Beth's story: 6 Hours in Frog Hollow

BaseCamp athlete Beth Collins shared her experience at the 6 Hours in Frog Hollow event in Virgin, Utah.

First mtb race since 2023 and I’ve not done a lap-endurance race in a long time -- like I did one once, my first year of mtb racing in 2014. But the big thing for me was not the type of race it was but where -- I was racing in the west, in the desert – no longer in the forests of Northern Lower Michigan where I learned to ride mtb 12 years and am comfortable. And it was March!

I moved to Fruita, CO, in July 2024 seeking an escape from shoulder seasons that kept me on the trainer for 5-6 months. I forgot that along with the sunny winters and lack of snow was also an entirely different type of mtb trail – rock features abound. It was scary – what was I gonna do about it?

Ok! Start over -- skills camp, coached rides. I put Frog Hollow on the list because: A. March! Not on a trainer! Yay! B. I figured an “endurance” race might be less techy than my local trail systems so maybe I could average more than 5 mph. C. Racing is fun, I’m not alone, I can try.

I had a 1:1 lesson in Moab on my way to the race and that was a good cupful of confidence to add to my bucket. I found Zia Rides spot outside of Hurricane and volunteered for set up and got a good camp spot. The crew out of New Mexico was super friendly. They just took over this race and the sister 25 hr. race in the same location for November. They ran it all well. Highly recommend Zia Rides if you are looking for lap racing.

My goal coming in for this was do the best I can with what I do know how to do (under pressure). I couldn’t ride all the features, but I did a lot more than I expected. It was gorgeous – especially during the pre-ride when I could take it all in. LeMans start – I was probably one of the last athletes on their bike, but I caught back up and passed a few people on the 6 miles of climbing. First lap was steady, not much passing – (14 mile lap) -- 2nd and 3rd laps, there were the race leaders and all the teams racing hot laps (sub 60 minutes) to deal with. Good practice finding those passing spots for them – somewhat chaotic at times. It was fun. At the main feature – The Jem Drop, an exposed switch back descent, the local bike shop called out “rider coming” -- I and many others walked it, but I had firsthand views as the leaders rattled by. I was thankful for my race day decision to switch to flat pedals (I’d never ridden flats for that much time – it was fine).

Lap racing solo requires some logistics – like your aid. I could have done better. I didn’t consume enough in lap 1 and it hit me lap 3. Set my stuff up at my van but if I did this again, I’d set up a spot right in the transition zone. Future mtb races – gotta rely on the fluid hydration carbs more – couldn’t take hands off bars.

In the end, I got in 3 laps 42 miles. They closed the shoot at 1 pm (5 hours) – I came in on lap 3 at 4:55 – I would have needed maybe 10 minutes to reset, feed myself more and get back out there and still it would have been a sad performance – reality -- I was cooked – it was solid day. Great race, highly recommend for early season fun. Great for families – beautiful location.