'25 Breck Epic - stage 4

Stage 4 - Aqueduct 

42.3 miles

6473 feet 

4:43

9th 40-49

8th GC 40-49

Race Recap Video

In 2023, I didn't see much of Karel racing as I was preparing for XTRI Icon. My workouts were long and I was gone for most of the day because the pool was 30 min away. This time around, although I am preparing for an Ironman (IM Chattanooga - I signed up a few weeks ago), I want to share as much of this experience as I can with Karel. 

Karel woke up exhausted and his sinuses are bothering him because of the dry air. He once again questioned how he would get through another 4+ hours of racing. The courses at Breck Epic are incredibly challenging with a lot of rocks, dust and climbing. Every stage has over 5000 feet elevation gain. 

I dropped off Karel's bag around 6:30am and had a very early start to my day. I started my ride at 6:45am as I my plan was to ride to the top of Loveland Pass in Keystone and then head a few miles back to watch Karel come through aid station #2. My plan was to be at the aid station by 10:30am. 

I started to make my way up Swan Mountain and noticed that the road was closed at the top. This had me worried that I would have to reroute and go around the lake to Dillon/Keystone but thankfully I was able to cut over and get on the bike path at the top. The bike path around Swan Mountain is a piece of art. Switchbacks and a smooth windy road around the side of the mountain. 

I made my way towards Keystone and noticed a sign that said "Loveland Pass closed." I looked it up on my phone and sure enough, the pass was closed indefinitely due to a recent landslide. I had over 2 hours left until I would go to see Karel so I backtracked and headed back up Swan Mountain from the Keystone side and down to the bike path and then around the lake. I wanted to get in a good amount of climbing and Swan Mountain is a nice 2.5 mile climb with a little over 600 feet. 

The bike path on the Dillon side is a little more rough (not as smooth) but still very pretty. The Keystone path is very pretty with a rocky river alongside the path.

After 3 hours of riding, I finally made my way to a gravel road to aid station #2 by Keystone. I waited around 20 minutes and finally saw Karel. While he went pee in the grass, I got him a small can of Fanta, topped off his water bottle that had precision hydration 60g and gave him a new hydration pack w/ 3 scoops INFINIT in it. Karel told me that he had a bit of a tumble on one of the descends but he was ok. It was getting warm out and it was very dusty. Karel was having a hard time breathing today. The aid station volunteers are incredible and once again, the riders are very nice and considerate. There were several mechanical issues that riders had to stop and fix. 

I made my way back to Breckenridge, dropped of my hydration pack in our Airbnb and then rode my bike a few miles up the road to the B&B trailhead. I ended up with 4:56 ride time, 74.6 miles and close to 5000 feet of elevation. I waited around 20 minutes and Karel finally rolled through. 

Karel couldn't stop coughing and he said his lungs hurt really bad. He did really well considering all that his body is going through. He ended up 9th on the stage (40-49) and is maintaining 8th overall (GC - general classification) in his age group. Karel drank the tart cherry drink that I made for him and he filled up his bottle w/ Skratch chocolate recovery from the aid station. 

After thinking about life and why he is doing this event, we finally made our way down the mountain. Karel rode to the lodge to wash off his bike and I went back to the Airbnb and ordered Karel a burger from Flipside Burger (per Karel's appetite :) 

Around 5pm, Karel went to pick up his aid station bag and I went to the Rec center for a swim. 

Tomorrow's stage is short - only 25 miles but incredibly challenging with over 5200 feet elevation gain. The Wheeler pass is rocky, steep and technical and requires a lot of hike-a-bike. Two more stages to go! 

'23 Breck Epic - Stage 5 and 6

 

Stage 5: Wheeler Mountain
25 miles
5300 feet
5.89 mph
4:15 time
21st 40-49

Karel heard the horror stories about Wheeler. Although his body was extremely tired, he mentally prepared himself for a lot of hike-a-bike up the Wheeler trail. The state was set up as a "time trial" so that the early single track wouldn't get too crowded. Although his mind was in a good place for the uphills, he was not mentally (or physically) prepared for the downhills. He said it was the scariest routes he has ever done and he just wanted to finish. I think his stats tell the most. When it takes over 4 hours to ride 25 miles and when you can accmulate 5300 feet in only 25 miles, you know it's a really tough course. Here's Karel's recap of stage 5. 

