Having read race reports from last year and now some from this year already it amazes me how all these folks are able to remember with such precision all the details of the trails, how they felt, etc.After racing most of the course I am further astounded by the details as I have a hard time remembering any of the trail names at all.
So this race report will have none of that juicy detail and clever writing. Just a dump of the random details I can remember to try and help someone else conquer this beast.
This is my 3rd year doing NUE and endurance type racing. I started racing and riding mountain bikes a few years ago so very green still. After my first Shenandoah 100 on my geared bike, I cracked the frame, and did the next one, Fools Gold 100, SS and have not gone back. After I did the Shenandoah 100 this year I was ready to throw my SS in the river and ride my geared bike that I had not ridden in a couple years. It was just too much flat and gravel road and not enough single track. Tried the geared bike twice after the race and quickly decided to give the MG100 a go on the SS as the bike just felt right and gears just feel strange anymore.
Below are the things I took this year:
Bike and Gear
- 2015 Trek Superfly SS Hard tail
- I9 Trail 32
- Maxxis Ikon 29x2.35
- Oval 32x24
- 100mm Fox Fork
- 2 Computers (Garmin 800, Lezyne Super GPS)
Hydration and Nutrition
- 100 oz Camelback
- 2 x 24 oz bottles
- Carborcocket Rasperry
- Tons of HoneyStinger products
- 2 x Tubes
- Spare Premixed 100oz bladder
- 2 x Water bottles
- 3 x lights
- Bib and Jersey
- Socks
- Food
- Chain
- Sealant
- Portable battery
- Rain Jacket
- Arm/Leg Warmers
- Gloves
- Tubes
- Sealant
Wednesday - 9/20/17
Cole and Jeremy arrive a bit after 7:00, we load up and hit the road. Put in an 18hr drive the first night before stopping in some park and ride as a nasty storm is rolling in and I was too tired to try and drive through that.
Thursday - 9/21/17
Head out early and arrive in Marquette about 12:30 and ready to visit Border Grill for lunch. Awesome food and really nice place, onto the camp ground at Tourist Park.
Get checked in, find the campsite, and then off to do some pre riding Harlow Lake trails.
Drop off Cole at the skate park and into the woods we go in the RV. Road was tight and we started wondering if we were going to the right place.
We backed off in a cut off in the road and parked to find the trail head. RV looked like something from breaking bad parked in the woods. Found the trail, ended up going to see top of the world and riding down most of it. After that was the old railroad bed and then a mix of different terrain for the rest of the ride.
Top of the World
18 miles later we are back at the RV and had done a mix of flow and chunky trails. Some of the trails were like riding in Croft State Park near home with all the pine needles and more flow rooty trail. Then you had the railroad ties and some other really chunky sharp rock sections. Saw nothing that was terribly difficult on that route.
The day draws to an end with another nice sunset
Friday - 9/22/17
Next day Jeremy and I go to pre ride with Scott Mormon and David Jolin at the South Trails Pavilion. These guys have been here before and know the route we are taking. We do a number of trails including the Mt. Marquette rd climb. That was a nice walk for me. We end up doing another 10 miles that day and I get a good taste of the sweet downhill, but a bigger taste of the chunky HAB that I probably have in store.
Knew that buckle was not a thing for me after seeing some of the course, not that I really ever thought it was a thing, but figured finishing should not be out of the question based on other races I have done. After the Pisgah Stage race and the Pisgah 111k I did not believe that there could be trails that were gnarlier than what I had ridden in Pisgah. How wrong I will find that statement to be later.
We get back to the campsite and start getting things organized for the next days race.
The sky gets dark and then the downpour starts for at least 3 hours.
It was long enough for everything to puddle up and get soaked. This made me very nervous for the race to come if the trails were going to be slick. What I already rode was tough and it was dry. I find later that what I had already ridden was not to be the toughest trail by a long shot.
Rain stops and then we have to figure out how to get to packet pickup without driving the RV. We did not bring a car or plan any type of support or transportation to the race. Figured worst case we could just drive the RV.
