Fat Pursuit 200K recap and gear

Fat Pursuit Gear Video

Katie’s Fat Pursuit 200K video

Bikepacking.com Fat Pursuit recap with photos by Eddie Clark

Katie’s Fat Pursuit Recap

Last year, I completed my first fat bike race, The Drift, and really enjoyed the new challenge. At the finish, I knew I wanted to try another one. I signed up for the Fat Pursuit 200K, excited to take what I learned from The Drift and apply it to a new race. Having the Fat Pursuit on the calendar helped me keep my motivation up, especially over the holidays.  

My main goal for Fat Pursuit was finishing a fat bike race with healthy lungs. The bottom line was, if I finished in the same kind of shape I was in after The Drift, I probably couldn’t justify any more winter ultras. Wrecking my lungs just isn’t worth it. With that in mind, I knew I’d have to be disciplined in my approach to managing my breathing. That meant non-negotiable nose-breathing and keeping my face covered the whole time. 

Race Start

I started toward the back of the pack, not wanting any pressure to go too fast and jeopardize my promise to myself to manage my breathing. I settled in and started climbing up Two Top. It was incredible! The trail was groomed and firm and the snow blowing off the trees sparkled in the sun. I kept my pace steady, breathing in through my nose, and exhaling through my mouth. A couple of pitches were too steep for me to ride, so I pushed my bike for a short time. I rode with Rebecca and chatted for a bit. We yoyoed back and forth, passing when one of us was adjusting layers. Rebecca caught a selfie during what ended up being the only hour of full sun we had during the race!

The top of Two Top was windy and the goblin trees leaned, covered in thick snow. I put on more layers for the descent, dropped my dropper and sent it downhill. Tire pressure a bit too high, I crashed, giving Nick behind me a show. I popped right back up and kept going a short distance before stopping again to lower my tire pressure. That did the trick for me to feel much less squirrely. The descent came to an end and we turned onto an out-and-back to checkpoint one. Things were a little softer, but still ridable on my 5″ tires. Not long after the turnoff, I started seeing the leaders on their return.

Boil Test

Before entering the first checkpoint, everyone had to partake in the water boil test. Fat Pursuit requires all participants to carry a stove and be able to boil 8 ounces of water at an undisclosed location before they are allowed to continue. I carried an MSR Whisperlite stove with white gas. This is bulkier and heavier than my typical bikepacking canister stove setup, but white gas is much more reliable in the cold. Given the forecast, a canister stove would have been fine, but I wanted to practice with this stove with my ultimate goal being racing the ITI in the future. 

I poured my 8 ounces of water into my pot and got my stove going. Then I knocked the pot over, dumping out most of the water. Doh, that was a boneheaded move. I laughed about it, and told myself to relax. I’ve used and practiced with this stove many times, it’s what accompanied me on a cross country road tour, so using it now is second nature. I slowed down, put snow in my pot and waited for it to boil. It was one of my slower water boils, but hey, I got it done and didn’t let the small mishap get to me.

Checkpoint 1 

Once one of the volunteers confirmed that my water was boiling, I was allowed to enter checkpoint one. I refilled my thermoses with hot water and a cup of noodles and headed back the way we came. The trail was a bit softer and the fat bike tracks from riders ahead of me disappeared each time a group of snow machines rode by, but my trek up Black Canyon was mostly on the bike (rather than pushing) so I was happy. I focused on applying consistent pressure to the pedals to keep traction and made a couple strategic snack stops to let other riders take a turn breaking trail. 

Up on top of the ridge, I caught Perry, who was stoked every time I saw him out there. He kindly offered advice that I could still let a little more air out of my rear tire. He said people call him the tire pressure police at home. I took his advice, and letting out a little more air did give me more stability on the softer snow. Between the low pressure and my dropper post, I had a blast descending to the next low point. When I came across Perry again, he was adding air to his tires and I decided to go ahead and do the same. Rebecca caught me there, deciding to add air to her tires too. 