Since I had completed my big workouts, I was really looking forward to seeing Karel in action today. I left our place around 7am and drove to the trailhead on McCullough Gulch Road. A little after 7:30am, I started my 3 mile, 2300 feet hike up the mountain. It took me around an hour to make it to the first top of the mountain (~12,750 feet). I had my USWE hydration pack with Skratch Clear to stay hydrated and also brought some snacks and a bagel sandwich with PBJ. I waited around an hour before I could see the pros far in the distance. 

I didn't know what to expect but I have never see so much suffering. Although almost everyone was in good spirits, there was a lot of huffing and puffing to ride, walk, push the bikes up the mountain. 

I had a lot of fun cheering for the riders. The scenery was incredible. 

Eventually I saw Karel and he was in a group of 6. He wished he had different shoes as his MTB shoes are very stiff which makes it hard to hike. But he felt pretty good walking his bike up the hill. Although some sections were rideable, it was either too steep or too rocky to ride through. Some of the male pros were able to ride most of the way but the majority had to get off the bike and walk. 

Around 10am I made my way down the mountain. I had a lot of fun cheering for everyone as I was jogging down. The trail was narrow so I did a lot of stopping to make sure the riders had plenty of room to push their bikes up the mountain. It took me ~43 minutes to run down the mountain. I ended up with 6 miles of run, hike, walk. 

I drove back to our place, got my bike and rode to the finish of the stage, ~3 miles away (up Ski Hill). I waited and waited and waited for Karel and I was surprised that it took him so long to finish. I was really worried that he crashed or had a mechanical. When he finished, he rode over to the field and couldn't wait to get off his bike. He said that he got very dehydrated and messed up his fueling. He also mentioned how scared he was on the bike during the descends. He was completely empty - mentally and physically. 

We rode the 3 miles back to our place and as Karel rested, I drove to the pool around 3pm for a 3600 yard swim. I picked up Chipotle for Karel (and me) on the way home and also stopped at the grocery store to get a few things. Karel was really exhausted, he didn't sleep well and had no idea how he would get the energy to complete the last stage. 

Stage 6: The Gold Dust Trail
31.8 miles
3500 feet
11.6 mph
2:44 time
11th 40-49
16th GC (overall in AG after 6 stages)

Karel woke up very sore, tired and exhausted. But with his stage racing experience, he knows that you can never count yourself out, no matter how horrible you feel. You just have to show up and do the best you can. I had a really good feeling about stage 6 as I felt like the course suited Karel was some long steady climbs up gravel-like roads and single track to start and finish (and throughout the stage). Plus, no matter how tired Karel is when he races, he always finds a way. I felt like he was going to deliver something great on this last stage. 

Here's his recap of stage 6. A completely different Karel from the previous stages :) 

Karel left our place around 8am as his start time was in the 7th wave. This stage had a "time trial" start in groups of 10 because of the tight single track to start. 

My plan was an easy 2-3 hour ride. I hadn't made my way all the way around Dillion Res so I was looking forward to riding on the bike path that I hadn't seen before. 

I surprised Karel and watched him start the race and a little before 9am, I headed out on my ride. 

I really enjoyed my ride. I still can't get over all of the bike paths that connect from town to town. 

I rode 36 miles and less than 5 of those miles were on the road. Everything else was on a bike path. 

I returned to Breckenridge at the ice rink before 11am and waited ~45 minutes until Karel crossed the finish line. I was so relieved to see him as every stage had me nervous about a crash or mechanical. 

I could tell with his riding style and expression that not only was he happy to finish Breck Epic but he had a great stage performance. 

Karel placed 11th in his age group on the last stage and he said he felt pretty good and was able to pass several riders in the last climb. 

