Wrap Up!

Race Preview

The podium is in for the full route, Meaghan Hackinen is the overall winner of the 2024 Arkansas High Country Race!! 

Finishing yesterday with an astonishing 150 miles to the next rider, Meaghan stormed to victory in a time of 5d 8H 44m. This season has seen the Canadian go from strength to strength in the ultra distance off-road category, sealing the women's FKT at the Tour Divide earlier this year where she finished 7th overall and first woman. It's not unheard of for women to take the overall win, with the playing field becoming more level over greater distances. Congratulations Meaghan! 

What a powerhouse Meaghan is, we caught up with her this time last year, you can check out the feature [here](https://dotwatcher.cc/feature/five-minutes-with-meaghan-hackinen). 

To complete the podium of the Full Route, we have Jesse Davis finishing as first male and second overall in a time of 6d 10h 50m. Joseph Shults was the next to finish a few hours after Jesse in a time of 6d 15h 13m. Congratulations guys, the finisher's belt buckle and beers have been well earned. The remaining riders are still on the trail, we wish them all a safe return to the finish in Russellville.

Winning the Central Loop this year was Matthew Porter in a time of 1d 22m 6m, having returned for redemtion and a year's worth of planning and training to clinch victory. After a mid-pack ride in 2023, he noted that his goal was to make the podium, but to win was mind blowing. Congratulations Matthew, you are proof that if you put your mind to the task at hand, you can achieve your goals and more. The female winner of the Central Loop was Natalie Peet in a blistering time of 2d 10h 51m. 

There's no doubt that the young rider award goes to Aiden Holmes, who at 19 years of age has smashed the Central Loop and Ouachita Triple Crown in a time of 3d 22h 25m. Congratulations Aiden, we look forward to seeing how you progress in the future. 

We are heading back to Arkansas for the fourth edition of the iconic Arkansas High Country Race (AHCR)! For those uninitiated, you may struggle to drop a pin in the map to locate this southern U.S. state bordering the Mississippi River. Somewhat a hidden gem, it's known for its abundant park and wilderness areas, with terrain encompassing mountains, caves, rivers and hot springs. For those lucky enough to have experienced the AHCR previously, they will recognise it as '1000 miles of punishing backroads sweetness', a phase coined by the organisers. With a route which is 50:50 paved:unpaved, choice of rig and kit is paramount. 

The Grand Depart from Russellville is set for October 5th, 7am. A benefit of Trackleaders is seeing the dots close in on the start line before the race has even begun. As per previous years, riders are spoiled for choice with three routes available and the option to ride each one clockwise or counterclockwise. The following has been provided for planning purposes only, any refinements to the routes will be communicated directly with those riding. 

 - Arkansas High Country Route: 1650km / 22800m. The 'full monty' takes in the outer perimeter shown in red on the race tracking page.

<iframe src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=44764924&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true" style="width: 1px; min-width: 100%; height: 700px; border: none;" scrolling="no"></iframe>

 - Central Loop: 690km / 10300m. Shown in green on the race tracking page.

<iframe src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=44850562&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true" style="width: 1px; min-width: 100%; height: 700px; border: none;" scrolling="no"></iframe>

 - Ozark Odyssey: 413km / 7000m. Shown as yellow on the race tracking page. A recent landslide near Saint Paul has necessitated a slight change of course, the map below has been updated to account for this. 

<iframe src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=44745375&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true" style="width: 1px; min-width: 100%; height: 700px; border: none;" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Presented with an varying number of coloured dots, knowing which colour represents which route and whether it’s clockwise or counterclockwise, Dotwatchers can ‘un-confuse’ themselves by heading to the ‘Replay’ button above the map. The ‘ants’ crawling over the routes will give you the best idea of what’s happening in the race.

### Race Rules

The set of 35 strong race rules have been refreshed for 2024. As standard all riders must ride in the spirit of self-supported, and must self-police themselves with regards to following the rules. Riders should post the mandatory selfies - while on-route – within twelve hours of arriving at the selfie-stop (12 in total). If you so please, you can familiarise yourself with the full set of race rules [here](https://www.arkansashighcountry.com/rules).  

### Previous Editions

Last year saw the third edition of this event, with Abe Kaufman of Virginia setting a new FKT of 4D 10H 8M! For the keen singlespeeders, Corey Kronser set a new singlespeed FKT of 5D 23H 11M, around 24 hours faster than the previously set time by Brett Stepanik in 2021. Also on a singlespeed, Maggie Livelsberger took the women's crown for the second year in a row. Will she be back in 2024 for the women's hat trick?

The 2022 edition saw familiar names Ernie and Scotti Lechuga; Scotti taking the overall win in 2021 and Ernie take the overall win in 2022. They have also ridden as a pair, setting the FKT for the pairs category. 

### What’s so High about the Arkansas Country

Mount Magazine is the highest point in Arkansas, at 2,753ft or 839m, it’s temperatures reach the mid 30s in the summer and below freezing in winter. It’s a flat topped mountain capped by hard rock and rimmed by precipitous cliffs. The Full Race heads over Mount Magazine.

A closer look at the routes shows the trails heading along ridge-lines when the country below opens up from the forested roads leading up to the ridges. While the elevation may not be that high, the undulations mean you are either going up or going down and with a shortly lived descent, this is leg sapping terrain. Gradients are steep, some reaching 19 or 20° and with rough and lose surfaces, riders will find themselves hike-a-biking in several places.

### Weather

The organiser has warned riders not to underestimate the effect of hot and dry conditions, which are expected to leave many creeks dryer than usual and therefore water resupply sparse between towns. Highs of 32°c are expecting during the day time, potentially dropping to single digits at night. At higher elevations this may drop lower overnight but not below freezing. Chance of precipitation is low, which could lay the ground for some fast times and potential FKTs.

Forests and warm weather usually means plenty of insects, so to sleep out overnight may not be the most restful. Black bears are also present in the area and while not aggressive like their Grizzly counterparts, riders will still need to take precautions with the food if sleeping out overnight.

![mm2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3n4j3xKLR5ghYzOavJ31gt/5c478a9b57f701f5b1b333d3445e498c/mm2.jpg)


Arkansas High Country Race 2024 Tracking + Commentary: The Arkansas High Country Route has it all, there are three route options available taking in a plethora of sparkling streams, hills and hollows, shady rivers, mountain views, waterfalls, swimming holes, historic sites and bustling cities.

Arkansas High Country Race 2024 Tracking

The Arkansas High Country Route has it all, there are three route options available taking in a plethora of sparkling streams, hills and hollows, shady rivers, mountain views, waterfalls, swimming holes, historic sites and bustling cities.

DotWatcher.cc

Arkansas High Country Race 2024

Distance — Elevation

Terrain

Website

Last Year's Female Winner

Last Year's Male Winner

Leaderboard

Events Feed