab the 1 CP once Jeff got back, so I studied the map. The map had a satellite image, making it extremely difficult to pick out any trails due to all the tree cover.  

Once John got back, he told me about a trail that went down to the river and then from there I could walk the river bed to the CP.  That made it so much easier, as you could not see that trail on the map.  I quickly acquired that one and headed back to the TA.  Since Jeff had never navigated before, we opted out of  the 6 CP course.

We left the TA around 11:00 pm on the 20+ mile biking leg.  There was only 1 CP on this leg.  At one point about midway through this leg, we came to an intersection where there was another team.  They went left onto the gravel and having briefly talked to them thought they were taking a different route than us to TA 6.  So we continued on the paved road, but after about a mile, John realized we were off course heading south instead of northeast.  We quickly backtracked and got back on the gravel road where the other team had headed.

CP 34 was a little tricky as there were several hard lefts and rights on the course, with the CP being at one of these corners.  In this area we came upon a few teams having difficulties, but John managed to get us right to it, without any wandering and wondering.  His nav skills were close to impeccable. I was very impressed as he was suffering the most, yet still had enough brain power to make good choices.

Arriving at TA 6, we were greeted by the enthusiastic crew of volunteers.  We were in the middle of nowhere but could hear I-49 traffic to the east.  We were told that this was the seed tick trek ... wonderful.  There were no trails here so all CP's would require extensive bush whacking. I had pre-treated my clothing earlier that day, but was pretty sure it was all washed off when our canoe sunk. They had DEET spray/wipes so I sprayed my shoes and that was it.  I did not want to melt my clothing with that Deep Woods Off shit.

The witching hour

Shit's beginning to get real!

, 

We attempted CP 38 first, but the undergrowth was insane.  We managed to get into a clearing , but when we continued onward, we hit a second patch that was even worse.  To me it looked like a wall of concertina wire, with a million ticks just waiting to ambush us.  It wasn't hard to make the decision to turn around and try nabbing CP 37.  That one was way more doable and without the tick infested undergrowth.

We decided to call it after 1 CP and move on to the next leg. We were also out of water once again and the TA as well was bone dry.  One volunteer had gone to procure some, but we knew that once we got to Little Sugar trail system, there would be water there. It was an 8 mile pedal to the CP40 and the beginning of Tunnel Vision single track. We only made one slight nav error on the pavement as we were following Glasgow Road and missed the left hand turn on to Glasgow Lane.  

At the trailhead (CP 40), we stopped and filled with water.  Then we decided to go after 3 of the dog bones.  A dog bone is where you have to get a pair of CP's before moving on to the next one.  So we were going after 6 in total.  The Tunnel Vision trail is not technical, but demanding with its short punchy climbs and descents, and loose over hardpack tread.  It is like riding gravel single track.  John was so ready to be done; I don't think he ever fully recovered from dehydration on that initial trek.  I took over navigating, with an occasional redirection.  I was just having too much fun zipping along.  With the sun coming up, I got a second wind.  Actually, anytime I go from riding pavement/gravel to single track, my spirits rise, and the legs shine.

Once we got the 6 CP's, it was a easy pedal on the Razorback Greenway from Bella Vista to the Ledger Building in down town Bentonville. The nav was a little tricky once we got close to I-49 (I had not ridden the greenway since all the improvements were made).  Fortunately John knew which way to go and we nabbed the final CP 42 and then booked it to the finish.  Of course, the last 2 miles had a pitchy 200 foot climb, including the 6 story climb up the Ledger.  This building had a bike lane built on the outside of it ... super cool!

The Ledger climb

We finshed at 11:36 am with 34 CP's, out of a possible 56.  We ended up mid-pack in the short course. I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure.  It was super fun to race with these outstanding fellas. 6 months ago, I was questioning my decision to sign on with them, but so happy I took the chance.

Love these guys!

Marji Gesick 50 (really 64)

 

After reading everyone else's Marji experience, from the pointy end with 3 women buckling (Syd Schulz, Kait Boyle, and KriSSty Mcbride) to those who fought many battles both on the course and in their minds to #finish in the dark deluge of pouring rain, to the Lanterne Rouge Kristen Wade who fought for every pedal stroke and foot step to cross the finish line in 25:00:14 and receive the green dot, I feel my race report is going to be boring.  Why you ask?  I had no struggles, no mind games, no screaming body parts.  Once in a blue moon, everything aligns perfectly and my legs have that sparkle.  And on this day, September 20, 2025, I had one of my best races ever.