After hanging around at the finish for a little, Karel was eager to get to the local french bakery. The service was slow but the pastries were worth it. 

We rode back to our resort (one last time up the hill). 

And Karel was officially DONE. 

Although it was incredibly difficult, Karel said he would do it again. He learned a lot and he would have approached it differently with training, gear/equipment and tactics. 

At 6pm he went to the finisher banquet/awards. I walked around the town while Karel was at the banquet in the hotel. Karel received two black and white pictures of him after the first and second stage, as well as a cardboard cut out to frame the picture and bib plate. 

He also received a belt buckle as an official Breck Epic finisher. 

6 days
~227 miles
~26 hours
~33,330 vertical feet
relieved, exhausted, broken, sore, proud.

The only way to discover your physical and mental limits is to pursue challenging goals.
Doing something hard will quickly expose your weaknesses and reveal your strengths.

Breck Epic tested Karel’s mind, body, fitness commitment, character, problem solving skills and abilities. Although it was incredibly hard, he rose to meet the mental demands and physical rigors of the 6-day Breck Epic mountain biking event.

Push past your self-imposed barriers and crush those hard, scary goals.

2023 High Cascades 100 MTB event

Pre-Race
I was a bit nervous going into the High Cascades 100. We had reconned the back half of the course but the first ~45 miles were all new trails for me. The routes in Bend are incredible. Over 900 miles of single track MTB trails! But the conditions are very different to what I am used to – sandy, jagged pointy rocks and loose dirt. I was also nervous about the start of the race and having 350+ athletes to navigate around going into the single track. I prepared my bottles the night prior and got 2 bags ready for the bag drop (aid station ~45 and ~81). I used a 1.5L plastic water bottle for my hydration pack (either INFINIT Fructose 360 calories/hr or Never Second C30 Berry, 360 calories per bottle/hr) and a sport bottle of Mexican coke (diluted with water). I started with my USWE hydration pack with INFINIT Fructose and a bottle of Never Second C30. I also carried a Power Bar, PB Clif Bar, Power bar chews, Gu aminos and a Never Second Gel.

We woke up at 3:45am and ate our normal pre-race foods. We got ready around 4:45am, did a bit of foam rolling/mobility and left our Airbnb on our bikes, just before 5am. The sun was starting to rise so it wasn’t completely dark. We were in the company of other athletes riding to the start. It was a little cool in the morning (mid 50’s) but it wasn’t too bad for the 1-mile bike to the race start at the Bend Athletic Club.

We dropped off our bags in their respective UHaul trucks (Karel only used the 48-mile bag drop) and then I went to the potty once more. We lined up near the front, in the company of some well-known names like Heather Jackson, Sarah Max, Eric Lagerstrom and Sonya Looney. It boggles my mind to think that over 350 people register for this event. And the only distance is 100 miles! And the event had over 40 females! The race director (Mike) is phenomenal. His communication via email was incredible. We would receive emails almost daily on the week of the event with updates on the course, event and any other important/safety details.

The ride started at 5:30am and it was a neutral start for a few miles until the road went up.

Miles 0-20
The first ~9 miles were all climbing. The route started off ~6 miles on pavement and it was a beautiful start as the sun was rising and we were riding through Tetherow on Skyliners Road. We then turned off onto a fire road (gravel, dust, dirt) for ~3 more miles. The first 9 miles were fairly fast, averaging around 17 mph. I was in the 3rd group from the front and it was a small group, with Sonya Looney. There was ~10 of us and the effort felt manageable. My legs were feeling really good climbing. On a steeper section, Sonya rode away. We then took Tumalo Creek to Mrazek Trail for ~6 miles which was all single track. My skills weren’t the best and I was passed by several guys on the twisty/technical sections but I was able to always catch back up anytime there was a steady climb. Everyone was very nice and would ask to pass when there was a chance to pull over. It was back on another forest road (where I caught up to all the guys who passed me) and then back on Mrazek Trail. At this point, we had been climbing (with just a few quick downhills) for 20 miles and ~1:43 (11.7mph).