No ubers to be found, but the local taxi company has vans and will haul bikes. So we call the cab to get a lift to packet pickup and figure we now have race day transportation covered.
Get to packet pickup, pickup stuff, eat some more burritos.
Back to camp we go to get organized, one more great sunset pic, and head to bed.
The calm before the storm
Saturday - 9/22/17 - RACE DAY
4:00AM rolls around and alarms go off. Start getting coffee and food moving so everything will also get moving before the adventure starts. Confirmed with the cab that they will be there at 6 which will give us plenty of time to drive the 5 miles to the race start in time.
We get everything ready to load up and are ready for the cab.Jeremy gets nervous that the cab will show late and we see a guy in a truck heading out with only 1 bike and plenty of room. Jeremy takes off across the field to catch him at the exit. He comes riding back, we have a new ride, need to hurry. We grab our drop bags and get across the field and loaded up.
The couple that we are riding with are super nice and have been to the race before. Once of them is volunteering I think. We are talking about the race and then realize we have been driving for a while when the passenger up front mentions what they think is the start location and we realize that we are not going to the right place. We thought they knew the way, but they had mixed up the address. Luckily we knew the right location. Unfortunately no cell or GPS for the first time since being up there. We go back the way we came, get signal, route picks up, and start toward the start area. We end up on a crazy rough jeep road that seemed like it was too rough for the truck to even make it, but the driver motored through it and 10 min later we pop out where we should be at the start.
Get the bikes checked in, drop bags dropped, handful of bathroom visits and its about time for the run. Had heard reports it was extended to 1 mile, but seemed like the .4 that was advertised. Met a fellow SS, Jeff Bliss, and we chat about the race for a few.
Everyone getting ready to run
The bottle rocket goes off and everyone starts running, except Jeff and I. I am walking a slow pace and it is even too slow for Jeff so he starts to run some. Jeremy probably took off with the fast guys since he likes to run.
I get passed by everyone and am the last guy to come back into the staging area. Get pack and helmet on and start out at more of a snails pace.
Start catching up with people slowly. Seems like the bulk of the field has really taken off. I keep my pace as planned and keep turning over the pedals.
Get to the top of a climb at the powerline and stop to take in the view
These trails had a mixture of pine needle covered trails around harlow lake and then some nice chunky sutff on a trail I cant remember the name of.
I ride a bunch of different stuff that I had ridden the first day I was here. They were to be the most mellow trails of the day.
Get to the Marquette Mountain climb, walk about all of it, then you get to this awesome look out that makes the climb well worth the effort.
Once we get over to the South trails we get to some chunkier rocky stuff that is great. These were some awesome trails to ride and very rocky and rooty. At some point between here and mile 30 I catch back up with Jeff from the start and we ride and walk the next miles until we get to about the 30 miles mark and the first stocked area at the pavilion.
Jeremy is there already when we pull up. I then find he had been there for an hour or more already. We eat some food and refill our packs and bottles trying not to hang out too long. Try to pep Jeremy and Jeff up to keep plugging. Its is stupid hot and it has already made an impact. The three of us head out together to try and conquer the next leg of this beast.
Jeremy is feeling better than us at this point as he disappears on most of the climbs we come to and we catch up with him waiting later. We ride a bunch of stuff for the next 20 miles and come back out to the road again. At this point Jeremy decides to call it a day since he knows he is only a few miles from the campground where we are.
I try to convince him to keep plugging, but the heat and this course have taken their toll. Looking back he was the smartest one in the group at that point.
Jeff and I push on hill after hill. I could not believe that we really did seem to be going up the entire way. We are both running out of fluids again as you just could not drink enough in the heat. Grab some water in a steam we pass reluctantly, but you gotta have fluids. We make it to the Lowes with the hopes of their being an unofficial aid station there.
No luck, only some sag vehicles for other racers. Jeff wants to push through the parking lot to see if there is anything further up. I decide to cross the highway and buy enough Gatorade to fill my pack and bottles. The crap is terrible for you, but sounded really good at the time.
