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| 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.
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| 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 😂💩😂.
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| 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!
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| Devil's Pass at mile marker 101 |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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. |
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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
