Springfield ultramarathoner Joe Miller (see “Springfield runner wins 100-mile race,” IT, May 26) wanted a new adventure. He opted for his first bike race, the 486.63-mile bikepacking Arkansas High Country Race. Participants must be self-supported, which means packing all their gear on their bike, getting food and water at the few convenience stores along the way and accepting help from no one. The course starts and ends in Hot Springs, traversing the Ouachita Mountains and Arkansas River Valley. There is more than 32,000 feet of elevation gain and loss over the course, which includes gravel roads, paved roads, mountain ridges and many snarling, growling dogs.
Miller purchased his bike in July – a titanium gravel bike with mountain bike tires and road bike geometry. “I’m not trying to pretend I’m a cyclist,” he says. “Others are very in tune with their bikes.” However, he does know a thing or two about endurance races, having run multiple races of 100 miles and more. And, he is in excellent shape. This gave him confidence in his ability to do well on the grueling course. The race started at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8. He finished in second place 55 hours and 10 minutes later, having slept less than three hours. He achieved his goal of finishing in under 60 hours.
While Miller opted for the “shorter” course, others competed in the 1,000-mile course. The winner finished in 110 hours and 14 minutes. Miller initially signed up for the 1,000- mile race, but he was short on vacation days.
Miller packed light, carrying a bivy sack, lightweight air mattress pad and minimal clothing. His bike has 12 speeds. “I loved all of them,” he said. Some of the strongest competitors ride bikes with just one speed. Brain fog, hallucinations, dehydration, diarrhea and growling dogs were all part of the experience. So were meeting interesting and inspiring people, covering a diversity of terrain in the high country and experiencing a rewarding endurance challenge.
Daytime temperatures were in the 80s and at night near 50 degrees. Places to get food and water were few and far between. Miller’s first stop was about 120 miles into the race at a gas station, where he consumed a lot of calories. Around midnight after 180 miles, he stopped at an abandoned church where he slept for less than two hours. He pedaled away in the dark at 2 a.m. and observed others sleeping in a nearby structure. He navigated steep ups and downs, rolling gravel roads and a mountain ridge. Sometimes he hopped off his bike and jogged, pushing his bike uphill. Miller was grateful he had no mechanical issues. Some experienced problems with their battery pack, which was essential for the GPS tracker necessary to follow the course.
While he rode alone much of the time, Miller enjoyed talking with others from across the country. He met a man who had completed the 2,700-mile Tour Divide from Canada to Mexico in 17 days.
With 170 miles to go, he stopped at 9 p.m. and slept for an hour. Miller fueled his body with high-calorie double-decker oatmeal cream pies and ingested caffeine to help him stay awake. Hallucinations started and shadows played tricks on his mind. He thought trees in the distance were people on bikes. He wasn’t sure whether sounds were real or imagined. He got a burst of energy when the sun came up with 40 miles remaining and he entered a flow state like he gets in long-distance running.
By the last 18 miles he had exhausted his water supply. He was now on a paved road, but one with no shoulder and some construction. Within the last seven miles, his bike hit a curb. He flipped over and landed on the side of the road – an unnerving experience having successfully navigated mountain ridges in the dark.
There are not a lot of people on the course or at the finish. The race organizers track all the participants and show up to greet every finisher. Four people celebrated with Miller at the finish. The winner finished eight hours ahead of him, and the third-place finisher an hour after him. The 17th place finisher took 112 hours, when one more person was still on the course.
Miller says his legs felt worse after running 100 miles than after bicycling 500 miles. However, the constant vibration of holding on to handle bars and shifting gears made his hands numb. He also experienced deep fatigue from sleep deprivation. However, none of this is daunting to him. He believes he could shave five hours off his time.
So, what is his next competition? A 100-mile foot race through the rugged Snowdonia National Park in Wales in May 2023. In the meantime, he doesn’t anticipate doing any structured training until November. Follow him on Instagram @joeylikesrocks.
Karen Ackerman Witter continues to be amazed by Joe Miller. She looks forward to following his race in Snowdonia National Park, which is where she did her master’s degree research at the University of Wales. She has hiked in Snowdonia National Park and is familiar with the rugged terrain.
This article appears in Regan Deering takes on Nikki Budzinski.
