Dirty Kanza 2018 – #Couch2Kanza Finale
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Thanks for this honest video. I’ve admired and been fascinated by DK from afar. I have great respect for those who venture to try it. Props to you both for sharing your DK journey and inspiring others like me to just go out there and ride everyday.
You have no idea how reassuring it is for a mortal viewer to live through your experiences with you in this way. So great to break through all the big talk and minimizing hype out there and learn how real humans experience endurance events. You should be very pleased with the benefits of the training you did. If you were overambitious, that’s a way to “fail up.” You don’t have to do any of this. That you do, with such kindness to one another and with what I can only call grace, is why you continue to inspire me to try new things. I’m sitting here trying not to cramp after 35 miles! I don’t care whether you do it again, I’m just glad you gave it a shot and shared it so candidly. And very glad Russ did not puke—as far as I know! Just go fishing and let it wash over you and the Kanza tale you tell will keep evolving with time. Thanks!
Thank you for making such an honest and open account of your experience.
I recently finished up my hardest ride ever, a five-day off-road tour, and was left with a lot of suffering to reflect on. Things that seem awful in the moment don’t seem so bad with the benefit of a little hindsight. Some of the worst moments on my tour are ones that I now fondly revisit in my memory, little gems of intense experience that are unlike anything else in my personal history. The trick, I’m realizing, is to be able to take the long view while you’re suffering: To pull yourself out of the current moment that you’re living inside and instead experience the feelings from the context of the entire span of your lifetime. (Incidentally, this is also how I get through dentist appointments.)
The struggle of endurance sports is usually more mental than physical. On my tour I wanted to quit a million times and put considerable effort into trying to do so (fortunately for me there was really no way out). But it wasn’t because I didn’t think my body could take it, despite terrible saddle sores and a swollen ankle and a barely-functioning hand. It was because I wasn’t feeling it. Had I been able to quit, I now know, I would’ve felt better in that moment, but much worse long-term. It was a great lesson about how fun that is not fun can be fun.
We all get to make our own choices about activities like this and you two for sure had a rough time out there on a very tough ride. But as Laura pointed out, when you wake up the next day and feel fine, its natural to wonder how much more you had left to give. And I, as a fan of your videos, look forward to seeing how your perspective changes as you reflect on your DK200 experience and take on the next hard challenge. Bravo to a great #couch2kanza series!
Dear Russ and Laura,
You have trained, learned, grown and to this, I say congratulations and good work. DK will be there for you again – if you choose – and there will be other challenges.
Big respect,
Mike
Thanks for the very relatable and personal account of your experience. For all of us who enjoy this kind of type-2 fun, pushing ourselves to our outer limits, sometimes getting in over our heads, it’s really inspirational. Hopefully, you do go for it again. After this, how amazingly sweet a finish it would be.
Good job you too – it was great seeing you out there. Most people do not embark on a challenge to begin with – you pushed yourselves, failed, but best of all learned. The Kanza will be waiting next year.
Hey Russ and Laura, I was there in all those places – seems like I should have seen you! Since then I’ve been thinking a lot about DK, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Your Day 1 video highlights the good: what it’s done for the town, for the gravel community, and for cycling in general. It’s hard to imagine a website devoted to the supple life without DK and events like it. In my opinion, the bad is what comes with being such a large, highly organized event — for example, changes aren’t easy to make and can’t be done after a certain time. Your Day 2 video gives us a taste of the ugly, especially how a competitive event like this can end up feeling like a failure for some participants.
What about next year? Coming back for Year 2 in either the 100 or the 200 would good – the first time is diagnostic; the second therapeutic — and there are plenty of other events out there to try as well. But don’t forget about the adventures that haven’t been tried that you two may be uniquely qualified to seek out and share with us.
Until then, keep the supple side down. We’ll be watching.
Thank you for your brutally honest report on your DNF at DK. I think you were too hard on yourself. However, I agree that it is vitally important to show that not all “epic rides” end as expected. People are mere mortals and we can not all live up to the hype sold to us by major corporations. You tested yourselves and found your limits in the moment. Limits are just boundaries and there is no reason those boundaries can’t be pushed out. You already pushed your boundaries farther out by doing your first century… then two more!
I had a similar, humbling experience on a spontaneous ride with two friends a few years ago. I think you know that you are not alone. We have all been there. We understand.
Thank you for your courage to share your experiences with us, it makes what you do all the more real, and all the more worth following.
To quote the great Grant Petersen, “Just ride.”
Keep the supple side down.
Riding long distance is not easy. Thank you for sharing us this video and your feeling. You are the best.
Riding long distance is not easy. Thank you for sharing us this video and your feeling. You are the best.
A wonderful, and personal, account of your DK experiences. The distance you still covered, despite weather (windy!) conditions was certainly not too shabby. You should still be proud of yourselves. Am I about to go out and do one? I dunno. It should rather intriguing. Though, I’ll probably settle for no greater than a ton. Which would still be a lot. My record is not much more than a metric ton (just over 100 km)!
50,000 you say? Well, I see you’re only just over 20,000 away from having to consider that promise!