Miles 20-48
I had been doing a good job staying hydrated, even though it was cool out. It’s very dry in Bend (low humidity) but it was super dusty which made me thirsty. Karel was in the 2nd group to the front but he was careful to not overdo it. He wanted to pace himself so that he wouldn’t blow up or aggravate his back so he made sure not to do anything crazy in the first few hours. There were several sections that Karel had to walk his bike over and many that I had to walk my bike over throughout the event as there wasn’t a clear line to take and we didn’t want to jeopardize a fall or something breaking on the bike. Luckily, there wasn’t any hike-a-bike. All the obstacles were relatively short and required a quick hop off, carry the bike over and then back on the bike.
The first technical descend was Farewell. And as the name implies, it was technical for me. There was a drop off on the left and a tight single track with many loose rocks and tight (very tight) switchbacks. I stopped several times to let other riders pass me. When I finally made it down this 3.4 mile, 20-minute technical section, I was relieved.
The next few single track trails included Tumalo Creek (which had a .3 mile required Chill Zone due to hikers), Skyliners Trail and Upper Whoops. This was a mix of twisty single track through the trees, beautiful views and then some fun jumps and berms. Then it was on to another forest road to Swede Ridge Loop Trail, Swampy Loop Trail, Flagline trail, Swampy Dutchman Trail. Although my skills were not the best, I found myself in a similar group of riders (all guys) where they would pass me on the technical sections (specifically downhill) and then I would catch back up anytime the road went uphill. I really worked the uphills as I felt that was where I could gain the most time and be competitive in my age group.
When I got to the first aid station, the volunteers were incredible. They grabbed my bike and helped me refill my hydration pack. I needed to pee but I didn’t see anywhere to go (there were a lot of people there as spectators were allowed) so I waited until the next stop. I grabbed my bottle of coke to put on my bike. We received chain lube in our welcome packet and Karel advised that I put some on my chain if it starts to sound like it’s getting dry. I decided to lube my chain at this aid station to be on the safe side. I also had tools, a spare battery, CO2, tube, and a plug in my hydration pack in case of an emergency.

Mile 48-70
After a few miles of descending, we got onto the main road (Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway) before crossing the road and making our way to Funner. Funner made its way into Lower Storm King and at this point, I was in familiar territory. There were still a lot of sections that were too technical/rocky for me to bike over so I had to get off but overall, this section was fun. There were a lot of berms and jumps (I don’t jump, just roll over). Then we went into Catch and Release for more climbing. I felt a bit more confident in the back half of the ride as I knew the route and there was a lot of climbing. It was starting to get a bit warm out as it was nearing the upper 80’s and I had been riding for almost 6 hours. Karel likes to know where he is at while he is riding so he leaves his computer on a screen that shows mileage and time but I don’t want to know. I leave my computer on the map setting and just focus on the distance for each segment that I am in. Neither of us have power so we don’t go by any metrics other than feel. The course was really well marked. Mike did a great job putting arrows and ribbons for the course and a big yellow NO sign for any other area that we shouldn’t take. There were also signs letting us know that an aid station was ahead. After passing the 58 mile/88 mile split sight (heading the 58 mile route), it was time to climb. Almost 13 miles of almost non stop climbing on single track for almost 90 minutes and almost 1800 feet of elevation gain. Much of the race was held at ~5000+ elevation, getting close to 6000 a few times. The next 3.5 miles were on Dinah Moe Humm and took us to the next aid station. I was running low in my hydration pack and even though the next aid station was 9 miles away, I didn’t want to ration my fluids, especially with it being so hot and dry out. I filled my pack with Heed (which did not taste good) but sipped on it anyways. I was still feeling really good with my energy and my mood was good. I used a bit of water to cool myself at the aid station and also finally went pee (in the bushes).