Of course, it helps that the weather was perfect:  slightly overcast and 55-65 degrees.  The trail conditions were perfect:  hero dirt and no mud (if you finished before 8 pm).  And the companionship of riding with Lisa was magical. 

I had been nervous about how my body would do, since just the past weekend I had spent 27 hours racing at the Adventure Race National Championships in Bentonville. In the week leading up to Marji, I had done nothing more than a few walks with the dogs just to keep the legs loose and hopefully recover in time to have a decent race.

Lisa's daughter, Jayden, was also racing the 50.  We all lined up close to the start, about 50 racers back or so.  The first 2 miles was on a mix of greenway and paved road.  Nothing makes me more nervous than rolling along with hundreds of others at break neck speed, praying they hold their lines. Only minutes into the race, just feet away from me, someone f*cked up, sending a half dozen or so racers and their bikes crashing onto the tarmac ... complete carnage! I suppose that dude did not listen to Charlee Marie pre-race speech in which she said that you are NOT going to win the race in the first 2 miles.

Once we hit the Marquette Mountain gravel road climb, I could breathe easier (well, mentally anyway) as the pack broke up over the next mile.  Jayden put the hammer down and pulled away from Lisa and I.  My legs were happy turning the pedals and passing people.  Turning onto the single track, I was in a rather large group of racers, but all were riding well and at my speed ... yea for a fast moving conga line.  Which ... suddenly came to a slow down on Above Grade, a 1 mile techy uphill trail.  Fortunately most had skills to maneuver through the rocks and roots.  And when I came upon a slower racer, I was able to put my mad HAB skilz to work and get around them quickly and cleanly.

I was able to catch back up to Lisa on Pipe Dreams and from here followed her wheel. We made quick work of the next 5 miles of trail before popping out on the double track section around Lake Enchantment. We ended up grabbing our first token, a dum dum, somewhere along this stretch. I was amazed at how hard packed this stretch was, only a few deep sandy spots.  

Once on the Iron Ore Trail, we hooked up with a nice fella riding an Ibis Exie, who towed us along almost the entire stretch.  Thank you; sorry I forgot your name. We were halfway expecting to see Jayden at some point, but she was long gone. 

Chris and Lisa's Mom were at Jackson Park and helped us make a quick pit stop.  We both opted to drop our empty bottles and put on hydration packs for JP1 --> JP2, a stretch of 24 miles. Jayden was up ahead ... somewhere. 

I let Lisa lead out; she is a bit more familiar with the multitude of turns, so it was nice just to focus on her lines and not the arrows.  A couple of fellas were behind us.  One thing I just gotta ask. Why do dudes feel compelled to ride up your butt?  I mean, I know I have a cute one, but shouldn't you be focusing on the trail?  Put a little space between us; there is no drafting advantage in RAMBA land.  I even got my tire buzzed once ... jeez!  Fortunately it did not last long as Lisa and I slowly pulled away over those techy miles.

The first hard effort was on the Fenceline Trail climb.  Holy smokes!  The legs were on fire ... in a good way. And then we had to stop for the checkpoint 1/2 way up; ended up being a decoy.  Damn you, Todd! Short little HAB until I could hop back on my steed and finish the climb.  I was most impressed by the trail work done on StoneHinged.  That fall line tricky ass descent was now sculpted with flowy switchbacks.  Lisa remarked, "Now we will never catch Jayden."  Apparently she had some troubles earlier in the season with this section.

The miles kept ticking on by effortlessly.  I suppose when you don't have the earlier miles of the hundred in your legs, they tend to be happier.  Last Bluff got a little spicy steep and knowing it was more efficient to HAB, we did on several sections.

Hunting down Jayden

Once we were back on pavement passing by the finish in downtown Ishpeming, Lisa let me take over lead.  As we began the climb up Deer Shit, I saw a familiar face just up ahead.  Jayden's climbing style reminds me a lot of Lisa's.  And I could pick up on that before I could actually see her racing kit and blonde hair.

By the time we got to the drop on Deer Shit, I was right behind Jayden.  I had never ridden this drop in before.  Thank You Jayden for towing me in and giving me the confidence to clean it.  Way easier to ride it than butt slide down it with your bike.

