Matt Longson is my hero. Straight up. The man completed the Hoodoo 500 last weekend. In under 48 hours (official race cutoff), he pedaled 519 miles, climbed 30,000 feet and endured 30+ mph winds. He stayed on the bike when he didn’t want to. He rode when most (and many) gave up. He rode to the line, finishing 5th among the men in the Solo division.
I followed Matt’s epic ride on Twitter. I marveled as he racked up the miles by day and night. More than half the Solo field had to bail. It was that hard this year, making a finish for even the strongest cyclists nothing short of amazing. When hardcore ultra types suffer enough to DNF, one must acknowledge greatness of those who complete the race, both on and off the bike. Matt Longson, a married father of four, got out of bed Tuesday and showed up at the office. I don’t think I could have. Would have. Oh man, should have. You get my drift. Matt was kind enough to take time out to reply to half a dozen burning questions I have as I flirt with contemplating my own Hoodoo 500 for 2010. If you’re wondering about the headline of today’s post, it comes from a tweet at 9:49 p.m. on Sept. 13 that described Matt’s directional coordinates (Enterprise, Utah), snack of choice (Wendy’s Single) and state of mind (starting to hallucinate). Matt’s a Clydesdale. That makes me respect his accomplishment even more.
Q: Is there anything that can mentally prepare you for the Hoodoo 500?
A: There are many things you can do to mentally prepare you for Hoodoo, but the main thing you should do is decide if you can mentally accomplish this type of a ride or not. Once you mentally are convinced I think the physical part will follow. Mental toughness comes with age, and you can see this when you look at the average age of these ultra distance riders, it is much older then you would expect. I think this is because when you were young it was a matter of “body over mind” — and when you get older, you soon have to adapt and develop the “mind over body” mentality. I wish I had the mind over body mentality I have now when I was younger. I would have been a much better rider and so much stronger. In Hoodoo, you have to be as mentally tough as you are physically tough. You can’t have one without the other or you will never succeed.
Q: What was the most difficult aspect of the ride this year?
A: Since this was my first foray into this length of ultra distance event, one of the most difficult aspects was just not knowing what to expect past the 200 mile mark. I had done a lot of 200-milers in the past and knew what to expect up to that point. During the actual ride, the most “expected” difficult part for me was the endless climbing. The most “unexpected” difficult part was being creative when there was a problem and working through a solution.
Q: Did you ever want to stop? What made you keep going?
A: Yes, I wanted to stop at Escalante, Utah, which was about 200 miles in. I knew this would be a natural place to want to stop (because of the distance barrier), and so I tried to mentally prepare myself to deal with the head games I would have with myself. I knew that if I physically felt good at this point I would probably keep going. I also have to give credit to my support crew who made it pretty clear that they weren’t letting me into the car. It is important that your crew is in line with you both physically and mentally. If they aren’t, they may give you that one reason to truly stop when you really didn’t have to.
Q: How much did you sleep, rest, shower, and recover off the bike during the ride?
A: I slept a total of 40 minutes at about the 22-hour mark. I had ridden through the night, and was falling asleep on the bike. I never thought I would actually fall asleep pedaling a bike, but believe me it happened and was scary. I didn’t rest much, maybe 5 minutes here and there. I showered 3 times during the ride, and it is amazing what a shower can do for you both mentally and physically. I think a massage would be a good idea and is something I will incorporate in the future.
Q: What thoughts filled your mind as you knew you would make the time cutoff and complete the feat?
A: I actually would get more emotional during training rides etc., thinking about completing the ride than I did during the ride. I think it was because I was so tired at that point that I just couldn’t be emotional. I also know that you never are done until you actually cross that line. So much can happen even in the last 30 miles that you have to be careful. Even now 3 days after I finished I find it difficult to mentally understand and comprehend what I accomplished.
Q: Will you attempt it again?
A: I may not attempt this exact one again, but there are many other challenges that now seem within reach. I would like to do the Furnace Creek 508 and ultimately the Paris-Brest-Paris.
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Thank you for sharing this story. It should serve as a great inspiration to many, not necessarily to enter the Hoodoo 500, but as a reminder just how much you can accomplish when you set your mind to it.
Congratulations to Matt on an awesome finish!!!
Way to go Matt. I do the “challenge” century in 2 weeks, and now I’m glad that I have stayed with my commitment to riding the 100 when several others have opted out of doing it and have decided on doing easier 50 miles. I rode 40 miles with a beginner that had never ridden that far, and I realized the importance of personal challenges. It is good to have a goal, and personal focus, even if it seems a little intimidating. It is the mental barrier that stands the tallest, but beating it is the greatest personal achievement. Thanks Jeff.
Thanks again to Matt for sharing some personal insight into doing something like this. Hard to fathom, and harder to do. Good luck to everyone who is attempting their ultra personal bests.
Truly impressive indeed. Just read this, Jeff. Very nice interview. I like the way Matt thinks.
ME, Matt is a special breed. I’m hoping to learn his “secret” and do a 500-miler in 2010. He’s got it wired. I wish I did. JB