This all started in December 2023 with the lottery. Many of my Kansas friends told me they were going to sign up for the Unbound race and that I should too. I was a little hesitant at first, knowing I had quite a few other big swim events I would have to train for, but finally caved because it’s Unbound, I had to at least try it once. And all of my friends were doing it too, I knew it would be fun. So I put my name in for the 100 miler.
If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t think I would actually get in. Unbound is competitive. It’s one of the biggest gravel races in the world and every year hundreds of people get lotteried out, especially the 100 mile distance. I kind of figured I didn’t have much of a chance. So when I got the “Congratulations, you’re in!” email, I was shocked. It suddenly sunk in what I had signed myself up for and the hours I would have to put in over the next 6 months do just survive let alone try and do well.
It took a few days to convince myself I was capable. But I finally came up with a training plan and started to feel better about my ability to finish this race. Trainer rides in the morning, gravel rides over lunch and long rides on Sundays. I had done this before, I knew I could do it again. Well…this year my plan didn’t quite go to plan. I really put an emphasis on swimming this year and riding kind of fell behind. Lunch rides were hard to maintain with a less predictable work schedule and by the time Sunday rolled around, I was exhausted from the thousands of swim miles packed on during the week, I couldn’t get myself on my bike. But I was consistent with morning trainer rides, something I think that saved me in the end.
It was around April, when I hadn’t done a ride over 40 miles that I realized I wasn’t really going to be prepared for this race like I had hoped. The competitive side of me was really disappointed at first. I knew I had it in me to train harder and the work I put in wasn’t going to be enough to show up as my best self for this race. So I decided to take on a new mindset for Unbound. It wasn’t a race anymore, but just a joy ride through the beautiful flint hills and my only goals would be to finish the route and to have fun.
The day before the race we all walked around Emporia and stopped at the expo. Becca and I found a free trial of this leg muscle compression thing
We also stopped by a massive antique store. I liked this sign
The morning of the race, I woke up extremely nervous. Packed up all my stuff, forced myself to eat something and drove to the starting line. Daniel was also riding the 100 miles and we situated ourselves in the large line up of other people. I was extremely nervous but there was something really cool about this start. Hundreds of people, hundreds of bikes and just as many spectators. And just as soon as we lined up, the start sounded and we were rolling out of Emporia.
Daniel and I rode together for the first couple of miles, which I think helped calm me down and get into a rhythm. After the crowd started to thin out a little, Daniel made his move and took off. As I watched Daniel surge ahead, I started to pick up my pace a little as well. I started passing people and found myself in a nice rhythm. There was a nice overcast layer and it wasn’t too hot yet. Dare I say I felt good? The first 50 miles went by pretty quickly.
It didn’t seem like long before I made it to the aid station in Council Grove, where all the riders were welcomed by a group of volunteers. One little volunteer, an 8 year old boy, came right up to me and stole the show. He grabbed my bike, offered to pump up the tires, handed me a water and took me to the snacks. This kid was too funny. He told all about his life in Olathe and how one day he was going to ride Unbound 100 someday too. He sat with me while I rested for a few minutes and then when it was time for me to keep going, he said “Wait, don’t you want a picture with me? I’m the star today!” And he really was. His sweet, funny and very confident demeanor made me laugh and made me feel ready to tackle the last 50 miles of the ride.
I rolled out of the aid station, feeling ok. Not too tired yet, my legs felt decent and like they were going to hold up well on this second half, even up the hills. But this is when things started to go downhill. The midday sun was beaming strong at this point and it was hot. On top of that, only a couple miles outside of Council Grove, I started to feel bouncy, which can only mean one thing - low tire pressure. I tried to ignore it for as long as I could because I did not want to change a flat and if I didn’t acknowledge I had a flat, then I didn’t have one, right?
Well, eventually it felt like I was riding through sand so I hopped off my bike to inspect the damage. The rear tire was definitely low, but it wasn’t completely flat. So I choose to take the easy way out and just fill it up with air. And that kind of worked. For about 5 miles before it was noticeably low again. Still determined to not change a flat, I just pumped the tire back up and went back on my way. But the third time it went low again, I knew there must be some kind of slow leak and I couldn't keep pumping it up every 5 miles and this time. So I opted to change the tire. It was a little disheartening seeing hundreds of people ride past me as I sat on the side of the road but overall I was pretty proud of myself for changing this tire in about 10 minutes and continuing on my way.
The flat
With the tube replaced and the tire holding it’s air now, I faced my next challenge; the heat. Now up until this point, I was really happy with how I was able to handle the terrain. It was a lot of up and down at some pretty steep grades and on very loose, chunky gravel. It took a lot of effort to go up the hills and a lot of concentration going down to stay on the bike. But I was able to stay on the bike for almost all of it. But then the afternoon heat and my under-hydrating habits caught up to me. At around mile 80, my legs started to cramp. Bad. One of those cramps that hits both the quads and the hamstrings so that no matter how you try to stretch it out, it still hurts somewhere. I had to get off my bike, lay down in the grass and just let the cramps go away on their own. After a few minutes and a lot of water, I got back on my bike and turned the corner to Kahola Hill. I took one look at it and said, there’s no way I will be able to ride up that. So unashamedly, I got off my bike and walked up Kahola. In all reality, I knew that had I tried to ride up (which I knew I was capable of), I would have ended up with more leg cramps.
And I actually did end up with more cramps. I had to stop a couple more times and had to walk up a couple more hills and I’m not going to lie, I really questioned whether I was going to be able to finish or if my legs were too far gone to continue pedaling. But I just took it one mile at a time. The aid station in Americus at mile 90 was the most beautiful sight. I slumped off my bike and immediately laid down in the grass. Another cyclist sat down next to me and handed me a coke. “I saw you stretching out cramps earlier” he said “I feel for you, drink this”. Coke has never tasted better than in that moment.
It took all the energy in me to crawl back on my bike and start cycling again. Just 10 more miles. I could do that. But not even 5 miles later, the leg cramps came back and with a vengeance. I hopped off my bike yet again, and started my routine of trying to get them to go away. In the middle of my stretching and grimacing. Another kind stranger walked up to me. “It’s going to be ok” he said. “I live in the house across the street, have done this race several times before and have been in the same place you are at right now. Unbound is tough but you can finish, you’re so close.” He sat with me for about 5 minutes, encouraging me to get back on the bike and keep going. It was exactly what I needed
The last 5 miles hurt, but I eventually made it back to Emporia and crossed the finish line. I did it. All of my friends were at finish line, cheering me on and that was the best sight.
Me, collapsed on the ground
All my friends :)
This was hard. By far the hardest 100 miles I’ve ever done and maybe ever will do. Partially because i was incredibly underprepared and partially because Unbound is a hard course. But in the end, I met my goals - I finished and I had fun.