Fill everything up, cross the highway, and back on the course. After going under the highway there is still no water or aid so made the right call filling my stuff up. Again ride for a while alone before coming back up to Jeff again. We ride and then come to the second chip location. We stop, eat, drink and hang out for a few at the chip stand.
Not really tracking miles at this point as much as paying attention to time. We keep calculating that at the pace we are doing we are looking at around a 15hr finish time. Quickly try to change the subject and keep positive that time does not matter and just need to keep riding steady.
Once again we are both out of fluids and hoping that we will be coming up on the worst aid station soon. We just keep climbing and walking for what feels like forever. We pop out on another trail and there is a cardboard box that says "Worst aid station" Jeff worries that this is it and we are so late they already left. Then we notice the sign has an arrow on it pointing down the trail. We head that direction and luckily the aid station is not too far off.
This was the best thing I had seen all day and I knew we were not far from the drop bag now at mile 68 or whatever it really was. These folks at the aid station were fantastic! They had cold rags, beer, grilled cheese, and a bunch of other stuff that was perfect. We sat and drank a couple beers, ate grilled cheese, and enjoyed cold rags on the neck. Popped a couple beers in my pack to leave at the drop bag as I figured I may need them soon enough.
Headed out for what we were told were the easiest 8 or 9 miles of the day. This did actually turn out to be true. It was nice to have just flatter gravel and sandy roads instead of the constant onslaught of technical goodness. Jeff got a second wind and seemed motivated to get to the drop bag. I held my pace and ended up riding and chatting with an older guy who said he was planning to drop at the drop bag.
At this point I still felt fairly good physically and was keeping positive mentally. We arrive at the drop bag location and I find Jeff looking like he has been there for a while. He tells me that he decided to call it quits. I tried to convince him it was a good idea to continue on and that was only had 40 to go. This was probably one of Jeff's better decisions of the day looking back.
I put on a fresh bib and jersey because somehow when its 90 degrees I was still managing to get cold chills every now and then. Get all my nutrition refilled, load up food, get my two additional lights loaded up, try to convince Jeff one more time to go, he wisely refuses, and off I go to start this next 20 mile or so loop.
As you start up the road you are riding up the remnants of the old town streets. There are brick walls with stairs that just lead up into the woods. It is kind of spooky and weird and your mind starts to wonder. About that time the course turns you up into the woods and you have to walk up one of these stair sets to start into the Humpty Dumpy trail I think it may have been.
I ride and walk, probably more walking than riding, and I keep trudging on and the sun starts to go down quick. I make it to what i think is the top of a climb that has some nice views and exposure.I ride for some amount of time and then it is all the sudden pitch black. I will say I am not really the biggest fan of night solo riding. There are some sections on the trail I come to that seem to be no more than six inches wide and on the side of the mountain. There are a number of nice views and areas that you could easily just fall off the edge and nobody would know you are there.
I start riding with a guy, name unknown now, we are together for a while, we chat a bit and he tells me how he is the last of his group he came with and that he is going to finish. Some miles pass and I get a little separation on one of the climbs. I get to the top and wait for him to get there. I see a light coming up and start talking to then find out this is a different person. I ask if he passed another guy not far back as he was not far behind. He says he has not passed anyone in a while and then asks if I might be hallucinating. I assure him that I was riding and talking to someone, but it makes me question myself at this point.
The whole time we are riding on this loop of the race you can hear the band playing at the finish line and if you listen close could probably hear beer being drunk. This was one of the aspects of this race that made it such a mind screw. At any time you were never far from a bail out point or somewhere that made it real easy to just quit.
We continue on for mile after mile and climb after climb. I swear it just took us up and down the same damn hill but on a different trail. This goes on for hours and again we seem to be doing more walking than riding as even the slightest uphill feels like it is a 20 degree grade. On and on we go, the course goes back to the main road and passes directly in front of the finish line. The music is playing, you can smell food, and they make it so tempting to just turn in and call it a day. Some others that were back and forth with us on the trail turn off at the finish and call it a night.
