BaseCamp athlete Ali Knutson shared her experience at the 2024 Westfjords Way Challenge in Iceland.
Immediate thoughts
I did it. More to come in some long-winded post, but for now, thank you to Marcie for mentioning this race at gravel camp last year, Coach Namrita, for taking that call and saying I was capable of accomplishing this huge thing, to Coach Menachem for making stellar strength plans available in Training Peaks and especially to Coach Tim for writing a training plan that set me up for success. Now rest...
Full report
I had this written in my notebook: "Don't be afraid to take risks. You can't succeed if you don't try." I'm sure this is a quote from a BaseCamp coach, likely Tim...
In some ways, I wish to mirror Marcie's post about the Westfjords Way Challenge. What an incredible opportunity that we should be able to take on something we had not ever experienced and share it with a like minded community. We each have our own story.
I came into this event with the intent to "complete." The idea of "compete" was not something I had planned for, but with attrition, it landed in my lap. I was well conditioned to successfully meet my goal. After the first day, I found that I was 3 minutes from 3rd. The second day would drop another rider due to illness, something I also fought after a couple days in Reykjavik, perhaps due to the vast change in weather and climate from the desert of Arizona.
Each day had its own challenge. I was definitely underfueled, but I don't think that was what slowed me most. I had knee pain that would feel like fire after day two. If my husband Richard hadn't been pulling and strongly urging me to hold onto his wheel, I would have just soft pedaled. It was not comfortable, but the scenery and the cultural connections kept me in awe, feeding my spirit in a way that kept me motivated to make it through to the end of each day.
The hospitality and warmth of one particular cultural connection, Hólar Farm, brought me to tears. These were amazing humans, genuine and kind. They made you feel like you were a champion. They fed us. Their energy was infectious and welcomed. I didn't want to leave...
Richard and I quietly crossed the finish line on the final stage, cold, wet and tired. It had been 19 hours elapsed time, ~138 miles, 13,435 feet of vert (according to my Garmin, which often reads off). We celebrated with the other folks that had already crossed the line, and those that were to come. Awards were held later than planned as they were waiting for some folks to come in that may have changed the placement, and the only ones that were there for podium were the women. Tyler Wacker, one of the race directors, gave introductory information about the 3 on the podium. Hafdis, who won, was a road cyclist who had taken on the gravel and had once ridden 1000k on a trainer. Hailey, who was third, was an example of perseverance and resilience. She showed determination and strength, was alone the majority of the race, and overcame a wrong turn on the final stage. He said that I was always so positive, and could always find something good to say about each day.
Again, I cannot express enough my gratitude for the plan that Coach Tim wrote for me to take on this challenge. Those 16- to 20-hour weeks paid off, and I was able to push through those times that were exceptionally hard because I was physically and mentally capable. Like Marcie, quitting was not going to be an option.
I am so grateful for Marcie. She was so awesome with planning and helping find places for me to eat while we were in Reykjavik, pre and post race. My brain battery was very low and I was not functioning at full capacity.
Cheers to the community and to doing hard things. What a beautiful and raw experience, and a powerful lesson.
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