Race Report: 2024 LoToJa

Race: LoToJa

Date: September 7, 2024

AVRT racers: Kristin Hepworth- 10/60 overall women. 3rd in 35+ open.

Course: 202.3 miles from Logan, Utah to Teton Village, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The route is incredibly scenic, diverse, and challenging. The elevation gain is around 9,800 feet. There are three mountain passes in the first 110 miles. ELEVATION: Started at 4,533 / Finished at 6,307. Each racer needs to provide their own support for the duration of the race. There are three official feed zones where your support person is permitted to give you food and water. There are 3 neutral water stops throughout the course. 

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12353359782

Nutrition:  

The plan: Have 75-100 grams of carbs per hour through solids and liquids. I thought having a variety of foods would be best and I would tire of sweet things, so I packed things like nuts and jerky in addition to gels. Had 4 scoops of Hammer Perpetuum in each of three bottles. (68 grams of carbs). I started with one bottle of Pertpetuum and one bottle of electrolytes. 

Reality: I ended up preferring liquid fuel and only ate one pack of frooze balls and a fig bar, and choked down a few medjool dates. The dates, nuts, jerky, and RX bars, were too much to chew and unwrap and frankly nauseating to even think about after 100 miles. 

Gels and drink mix were easiest to eat. I ate Maurten gels 25g carbs (3), untapped pure maple syrup 26g carbs (5), 6d Ultra gels caffeinated 45g carbs (2), SIS Ultra 40g carbs (2). I’ll do less solids next time on a ride of this length.

Travel and sleep: 

I often struggle with nerves that affect my sleep length and quality the night before a race and this was no exception. So, after months of preparation for this race, the night before I didn’t sleep, like at all. With a 4:00am alarm set I finally got out of bed at 3:45am and started getting ready. I told my husband (who was also racing) I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t race for 200 miles with zero sleep. He encouraged me to give it a try anyway. We drove one hour to the start and I finally slept for about 30 minutes in the car. I’m smiling in this picture, but I really felt terrified.

Race Recap:

All the women (60 of us) started together. There were 7 women’s races mixed together in one. I was racing in the open 35+ category. My goal was to stay in the front group for as long as possible regardless of category.

I was told by several men who had raced this before that the first 40ish miles were always very relaxed paced; the attacks would normally start on the first climb. So I was caught by surprise when after the 2 mile neutral rollout the cat 1/2 ladies began attacking immediately. I bridged several times to catch the breakaway, and the rest of the group would eventually catch up. (Hindsight: I didn’t need to bridge and could have let others do more work.)

The front group ended up selecting down to 17 ladies going into the first climb (Strawberry). It started with rollers and then gradually increased in gradient for over 20 miles. The women were unrelenting in their pace and that effort thinned out the group even more up the climb. As we completed the climb we had a solid group of 10 of us pacelining for a good 15 miles. Just before the first feed zone stop at Montpelier (mile 77) a group of 13 ladies caught up to us.

First Feed Zone:

There were 9 numbered stations within each feed zone. I arranged to meet my crew at number 8 for each of the feed zones. I pulled up and got an amazing 30 second Nascar pit stop speed like refuel by my son and his friend. I rapidly pulled off my vest and arm warmers while they pulled out my old bottles, stuck in new ones, shoved all my new food in my pockets and sprayed me with sunscreen. I was off. Two ladies were up ahead already, but most of us were pulling out at the same time. We caught the two ladies quickly and began again. 

My Demise:

The second climb (Geneva) started and again the pace was intense. The group thinned out to 10 of us again. Nausea started for me around this point and is my most common symptom from lack of sleep. At mile 83, my fatal move was not realizing I was cross chaining and switching from my big ring to my little ring. My chain immediately dropped on the inside. I tried to shift to fix it to no avail. I had to get off to fix it and watched the group pull away. I was alone for a mile, but soon after two ladies, Apryl and Kate, caught me. I was thrilled to have ladies to work with again. Kate and I dropped Apryl on the descent after the Geneva climb. Unfortunately, I learned they had used the porta potty at the feed zone and I had not. My bladder was screaming at me now 4 hours into the race so at a neutral water stop I pulled off to a porta potty. I hoped Kate would wait for me, but instead she said “hustle up and catch me” as she rode away. While I needed to do what I needed to do, I was alone again and needed to catch up.

The Long Haul:

Soon after I spotted Apryl up ahead. She must have passed me during my bathroom break. I caught up to her and were both happy to see each other. She told me she was completely out of water. She skipped the water stop (mile 90) just before and we were beginning the last and hardest climb: Salt River Pass. I had plenty of fluids. Should I help her? No, this was a race and she was my opponent, but also yes, because I care about people and would appreciate a couple of water gulps if I were in the same spot. I gave her my bottle to drink freely from and she handed it back. She beat me up the hill. She pulled off at the next neutral water at the top to refill her bottles while I grabbed a bottle that was handed to me. I descended quickly and that was the last time I saw Apryl. After 15 miles I caught up to Kate. We worked together and picked up Heather. We pacelined until the 2nd feed zone, Afton, at mile 123. My son offered me a gloriously cold Dr. Pepper (not part of my fueling plan). It was pure joy in a bottle. I drank it as fast as a carbonated drink could go down as they again rapidly replaced my bottles and food. I thought it was faster than the first stop but Heather was already gone when I pulled out. Kate and I caught her after 8ish miles. Other than nausea coming and going my body felt great. 

The last and final feed zone (Alpine) was located at mile 160. My plan was to skip this feed zone so my support crew wasn’t there. I planned to stay on my bike and grab a water bottle at the neutral water just before Alpine, but as I approached I saw that it wasn’t a water bottle hand-out but a water bottle fill-up station. Very different. I would lose the group if I stopped to fill up my bottles. I tried my luck and skipped it though I knew I needed more water to make it to the end of the race. I hoped I would find my friend at the Alpine feed zone (who was the support crew for her husband) and she might have an extra bottle. She wasn't there either. I asked a group of random support crew people if anyone had any extra water. A kind stranger handed me a cold bottle of water from her cooler. I thanked her profusely and took off. I was the first one out and ahead of all the ladies. Thank you woman with the water cooler!!! 

Last 50 miles:

Heather caught me at mile 162 and we rotated together for the final 50 miles. My left hip began to ache, the bottoms of my feet burned and my left hand kept going numb. I relished in the relief I would get every other minute when it was my turn to draft again. The race organizers provided a way for family/friends to track the racers online and see their progress throughout the day. Encouraging texts from my family started popping up on my bike computer and it gave me the strength to pushing.

There were 8 women ahead of us but they were nowhere in sight. We rode next to the snake river. It was gorgeous. As we approached the finish line, Heather began her sprint. I happily watched her go knowing my feet would throb if I tried to stand. I coasted into the most beautiful and cheerful finish line scene I’ve ever experienced. I was given a cool finisher medal and cold/wet cloth around my neck. I made it in 10 hours and 7 minutes stopping only 4 times for a grand total of 4 minutes over the race.

I got 10th place out of 60 women and 3rd in my age group. Can’t wait to do it again next year with more sleep and without the dropped chain!

Unfortunately, I missed the podium time with 1st and 2nd place, but still got to stand on it for a picture and got my prizes.