The Mid South Double: March 10 & 11, 2023

Hot on the tail of the Marji Gesick, driving downstate from the UP last September, I googled "gravel bike races with ultramarathons." I vaguely remembered seeing pictures of runners slogging through the snow and mud at an early-season gravel bike race, and I wanted to know more. Cue finding the Mid South: "A weekend endurance festival celebrating hard challenges and the beauty of Oklahoma dirt roads." A couple of clicks revealed that THIS was the race I remembered -- runners trudging through a good old southwestern March snowstorm. My family lived in Oklahoma City for four years when I was a kid, and I remembered clearly how brutal and volatile the weather could be. Then I saw the event I knew I would be signing up for: the Double. The Double is a combination event for the truly sick: a 50K gravel road run on Friday, followed by the crown jewel event on Saturday: a 100 mile gravel road bicycle race. Results are determined from the summation of both finishing times. Just like that, my winter was planned: time to get back in bicycle shape! 

Race website: https://www.midsouthgravel.com/

Registration: BikeReg

Registration notes: Registration is handled through BikeReg. In October, the "randomizer" category opens. Athletes register for the randomizer, and no money is collected at that time. 1-2 weeks later, a second email letting athletes know if they were accepted into the event will go out. At that time, the credit card provided at initial registration is charged for the event. 

Location:  ★★★★☆

    Stillwater is a college town in Northern Oklahoma -- home of Oklahoma State University. It happens to be fairly large as Oklahoma towns go, but at a population of 50,000 it maintains a small-town atmosphere. The downtown area was essentially the race hub. 6 city blocks are taped off at throughout the weekend for the expo. There are plenty of public parking areas, and a map was emailed to attendees outlining what parking spaces were up for grabs. There are plenty of coffee shops, breweries, and a few restaurants within walking distance of the parking areas. Bonus: most of these shops extended their hours for the midsouth weekend! 

Van life with two bikes and two dogs

    Van camping is available right in the downtown area. There were about 4 total electric hookups, so for most vans/rv's, camping was primitive. There were portapotties very close to the parking area, which was convenient. There was not running water. Additionally, you're parking in a downtown area, so don't expect silence. I can't say it was the best sleep I've ever had, but it was free and it was convenient. Additionally, it was a bit too cold for the road shower after the run. That resulted in me running a 50K and then wiping off with wetwipes. Not necessarily my best self -- sorry to everyone I hugged!

Organization: ★★★★★

Post 50K with Bobby Wintle

    The Midsouth (formerly known as the LandRun 100) has been organized in the Stillwater area since 2012. Directed by Bobby Wintle (co-owner of District Bicycles in downtown Stillwater), the race has a different vibe from most big gravel races. This race is very much a: "everyone is welcome, everyone is honored, everyone is loved" type of event. While some races do pay lip service to radical acceptance, the vibes don't always match up to the marketing. Midsouth was different. I noticed while signing up that they have had a nonbinary registration option for a few years now. They also have several para categories. On the day of the 100 mile race, they had a team following not only the men's leaders, but also the women's and nonbinary category leaders. During our pre-race speech, Bobby Wintle said he'd be waiting at the finish with a hug. I thought that was a figure of speech, like when the RD hangs out and hands you a medal and a beer. Nope. He stood at the finish line for literally the entire day both races to make sure each competitor got a hug after. Let me note that these weren't quick professional side hugs. These were like real hugs, like those big tight bear hugs you share with a best friend you haven't seen in a year. That type of hug was shared with each and every salty, sweaty, red Oklahoma dirty runner and rider. 

    Now that I've waxed poetic about the ethos of the race, let's talk about the actual concrete organizational parameters. Communication leading up to the race was great. Not too much, not too little. We received emails starting in January outlining travel, parking and accommodations. The expo was well-organized, with a strong mix of gear, nutrition, and cycling booths. I hung out at the Stillwater Humane Society booth (of course) chatting with the shelter director for about a half hour. Freckles, the puppy that came out with her to get some attention for the booth was adopted by a competitor!  

    The portapotties were cleaned EVERY DAY. I have never experienced such clean and well-stocked portapotties for the duration of a multi-day event before. 

    I really don't have any complaints about organization, the Midsouth team did a fantastic job.