At the camp ground, Chris was waiting just in case we needed anything.  Jayden stopped, but I was golden.  I was kinda sad to pass her by, as I was having fun watching her ride the tech incredibly well.  And only 16!  It took me years to develop the skills I have today ... her, only 3 and awesome fitness to boot!

Rusty Bike had a few more bikes lining the trail this year, the Cheese Grater was so much fun in the dry, and when I hit the Hamptons, I knew I was just minutes away from JP2.  Transition time was less than 30 seconds, long enough to drop the pack, grab 2 bottles, and swap gel flasks.  

I was on my own now, as Lisa was riding with Jayden, having made a little longer pit stop at JP2.  I purposely took in all the sights and sounds.  It was truly a fall day, what with mild temps, the trees beginning to turn, and a light covering of leaves on the trail.  I kept telling myself just how blessed I was to be able to do this, feeling fantastic not being on the struggle bus, which is usually what is happening by now (on the hundred).

Flannel Shirt, which is usually where the wheels begin to fall off, was pleasurable, even with all 1000 roots.  The Grinder was grand and Grand View even grander!  AM FM still sucked, tho'! RAMBA cleaned up the entrance to Carol Jackson ... super sweet. I stopped and grabbed the token on Carol Jackson and continued to feel the flow, something that is difficult to find on The Marji.

The climb up Coy Hill went by in no time and I soon found myself zipping through Angeline and 38 Special.  Old 56 is still mean, even on sparkly legs. I made it up the loose steep climb on Cry Baby.  Thank you to the women who cheered me on up that!  There were quite a few Mini Marjers out there and I made sure to motivate each and every one of them.  It was especially cool to see all the parent-kid duos pushing through perhaps the hardest part of the whole course.

Popping out on the pavement, it was a short ride up Jasper Knob, made even better by the throngs of spectators and their air horns.  I grabbed my final token and sped back down.  I got stopped by the crossing guards on Division Street as they let cross traffic pass through.  I joked with them how mean that was and hit the finish at 3:52 pm.  First woman with a time of 7:52.  I was even more stoked that I knocked 20 minutes off my 2021 time.

Jayden and Lisa rolled in a few minutes later, claiming the final podium spots.  It was so awesome seeing them finish together. I know Lisa's was so proud of what Jayden had just accomplished.  But I also know that Jayden wants redemption!  And with the proper training and mental focus, I have no doubt she will get a dollar one day.

A rare sighting of Jayden smiling at the finish

A Southern Sweep

Having a stellar day and PR'ing a 3 mile longer course was icing on this old woman's cake.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can say age is but a number.  But having experienced my 40's and now more than halfway through my 50's, I don't have that upper end fast and powerful fitness that I did 15 years ago.  And I am 90% ok with that. So when I do have a great performance now, it is definitely a "WTF just happened?!?" moment.

I am here to tell ya ladies, you are never to old to start doing hard things ... menopause be damned! Finishing the Marji should send you all over the moon.  It IS the hardest single day race in America, no matter what the distance.  I was overwhelmed with feelings of joy and camaraderie seeing so many women in the hunt for their green dot.  When I shouted out to them words of encouragement, they shouted right back ... every one of them.  Some may have been in a world of hurt, but they prioritized positivity in their support of one another.

It was also cool to see some of Group 11 of 2024 Marji Camp.  Jen and Haley crushed their previous Mini times.  I saw Matt at the start.  Joshua and Adam screamed at me on course and then showed up at the finish to say hi.  They were supporting their wives who were running the Mini.

I cannot say enough about the community of support out there.  You all are phenomenal!  Although I had my own crew, I am pretty sure I could have finished just as fast by taking neutral support from the hundreds of mini aid stations set up all along the course. One day, maybe after my 1000 mile buckle, I will come up and be a part of the suffer crew.

Now to start training the fingers for October 17 at 9:06pm.