I couldn't tell you what trails we were on, how many times we climbed and descended, or really even where I was at. One minute you felt you were on top of a mountain and the next you were dropping in behind houses that were in the city, and then back into the woods again. This went on and on and we never did run into the 3rd chip location.
During this time the second light on my bar flies off the mount without me noticing and shortly after the light on my helmet goes out. This leaves me with a single light to finish this loop and possibly attempt the remaining 16 miles. Not too long after this my main light starts blinking that its getting low. Now I am worried I will even make it back to the drop bag with a working light.
At this point we are nearing 1:00 AM, so I have been up since 4:00 and on the trail now for about 18 hours. In and out of the woods and we go and then we got ready to follow the trail back into the woods again and I told the guy I was riding with that I was not going back in those woods again as I did not think I could hike another hill. He agreed and we backtracked the trail we were on a bit and found are way back to the road and the path back to the bag drop. As we are riding I mention that I have no ride back to the campsite. My plan had been an Taxi back, but at this time a night and 30 miles from camp it looked bleak.
I guess the cosmic wave worked out this time as the guy said his buddy that was coming to get him could give me a lift back to the campsite. Not that I needed it, but this sealed the deal that I was calling it quits once we got back.
We pulled back into the bag drop and it now about 1:00AM or so. It had taken me 18hr to make it a total of 91 miles, or that is what the computer told me anyway. I have terrible cold chills at this point so I throw the bike down and start shedding the wet layers and putting on my spare clothes. I ball up in the fetal position trying to get warm and make these damn chills go away.
I lay there curled up for about an hour or so maybe before the ride gets there. We get loaded and head out on the 30 minute drive back to camp. Arrive, get unloaded, thank these guys for the ride back and start looking for the fastest way to the shower.
I open the door to the RV and feel an arctic blast hit me and I immediately go back to shaking. Figure i may have to use the campground at this point as its just too cold. Make it inside eventually, get cleaned up and made it to bed about 3:00AM. This was by far the longest I have ever been awake or riding my bike so I pushed myself farther than ever before.
I have only failed to finish one other event since I started trying endurance events so having to call it quits really sucked. But I had broken down mentally and after that its seems way easier for the body to quit.
Even though I did not finish it was probably the best race that I have done to date. The single track was the best I have ever ridden and the way the trail systems are built are just awesome and a blast to ride. Unlike most of the other NUE events this was actually primarily single track riding instead of the 50-70 percent gravel of the other events I have done. If you are looking for a true adventure and you really love riding sweet technical single track then this is the race for you.
I will be back again next year to try and tackle this race again. Only this time armed with a lot more knowledge and experience on my side.
Lessons Learned
- Make sure your lights are very securely attached. I lost two lights from my bars over the course of the day and did not notice in time to go back
- Have SAG support - There are trail angel stations out there, but later in the race the amount of support seemed to dwindle. There was not station setup at Lowes as I had heard there would be. As it states, this is self supported.
- Leave GPS at Drop bag location for final 16 miles. The course marking were really good and my Garmin died after 8-9hrs. Luckily had a second computer to track mileage knowing the garmin would only have 13hr or so max
- Take gears - I love my SS and the thought of riding gears does not appeal to me. I did take a geared bike with me up there, but decided to stick with the SS. Looking back it would have been better to try this course with gears first. Too many steep climbs to stay on the bike. By about mile 75 I was having to walk even the most minor of grades.
- Leave Spare Kit and Jersey - This worked out well and was nice to be able to change and try to tackle the remaining miles
- Dont start too slow - I started way slower than I ever do and this hurt me by just making my time out on the trail so much longer. The last 40 miles are definitely the toughest, but dont save to much. You are going to be spent and hurting by time you get to mile 68 whether you push it harder or extra slow. Extra slow just guarantees you will be out there a looong time.
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