Course:★★★★☆

    The Midsouth courses were released about a week before the event. They tend to utilize many of the same roads year to year, so you can get a fairly good idea of what you are signing up for in advance. This year, the run course was the same as the 2022 course: following the initial few miles of the bike course, then turning and running more of the early bike course in reverse going back to Stillwater. The first 2.5 miles are paved and a nt downhill, which make it very easy to go out FAST. Once you hit the gravel, the steep climbs and descents start to add up and really take a toll. The climbs and descents are so frequent, it really becomes difficult to find a good stride. I felt like I never really got comfortable in a pace, and my watch was really upset about the whole thing and was not able to give me a real-time pace either. One thing Michigan gravel did not prepare me for was just how rocky the southwestern gravel would be. Even in a fairly cushioned road shoe, my feet were incredibly bruised by mile 20 and I spent quite a bit of time running in the sand, uneven edges of the road in an attempt to get some relief. The run course is quite exposed, traversing past miles of flat open farmland. There is no protection from the sun and wind (or snow if it's that type of March). There is one water crossing, but since it was a relatively dry year, we were able to keep our socks dry by sticking to the logs on one edge of the creek. 

    The 100 mile bike is the principle event. It has a rowdy 6000+ ft of climbing, which is made up of steep climbs and steep rocky descents. Some of the gravel is fairly hard packed, smooth and fast. Some is so sharp and rocky that the road edges are littered with people fixing flat tires. This year there was the addition of a few miles of single track, in addition to the famous two-track sections. It really was a variable course, which made it so fun. It was also a really brutal course. On a good weather day, the whole thing is rideable. On a wet day, just plan on walking with your bike. 

    The red dirt is truly magical. During the race, several times I honestly felt like I was in a movie staring down this rolling road that was so brilliant in color, it couldn't possibly be real. 

    A note about the course: people line up EARLY. I'm used to ultramarathons where people finally put their toes on the start line 45 seconds before the gun goes off. I tried to line up 30 minutes early, and was forced to sit about 700 people back! People were packed so closely together there was no way to weasel my way up further. Luckily, I had my friend Jill Martindale to commiserate with at the start. We know for next time -- get to the start line even earlier than you think!

Start line with Salsa athlete Jill Martindale, one of those Michigan riders that merges the lines between heroes and friends

Food: ★★★★☆

    The run was pretty simple and standard: Scratch, water, and traditional ultra snacks like chips and fruit. Don't get me wrong, I love my traditional ultra snacks. But, average is average. The cycling aid stations really brought this up to an above-average food rating. Holy cow. The aid stations were a real party. Music blasting, costumed cowboys, and plenty of snacks. The winners for me on that particular day were the more traditional oreos, potato chips, cookies, and flat cokes. For those with hardened stomachs though, there was plenty of bacon and fireball to go around. The aid station energy really helped me power through. 

My race:

    I came into this race with the goal of winning the women's Double. This type of goal isn't necessarily the best, because while you can control many factors regarding your race, you cannot control your competitors. This isn't a criterium where the smartest racer wins. This is a combination of fitness, smart choices, and a whole lot of grit. 

    My husband (race buddy extraordinaire, Bobby Munro) and I started the drive to Stillwater Wednesday evening, stopping to camp in Missouri for the night. Along for the ride was our 6 year old American Bully, Nugget, and our 3.5 year old cattle dog/pit X, Desi. We finished up the drive on Thursday, and had our respective shakeouts: I went for a short run with Desi, and Bobby went for an easy spin. Friday morning dawned COLD. Cold enough that poor Desi required a fleece jacket to see me off at the start line! At the start of the race, it was a clear, crisp 35 degrees. It was slated to reach 60F later that day, but started out I opted to overdress. It's easier to rehydrate than to refuel, and I would have less than 24 hours to prepare for a long, hard bike race the next day. I didn't think I would be able to afford losing any extra calories trying to keep warm.

                                       

Running with Clara (left) and Sarah (right) who went on to go 2 and 3 overall in the 50K

    As noted above, the run starts off fast. I felt good clicking off the first few miles, but didn't realize how gnarly the course was about to become. My heartrate was a bit high, but I wasn't overly concerned given that this is essentially a road race. However, once the hills started hitting and the day st arted to heat up, I knew I was in for a rough time. I became extremely nauseous and any time I put water or a gel into my mouth, I would retch. I ditched my extra clothing at the halfway point, hoping that would help. My heart rate climbed and pace slowed down as I tried to rein in myself on the downhills to save my quads for the bike. At mile 22, my heart sunk as I realized that my run goal had slipped away and I was just trying to survive. I was able to hold down a half dixie cup of scratch, and just jogged in the last hour. As I looked through results, I had lost 30 minutes on the run. Now not only did  I have to rehydrate, but I had only consumed 60 calories on the run. I had some serious refueling to do in the next 19 hours. 