Maah Daah Hey 100 (really 110)

Nick is the epitomy of #dohardthings

Normally I give gratitude at the end of my race reports.  But in case you all get sleepy by then, you will know that this trail would not exist without all the blood, sweat, and tears Nick Ybarra and his wife, Lindsey, have shed over the past 15 years.  You see, the Ybarra's singlehandedly saved the Maah Daah Hey Trail from extinction.  In 2010, after the forest service stopped maintaining the trail, Nick and Lindsey decided the best way to keep the trail alive was to host a race - and put in the hard work necessary to get the trail into pristine condition.  Imagine taking a DR Brushmower and going up one side of the trail and down the other, for a total of 200 miles!  I am so so thankful for them, as well as the crew of volunteers they have amassed over the years to allow me to be able to ride/race in one of the most beautiful places in this country.

Every year, 200 miles of mowing

The Maah Daah Hey Trail is 144 miles of contiguous single track.  The race starts at the CCC campground near Watford City, ND and finishes in Medora 110 miles later.  A portion of the race takes place on the Buffalo Gap Trail because no bikes are allowed on the section of the MDH through Teddy Roosevelt National Park. The remaining miles of the MDH continues south on past Medora and ends at the Burning Coal Vein campground.

The first time I raced it was in 2015, the hot year, where temps nearly hit 100 degrees.  I managed to survive with a win, where the attrition rate was 50%.  I then came back in 2020 and raced the MDH 150, which is an ITT format.  

I always knew I would return one day, as the Badlands are so captivating. And so when Dave, one of my BRB's showed an interest, I hoodwinked him into signing up. The body changes a lot in 10 years; I knew that it was going to be one tough MF'r.  I did a crap ton of heat training in order to best prepare my body for this extreme effort.  There are 5 trees over those 110 miles.  The trail itself is not overly technical, but it is relentless.  It continually rolls and those short climbs stack up over the miles to hit 12,000 feet.  There are also cattle gates (I lost count after 45) that are heavy AF, that you have to lift up in order to pass through.

The race is held in August as this is the driest month of the year.  It needs to be dry due to the nature of the soil, which turns to peanut butter mud when it rains.  Also, there is the crossing of the Little Missouri River.  At 50 yards wide, it usually averages 1-3 feet deep in August, whereas in other months it can be over your head. Leading up to the race, it had last rained 4 days prior.  However, in the 2-3 weeks preceding the race, it had rained quite a bit.  As a result, there were quite a few mudholes on course, as well as numerous creek crossings.  And the Little Missouri River crossing was 2 1/2 - 3 feet deep. The course travels through free-range grazing lands and the trail can be quite tricky to navigate as the cattle not only use the Maah Daah Hey to travel, but create their own little single track trails too.  

The race was 4 miles longer this year.  In year's past, a landowner had given permission to use some single track on his property to circumvent the 2 mile section of the MDH that crossed into the northern unit of the National Park.  This year it was denied.  As a result, we would be rerouted onto 8 miles of gravel and then hook back onto the trail at the Bennett Campground.

The race started at 6 am.  That meant a 3:30 am wake up at our hotel in Watford where Christopher Bean Coffee was consumed in large quantities.  I also managed to eat a couple hard boiled eggs along with my home made banana bread.  It was going to be a long day in the saddle and calories were vital to keep the engine fueled.  Dave and I were one of the first to arrive at the CCC campground.  The temperature was a cool 66 degrees.  We had decided to race together, as long as we were both feeling good.  I was super stoked to have Dave toeing the line with me.  We have had several BDR's together and each have been memorable.

When the gun went off, we managed to stay up in the front 1/3 of the pack.  After a 1/4 mile of campground road, we hit the trail.  The first 3 miles was an undulating climb up to the plateau.  Legs were pretty spry and the group I was in was motoring well and managing the tricky switchbacks.  Once on top, it turned to two-track for awhile.  I played it smart and stayed behind  some others, getting some free speed and staying out of the 15-20 mph winds that would plague us all day, coming from the southeast as we were heading south.

At the 6 mile mark, we hit the gravel.  I had to sit up and let that group go as that was unsustainable for us.  But we were able to work with another group and flew through the smooth grav grav, eventually hitting a descent where I saw 40mph!  This descent brought us to Bennett Campground. Hitting the Bennett Trail, we encountered our first creek crossing.  Perhaps if it were back home, it would be rideable with a rocky bottom but in North Dakota, with clay-rich soil, the water is muddy and the bottom is not solid.  Foot movement through the creek is tricky as you sink in 4-6 inches of mud that wants to rip your shoes right off your feet.