Mile 80-103
I was looking forward to the next 3 miles as they were on the road with a beautiful view of Mt. Bachelor (with snow on top). It was warm with the sun beating down at 95 degrees. But thankfully there was a bit of tailwind. I passed a lot of guys on this climb and at this point, I was passed by two females but passed one who was at the previous aid station. I really worked these 3 miles as I knew we had some descending on a fire road after the climb. Somehow I got off course for a few minutes and turned myself around. I have no idea how I missed the big pink arrows but I think I was getting into my pocket to get some chews and must have looked down for a second and missed it. I’m so thankful I had the gut feeling that I was off course. I was a little upset that I had worked so hard on the climb to get off course for a few minutes but I was back with the guys that I had passed. The next almost 6 miles were pretty fun. A lot of descending on fire roads. Although it was still hard to descend as you are in a squatting position which puts a lot of weight on the legs. My neck was getting a little sore so I would stretch it out every now and then. Karel was feeling pretty good throughout the ride and he also didn’t have any low energy issues. He did a great job with his hydration and fueling. He had a lot of fun in the technical sections and anytime there was a sign that read ‘Danger’ I would think “don’t die!” and Karel would think “fun!”
Tiddlywinks was a very fun trail which then brought us back to Lower Storm King. Finally I was back to the split and took Catch and Release back to the main road. I stopped quickly at aid station 81 as I wanted to make sure I was well hydrated for the final stretch. My refill stops were at 5:13 hrs, 7:53 hrs and 8:49 hrs. I made all my stops really quick. Once I got back on the paved road, there was a little incline before a long stretch on Cascade Lakes Hwy. The roads are extremely bike friendly and there were even people in their cars honking and cheering as we were racing. The last 5 miles were fast – I time trialed it and pushed as hard as I could (19 mph for almost 5 miles). The final stretch was a small path/trail behind the Athletic Club and then I crossed the finish line after 103 miles and 9:29.48 moving time (9:49 total time with stops).

Karel went back to our Airbnb to shower (we were so dusty and dirty!) and then came back to see me finish. A friend, Kristen Yax, who lives in Bend came to the finish and we chatted with her for a while. We got a free burrito at the finish and then biked back to our place to clean up and rest before the awards at 6:30pm. 

I still can’t believe we rode 103 miles off road on our mountain bikes.

Prior to the event, we couldn’t believe that over 350 people sign up for this event. But now we know why.

The trails in the Deschutes National Forest are incredible. The nature is beautiful, the volunteers were awesome, Mike (the race director) was amazing with his communication, course signage and attention to detail and the people are so nice (and love being outdoors).

My skills were not the best on the technical features, as I’m not used to riding on dusty, sandy and jagged rock trails, but my climbing legs showed up so I took advantage of my strength any time the trails went up.

Karel paced himself well. No crashes and felt stronger as the race went on. He squeezed into third place in the last hour. 

We both fueled and hydrated well and didn’t have any low moments throughout the race. There were five aid stations. We both utilized the bag drop (our own nutrition) at mile 47, stopped to refill hydration at mile 72 and I used the bag drop at mile 81.

I love the heat (dry or humid) so I welcomed the 90-degree temps. With much of the ride above 5000 feet, we didn’t feel affected by the altitude.

Karel placed 3rd age group (40-49) in a competitive field in a time of 8:24.07.

I placed 1st age group (40-49) and 6th overall female in a time of 9:48.56.

It was a challenging and fun day.

This year has been all about stepping out of my comfort zone. Off-road racing (gravel, Xterra, MTB, trail running) requires a tremendous about of strength, skills, durability, resiliency, mental toughness and endurance. In these events, feeling a sense of accomplishment doesn’t come from metrics, paces or overall placement but in overcoming the challenges of the day and reaching the finish line.

If you are feeling complacent with your sport or struggling to find your “why” for training and racing, I encourage you to explore what lies slightly out of your comfort zone. You’ll still have to train very hard but you’ll be motivated by self-improvement and feeling like a beginner again.

RESULTS

 

Here's a video I put together on another ride that we did later in the week. We did 3 x 4+ hour MTB rides while we were there. We love Bend!