    The bike start wasn't as cold as the run -- at 47F, I was able to wear midweight gloves and armwarmers, which I would strip off as the day hit the mid 70's.  The first 2 miles were "neutral" and then we were off once we hit the gravel. I knew exactly what those rolling hills would look like from the run start the day before, and focused on keeping good control on the descents were line choice was paramount. The water crossing from the run was early on in the bike, although we approached it from the opposite direction. A few wild souls plowed through the creek, while the rest of us dismounted and carried bikes over the muddy walkway ridge. 

    At mile 20, the road switched from gravel with rocks to just straight up deep shale. As we hit it, I went down hard. My bottle holder cracked and both bottles went flying. My chain had been dropped and my front wheel skewer popped out. I chipped paint off my beautiful prissy road bike! I apologized profusely to the bike for using her for this type of rugged riding. A very sweet competitor, Kristen, held my bike for me as I popped the chain back on, and off we went. By that point, I was feeling bonky. I was so hungry but wrestling my narrow road bars hard enough on the gravel that I couldn't take my hands off long enough to dig around for snacks. My legs felt like lead, and I was angry I had crashed. A few miles later, my husband (who had starteed ahead of me, but flatted) caught up to me. I told him that I felt terrible, but knew he couldn't ride with me without it looking like I had a male domestique. He rode off and I wallowed in my self pity. 

    When I hit the first aid station at mile 36, I got off my bike, tightened up the front wheel, and limped dejectly up to the snack table. As I refilled my bottles that had spilled, I started eating. Everything. I grabbed handfuls of cookies and a bag of chips and mashed them into my mouth. In some cases, rage eating is the healthiest thing you can do. This was the point where I reminded myself that I am not fast. It's been years since I won a race on speed alone. My best races are those where grit saves the day. 

                                        

    After my 7 minute aid station pep talk, I rolled back out. I never got to ride with a pack, but would have a nice little doublet or triplet group for a few miles before it fell apart. Most of the time it was me alone, starting down the dirt roads, with a Britney Spears soundtrack in my head. After the 68 mile bonus aid station, I realized that I was feeling so strong. As most people hit their wall, mine was over and done with. I'd scaled that fricker and was on a mission. I giggled like a maniac through the single track section and practically sailed through the last 15 miles. I blew through the finish line and into another Bobby hug. As I chugged the Midsouth signature IPA, I sat and watched the athlete tracker. In a half hour, it was official. I was the women's Double champion. 

 

Gear: 

50K: I ran with a halfway full 2L Nathan hydration pack. Unfortunately, I really didn't drink much out of this. For navigation, I utilized the Garmin Epix. I ran in Hoka Cliftons. The course was so incredibly rocky I almost wished I had trail shoes just for a little extra protection, but road shoes were the most sensible choice given the speed of the race. I started out in a thermal long-sleeve, hat and gloves. The hat and gloves were gone almost immediately, and I was more than happy to take off the long sleeve when I saw Bobby at the half-way point. 

100 mile: This is such a fun one! I don't own a gravel bike. When I did the Moran 166 in 2021, I rode 166 miles of flat gravel roads on my mountain bike. Same thing for BWR last year. Its comfy and squishy and such a fun time. Less fun is getting dropped on flats because I get spun out at anything over 26 mph. So, I pulled the road bike out of retirement. I have a lovely 2018 Liv Langma that I bought just before my extended break from road cycling. Because I really only rode it one season, almost everything on her is still stock! We squeezed some 33 mm slicks (challenger strada biancas) onto the stock wheelset. I also switched over to a slightly smaller chainring to facilitate steep gravel climbs. That was my gravel rig. I got a lot of compliments on being the "road bike girl" during the race. I did suffer some gnarly carpal tunnel symptoms for about a week afterwards, but otherwise I was quite content with my setup. Navigation was with the garmin 530 head unit. 

    The weekend finished with me in 3rd for the double women on the run, but 1st on the bike with a big enough gap to secure the win for the double. Midsouth was such a cool event and I am so grateful I got the chance to experience it. I'll admit, I didn't particularly enjoy riding the trainer all winter to be in shape for an early season bike race. It was worth it, but only time will tell if I make that comittment again!

Recognition:

    As always, giving credit where credit is due: my husband Bobby Munro, who supports me through every one of my races and helps me with the bicycle gear selection. My coach, Erin Young, and team Athletic Mentors, for guiding me through my endurance journey. This race was made possible by the team of people, especially my mom and my coworkers, who cared for my deathly ill foster puppy and sickly cat while I was away.