We reconnected with the MDH Trail after 3 miles of the Bennett Trail.  Dave and I were with 2 other fellas at this point.  We gladly worked together, especially when it came to lifting the cattle gates.  One would hold while the others rode through.  We hit the first aid station at mile 27 in 2:32.  We both had ample nutrition and hydration and rode right on through.  The temps still felt cool at this point and I was glad that we still had a lot of cloud cover.

At some point, we lost our cattle gate buddies and start swapping with the gate lifting duties.  These gates have a spring mechanism that makes it a little easier to lift in the initial movement, but then gets hard towards the top of the movement.  And you have to have spatial awareness of where your bike is because it would be game over it that gate slammed down on your rear wheel as you were walking through.  There were a few gates sitting right in the middle of a damn cattle wallering hole.  Opening the gate while trying to hold your bike above the manure and urine contaminated water was quite the challenge.  At least if I got dysentery, it would not be during the race but on the drive home 😂💩😂.

So much eye candy!

We were now getting into the meat of the Badlands.  Less prairie and more buttes, canyons, and washes.  There were so many sections where you could just rip through the trail, but in the sections where cattle were allowed, it seemed to be a little more "hoofed" up than in years' past.  I suspect it had something to do with the unusual amount of rain in July.  And you can't tell the cattle to stay off the trail when wet!

Devil's Pass at mile marker 101

Closer up, revealing the 150 drop off on both sides.

Just one of many reasons I love this trail is your ability to see the scenery while racing.  You really can't do that back home, due to the nature of our trails:  tight, twisty, and riddled with rocks and roots.  On the Maah Daah Hey, I think I counted 13 roots and 3 rocks. Devil's Pass is a jaw dropping feature in person.

I was in a flow state at this point. Legs felt sparkly and I was in a great mental space.  So good in fact that I got us off course following a cattle trail, but quickly recognized my mistake and was able to bushwhack over to the trail ... thank you Garmin!  Nick had done an exceptional job marking the course, even spray painting the correct way when the trail was criss-crossed with cattle trails.  I was just having too much fun!

Once we crossed Magpie Road, I knew we were getting close to the Missouri River.  Huzzah!  I was getting excited about the 2 mile descent, the crossing, and then the climb up to the 2nd aid station at mile 53.  As the trail flattened out, it started to get a little muddy.  I wisely chose to pick up my bike and walk certain sections.  Others, who tried riding through it, stopped forward progress quickly as the mud packed up on the wheels.

The Missouri River

I was glad Dave went first, as I was able to see just how deep it got.  Almost to my chamois, I carefully waded across what looked like a river of chocolate milk.  Looking down, I could see it swirling around me, getting deeper and deeper.  Fortunately I did not have to get up on my tip toes.  The hardest part was the muddy slog on the banks, which felt like quicksand at times.

Once we crossed it was a steep climb up to the road where the aid station was.  We probably HAB'd about half of it.  We finished this 27 mile section in 3:10. I was so happy to see all the volunteers, treating me like a Queen.  They helped me refill bottles and hydration pack, while I tended to myself:  hitting the porta potty, reapplying Chamois Butt'r, changing socks, and cleaning the mud out of my pedals.  I don't remember the mud being so bad 10 years ago.  

Aid #2

I was so proud of Dave; his transition time was phenomenally fassst! We headed out to tackle the most difficult section of the course:  this is where it will make ya or break ya!  And it was beginning to heat up. The climbing in this 30 mile section (to aid 3 at Wannegon) was brutal; longer and steeper, they began to wear on us.  I was also spending more time up on the lip of the trail, in the mowed grass, as opposed to in the trail trenches.  The actual trail seemed to be rougher and in many places blown out.  

There were check points along the way, usually where the trail crossed a gravel road.  At these CP's, there were often times volunteers or families who were supporting their racers.  They would have water, iced down Cokes, and sometimes snacks.  Early on in the race, we blew by most of them, but about halfway through this section, Dave began stopping at them, either to grab a Coke or have someone pour water down his back. Uh-oh, I knew this wasn't a good sign. I desperately hoped that this was just one of those down moments and that he would recover in time.  But as the miles kept ticking on by and our pace continued to fall off, I began to see that 1000 yard stare in his eyes.

