Land Run 100 2017: What a Freakin’ Mess, and I Loved It

Photo © Shawn Honea

After participating in the 2017 edition of the Land Run 100 in Stillwater, Oklahoma this weekend, I feel the need to share some thoughts. Where to begin?If you do not know what Land Run is, it is a 100ish mile bike ride starting and ending in Stillwater, Oklahoma. There is also a 50k run and a 50-mile ride. It is ran by Bobby and Chrystal Wintle, who also run District Bicycles. These two are two of the most genuine, giving, positive, motivated, people that I have the honor of calling friends.

Stillwater Community:

This was my third Land Run, and it is amazing to see how the community of Stillwater has embraced this event. Each year it seems to get behind the event more and more. To all of the volunteers who make this happen, a huge thank you! This is proof that good people with good ideas and a lot of work can transform a community.District Bicycles:What can I say, beautiful shop full of great people. When I finished, they brought me inside and gave me a place to warm up, offered me coffee, drink, snacks, blanket, hand warmers, and a shower. Absolutely amazing and above and beyond what any rider could ask for.

Support Crew:

How cool is it to pull into a checkpoint and have a full service support crew. I almost felt like a professional racer. Shawn, Lynette, and Joe killed it. I handed them a mess, and they had it cleaned, lubed, and adjusted bike, ready to roll-out in minutes. Tons of Emporia representatives from Team Mulready’s and Dirty Kanza on hand to help out and give motivational support.

Emporia Community:

Emporia was well represented as usual. I got to hang out with some of the best people from our community and play in the mud with them. Team Dirty Kanza and Team Mulready’s were well represented as usual. I was lucky enough to ride down with Ryan Balkenhol, Lenny Spellman, and Jacob Kucza, and share war stories all the way home. It’s an honor to go and represent a team like ours. I am always amazed when I ride out of town, when people hear you are from Emporia, how they immediately ask you about the DK and they all know where Mulready’s is. Emporia should be proud.

About my ride:

Now I ride my bike quite a bit, and riding 100 miles of gravel is still a challenge, but I have actually ridden much further (207 miles) at one time before, so you might think 100 would be no big deal. Not true.

You see, Land Run is notorious for extremely challenging conditions, namely red Oklahoma mud, and lots of it, not to even mention the hills, and wind, and rain…This year would add one more factor, the cold (and I should add, one very pissed off skunk in the middle of the road). Unlike most people, I actually like these conditions. Now I am not saying that I don’t say bad things about Bobby and his crew the whole ride, but I will take 34 degrees over 80+ any day.

My first goal for LR17 was, as always, just finish. Second, try to finish between 8 and 9 hours. Third, try to finish without cramping. These may not sound like lofty goals, but for me they are. I managed to accomplish one of those three. I finished.

If the conditions would have been perfect, and I would have had a good day, 8 to 9 hours may have been possible, but not in the typical LR conditions. I did much better with the cramping, but at mile 65, they started to set in. I was able to keep them from locking up over the next 40 miles, which is a huge win for me. It was like a Miracle in the Mud!

My biggest mistake was nutrition. The second leg was so cold and muddy, I stopped eating because it was almost impossible to dig things out and eat without removing wet, muddy gloves and digging through mud covered bags to get to the food. I bonked bad the last 15 miles, and had to limp in to the finish. I know better, and that mistake cost me quite a bit. I was lucky enough to share the final few miles with a great guy, whose name I can’t remember. He did not have a light, and I was glad to let him tag along with me. With 2 miles to go, I had to stop and eat, but couldn’t get to my food. He gave me a candy bar and a banana that I devoured in seconds. It was enough to get me across the finish line. I owe him big time. At the finish line I was greeted by a big group of Emporia friends and teammates. What a great way to finish off the day.

The most important thing that got me through was my attitude. I was actually having fun the entire day. I was more positive on this ride than I have ever been. Around mile 70, Lenny Spellman rolled up and me, and he was not having a good time. The mud, rain, and cold can do that to you. He asked how I was doing and I told him how much fun I was having. He looked at me like I had lost my mind, and maybe I had. But really, I was riding my bike with people from all over, on some beautiful roads, it was not blazing hot (which I hate), trying to push ourselves farther than we think we could, and we got to play in the mud. What more could we ask for? Yes, I was tired, cold, wet, cramping, and hungry, but I guess I have a sick idea of fun. Great job of pushing through it for the finish Lenny.

I also rode alone for much of the day, and I am always amazed on how the mind wanders. One argument I kept having with myself the whole day was do I slow down to prevent cramping, or do I speed up to finish with a better time, at the risk of severe cramping? At some point I finally asked myself what difference does it make if I finish in 9 hours or 11 hours? It’s not like I am going to get on the podium. Why am I really doing this? It’s because I love to be outdoors, riding my bike, in challenging conditions. Why not simply enjoy the ride? No, this doesn’t mean that I simply stopped trying to ride hard, but I quit worrying about my finish time, and just focused on finishing. I was one of the lucky ones who did not have many problems with the cold. There were a couple of times that my hands hurt, but for the majority of the race, they felt fine, even though my gloves were soaked. Many other riders had to stop due to mechanical problems. Again, I was one of the lucky ones, although I did not have any brakes for the entire second leg. I may need a new pair of shoes, because the only way I could stop was by dragging my feet.

All things considered, it was one of my best days ever on a bike. I was in my element, and I had to dig really, really deep to finish. I just had to get that hug from Bobby, and I am not a hugger.  I don’t know how you do it Bobby, but only you could turn a race, with those types of conditions, into an event as great as Land Run. 1200 riders signed up for that challenge, but I am not sure how many actually lined up for the start. To all of you who chose to line up and ride, whether you finished or not, you’ve got guts. It may not have been your day, but you will have others, and you probably have a great story to share. Only 165 finished. I am honored to say, I was one of those 165.

I will continue to train and push myself to ride faster. I will continue to suffer and find ways to push my limits further. I will continue to set goals that I may never reach. This is how I will grow and become a better version of myself. Most importantly, I will try to get back to my happy place and have a positive attitude when I ride, even through the suffering. It will be much harder for me as it gets warmer out. As much as many of you hate the cold and mud, I hate the heat, so your day is coming. My day was last Saturday, on a cold, wet, miserable day in Oklahoma. I was not one of the fastest, and I never will be, but I will keep on pushing until I can’t go any more because I am one stubborn old SOB.

#iamthetortoise #respectthetortoise

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