Checkpoint 2

The rest of the ride to checkpoint two was relatively smooth and fast, minus one section climbing over a snowbank on the side of the highway to get to the next trail. I arrived at checkpoint two with a posse of about five other riders. There was a trailer with a propane heater, hot drinks, bacon, pancakes, our drop bags, and several kind volunteers who would be awake all night to feed and support racers. Andrew was one of those volunteers! 

I had a list of things I needed to do in my head. Drink and refill water, eat some bacon, take a few things from my drop bag, change the battery in the light I’d been running all day. I decided I wouldn’t go inside the heated trailer since my clothes felt dry and sometimes going from cold to warm to cold can be irritating to the lungs. Nick told me that Rebecca had been stopped for a while dealing with tire issues. I was bummed to hear that, since we’d been so evenly matched all day, and I was enjoying the motivation. I tried to be efficient but not hurried at the checkpoint, and after about 30 minutes, I was back on the trail at 11:30pm. 

Riding through the night

Going into the race, I wasn’t sure whether I’d sleep. It depended on a few different factors. If I was on pace to finish in the morning and if my lungs did well, I planned to ride straight through. If I was on pace to ride well into the second day, or if my lungs needed a break, I planned to stop and sleep. Since everything was going smoothly, and conditions were fast, I opted to ride straight through. 

With most of the climbing behind us, I pedaled into the night on mostly flat roads and snowmobile trails. As sleepiness started to creep in, I turned my lights up to high and listened to music to keep my brain alert. 3am to sunrise was a groggy time, but I told myself that everyone was tired, and sleepiness comes in waves. I was able to stay in the groove, following canine tracks and wondering what other animals were out here awake with me. 

When the sky began to lighten, Perry passed me again, followed by Cameron. They both dropped me like I was standing still, so I stopped and added more air to my tires. That definitely helped with my speed, but not quite enough to catch back up to the riders who passed me. Checkpoint three was an unattended trailer ten miles from the end, intended mostly for the 30 and 60K racers later that morning. I stopped briefly just to eat a few cookies then rode as efficiently as I could on the groomed trail, hoping I’d beat any snowmobile traffic that would make the conditions slower. 

The Finish

I approached the finish line just after the 30K racers started. It was fun seeing everybody headed out, and got to wave and shout at my friend Lindsay! I could see the finish and spent a few moments thinking of what I was grateful for in the experience. The fast conditions, the beauty of the snow and landscapes, the volunteers at the aid stations, connecting with old and new friends on the course, and JayP & Tracy providing the opportunity to ride in a place I’d otherwise likely not find myself in winter. 

At the finish line, my first words were, “that was awesome!” Jay was there so I was able to thank him for putting on the Fat Pursuit and showcasing his backyard. I was pretty wiped out and hungry, so after a quick change of clothes I ate breakfast and saw my friend Nick and Rebecca finish. After that, it was nap time! 

The rest of the weekend was an opportunity to connect with friends, old and new. I feel really lucky that the conditions were good and there was minimal bike-pushing. I’m really excited that I seemed to crack the code on breathing management and it makes me optimistic about future fat bike adventures. I’m incredibly grateful that Andrew was willing to travel up to Idaho with me for the Fat Pursuit. It sounds like he enjoyed his time at checkpoint two, and it maybe even made him a little fat bike curious!

Stats:

• 119 miles
• 7,992 feet of gain
• 1 day, 2 hours, 35 minutes
• 1st woman, 10th overall
• Low temperature: 7 degrees F
• High temperature: 23 degrees F
• Average temperature: 18 degrees F 

Snacks consumed: 20oz maple syrup, 3 thermoses of Scratch high carb mix, 2 danishes, 2 croissants, a hunk of cheese, 2 beef sticks, 6 cookies, 12 mini donuts, a couple handfuls of sour gummy worms, cup of noodles, 4 pieces of bacon, 1 five hour energy.