Last year, just being out there doing media—riding around the base of the mesas—was scary enough. Hiking them felt sketchy. I remember thinking, I will never race this. Especially not this one.

So when Lia kept telling me to sign up, I laughed.

And then she kept asking…

and asking…

and somehow I ended up registered.

They announced it would be more amateur-friendly this year, so I convinced a few friends to come out and suffer with me (Thank you for coming out Darcee, Cassey and Kristen!)

A couple weeks before the race, I went back out to train—and immediately remembered why this place scared me so much.

But I was already signed up. And I don’t back out.

Race day came, and I was so nervous. All of us were.

But lining up with 15 women in the amateur class was unreal. That alone made me feel a little more grounded.

Then we took off…

Deep sand.

I went down early trying to avoid another rider, and couldn’t get going again.

That sand is no joke.

With some help from Matt Adams and Brad Roberts, I finally made it to the rocks.

And that’s when it really started.

Up the mesa.

Across the mesa.

Endless up and downs.

At one point I hit a section with a three-foot ledge and just thought, there’s no way.

But with some guidance… I made it.

Those were the moments that mattered—

the small wins that felt huge.

Then came Eggs Over Easy.

I walked my bike down.

Slowly. Carefully. Terrified.

It probably took me 10 minutes to get down, and at the bottom I just thought:

What did I get myself into?

Somehow… I kept going.

I made it up the big sand hill (after a few tries),

and then—

I hit my first ever checkpoint in a hard enduro.

That’s been my goal for so long.

And in that moment, it made everything worth it.

Not long after, my race ended.

I broke my shifter and got stuck in 4th gear.

So I rode all the way back from Mesa 3 to camp… in 4th.

Honestly? Probably the fastest I’ve ever ridden in sand.

Also one of the scariest.

This race is hard to explain.

The rocks have traction—until they don’t.

Add sand, and everything changes.

At one point I slid sideways across a rock, completely sideways to the trail, and realized I was about a foot away from going off a cliff.

That was a moment.

But here’s what I took from it:

Some of the things that looked impossible… weren’t.

A lot of the fear was visual.

And I’m capable of more than I think.

I’m still very new to hard enduro.

And yeah… I probably had no business being out there.

But let’s be honest—

That’s never going to stop me.

I had a blast.

I learned more than I expected.

And I’ll be back.

Next time… better.

📸 : Cindy Lowerre