Around mile 70, the wheels finally came off of Dave's bus.  We had a brief conversation in which it was ultimately decided that I just needed to go.  As much as I hated departing, I knew that continuing on with him might allow 2nd and 3rd woman to catch me (I had no idea where they were).  And so I did. 

Garmin was reading 97 degrees, but probably more like 87.

Dave was able to make it to the checkpoint at mile 79, where he rested and tried to take in some fluids and nutrition.  But with the temperatures in the high 80's, he became nauseous and ended up vomiting everything back up, exorcist style, he said.  Fortunately he was able to get a lift to the 3rd aid station and then call Debbie to come and pick him up.

Picking the pace back up, I began ticking off the miles to the 3rd aid station.  Despite the heat, I was still feeling good.  I never once complained about the constant headwind, as at least it was still semi-cool at 3 pm. There were 2 more big climbs to get up on the final butte before the descent down to the Wannegan campground.  That aid station was a site for sore eyes.  

As I rolled in, a volunteer grabbed my bike and cleaned/lubed my chain.  I love Silca Super Secret wax based lube, but even it could not hold up to the dry and dusty conditions.  The last few miles, it was making an awful noise, but only in the granny gear.  Another volunteer told me to sit down while she assisted me in refilling my hydration pack and a bottle ... yep, I had completely drained my 70 ounce bladder as well as 1 1/2 bottles over that last 30 miles. That section had taken just under 4 hours.

Prior to leaving, they stuffed an ice filled sock down my jersey ... felt ... so ... good! I now had to climb back up to the trail ... oof!  The next few miles were pushing against that darn headwind, but I did not complain.  Just before the MDH Trail entered the southern unit of the NP, I was diverted onto the Buffalo Gap Trail, heading west.  And with that came the tailwind of every cyclists' dreams!  I felt like I was on a e-bike and this trail was smoother than the Maah Daah Hey; perhaps not as many cattle down here. I was cruising; the climbs were more gradual and the descents flowed even better.  Eventually the trail turned south and then east, back in to the wind. 

Those damn cattle gates were getting heavier and heavier.  It was somewhere along this stretch that I stopped counting after I hit 45. 

There were 5 creek crossings in this final section. I was warned that the last one was tits deep, but if I hung a left, there was a beaver damn I could cross.  That beaver damn was sketchy, but way better than a manure coated mud bath. 

Around mile 95, I started falling apart.  I was now feeling the effects of riding in the heat all day, and lifting those damn cattle gates. The winds were no longer cool, and I was having a hard time taking nutrition and liquids in.  I told myself, "Just get to the interstate underpass and I will take a 5 minute break in the cool tunnel."

Finally!  Only 10 to go!

Welp, that tunnel provided absolutely no respite from the heat.  So I pushed on.  The next 5 miles I slowed to a crawl.  I was shelled!  I even ended up walking a few short sections when I felt my vision begin to narrow.  Legs, just get me to the intersection of Buffalo Gap and Maah Daah Hey.  That left-hand turn onto the MDH Trail was heaven! Despite it being mostly downhill to the finish, it still was a struggle, especially that last mile on the greenway ... frickin' false flat!

Almost there!

Crossing that finish line filled me elation, gratitude, exhaustion, and a near death experience 😅.  I had just won the baddest race in the raddest place! That last 25 miles took 3:18. Nick was absolutely right in his pre-race briefing almost 13 hours ago.  That not until you experience hard things do you actually feel alive.  I was never so alive in this moment, crossing that finish line.  One minute later, I was lying on the ground, heart racing, panting, and feeling completely spent.  It took about 20 minutes to recover to the point where I could limp back to the campground where Dave's RV was.

Grateful!

To show just how hard this race was, it took me 5 minutes to walk 25 yards to the campground showers.  It was all I could do just to undress.  I sat in the shower stall, not giving a damn about what my body might be coming in contact with on that floor.  I was in there so long Dave started worrying about me.  I never cramped once during the race, but I cramped multiple times while trying to reach certain body parts.

Looking back a week later, I am proud of what I accomplished.  This 56 year old body set many PR's from 10 years ago.  Despite finishing 50 minutes slower than 2015, I rode the last 25 miles a minute faster than I did in 2015. It is a testament that if you take care of yourself and your health, you can continue to crush your limits.

In case you want to consider doing this race, check out Gordon Wadsworth and Thomas Turner's movie on their MDH100 journey:  Maah Daah Hey Together.