Kurt Refsnider is one of the most experienced and fastest ultra racers and in many ways has led the way for the sport. We’re not just fans because he’s fast, we’re also interested because he co-founded Bikepacking Roots with Kaitlyn Boyle in 2017 and works as a climate and land activist. He was a geology professor at Prescott College where he started a geology class incorporating bikepacking! Now that’s a class we’d like to take!
Kurt at the finish of another fast Arizona Trail Race in Superior, AZ
Kurt got into bikepacking and ultra racing in the late 2000s “after growing weary of racing around in little circles on the elite cyclocross circuit.” Since then, he’s won the Arizona Trail Race, Tour Divide, the Colorado Trail Race, the Iditarod Trail Invitational, and quite a few others. In Kurt’s words…“it's been a really fun, and at times exhausting, journey so far. And beyond my own racing, I've been coaching other riders to their own goals since 2015.”
Kurt was kind enough to share some of his Arizona Trail Race preparation. If you really want to push yourself and prepare for a crazy hard route, Kurt is also available for one-on-one coaching via his Ultra MTB coaching. Follow his exploits on Insta
Kurt Refsnider
AZTR 300 preparation
“Apparently 3 of the top 4 riders based their training for the 300 on my 4-month Ultra MTB training plan! That puts a big ol' grin on my face. My training this time around was based on the same general progression of workouts outlined in that plan. Here are some key components beyond the specific workouts that are well worth sharing:
Preparation for any ultra needs to be enjoyable, demanding, and not add undue stress to one's life. That's a tough trio to satisfy, but I'd argue it's critically important to find that balance. Showing up at the start line of a big event tired from balancing training with life or burnt out from training that wasn't as fun as it could be is a recipe for disaster. Trust me. I've been there myself, as have many other ultra racers.”
The Arizona Trail Race is not easy. Technical terrain, hot desert conditions…
Normalize difficult
The best way to make the demand and rigor of an event seem fairly reasonable is to exceed those in your training. This can be tough depending on where one lives, but riding in more technical terrain, training on bigger climbs, bushwhacking through more overgrown trails, and spending time at higher intensities than what the race will require are all ways to make the difficulty of the race feel notably less significant.
As best as you can, hone your nutrition and hydration strategies for weather conditions and riding intensities you're likely to experience while racing. This takes a lot of experimentation, but learn what foods, drink mixes, and calorie/carb-per-hour intake work best for you. For me, this varies considerably based on how warm it is. But in all conditions, I aim for 300-350 calories per hour (75-90 g carbohydrates per hour). And no, I don't recommend a keto diet for ultra racers based on quite a few experiences I've had as a coach.
Don't train for sleep deprivation.
Not sleeping is *incredibly* stressful for the body. It's never worth "training" for that by intentionally skipping out on sleep during training. Do the opposite - sleep as much as you can. Recovery is your best friend.
If you're curious about my ultra training plans, go to his Ultra MTB website
I think this is what Kurt is referring to when he says “Normalize Difficult”
"What did you carry in the AZT300?"
Strangely, this question is far more common than, "How did you prepare?" or "how did you get through the low points?" I feel like that's because it's easy to go out and buy gear if one has the means, but you can't really buy your way to great fitness or a positive headspace. I'll answer that first question here and save the others for later.
Bike
My Pivot Mach 4 SL rocketship is built for backcountry comfort, efficiency, and reliability. This bike rolled on a set of Industry Nine Ultralite 280 Carbon wheels and Maxxis Aspen/Rekok 2.4” tires with Shimano XTR brakes/drivetrain, a little round 28T chainring, XTR Trail pedals, and a @4iiiicom power meter for pacing. My chamoisless butt sits on an Ergon SMC Sport Gel saddle and a 9Point8 Fall Line dropper. And I coddle my hands with an MRP Ribbon SL fork set up very plushly, a Fasst Company Flexx MTB suspension handlebar, handguards, and Ergon GA3 grips. Bags across the board were Revelate Designs as always - a custom frame bag, Gas Tank, Shrew seatbag, and a couple Mountain Feedbags on the bars (not shown) - all were filled with snacks aside from some extra clothing in the seat bag.
Food
I started with all the food for the ride - ~14,500 calories/3,000 g carbs. That was enough for 45-48 hours of racing, but I ran out of snacks ~3 hours from the end since the ride took 52 hours! Most of what I carried was cookies, chex mix, GU treats and Roctane mix, and a few bars of various types.
Water
I had 3 L water capacity (2 L in a hydration vest and 1 L on my fork). After a wet summer, most stock water sources are full, so I wasn't too worried about running out of water. Most of the time, I only carried a couple liters.
Other stuff
2x Fenix BC21R v1.0 lights, a @garmincycling Edge 530 GPS, repair and first-aid kits, a tiny old MP3 player for tunes, Shimano XC7 shoes, a spare pair of shorts and socks, funny little running gaiters to keep grass seeds out, and that's about it.
What would I change?
I'd bring more food next time when trail conditions were so uncertain. Other than that, everything worked quite well - no mechanical and no annoyances to speak of.
