8 Tips for Thriving — Not Just Surviving — at Marji Gesick

Marji Gesick may not be the best-known mountain bike race, but it’s probably the most interesting. Its course leads riders on a 100-mile tour of the trails around Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, with a stout 10,000 feet of elevation along the way. The technical trails force at least a little hike-a-bike. You’ll probably be riding some of it in the dark. And the event organizers stress an anything-can-happen ethos. Sound difficult? Professional mountain bike racer Jeremiah Bishop once dubbed it “the hardest single-day mountain bike race in America.” Whether that’s intimidating or motivating for you, we’ve gathered wisdom from two Marji veterans to help prepare anyone who wants to chase this challenge, or any other event you have your heart and legs set on.

Matt Acker's Advice:

The Marji Gesick is one of the more unique endurance mountain bike events, if not THE most unique, out there today.

The course is challenging enough, but things like the 1-kilometer Le Mans run start, the highly supported but “self-supported” rules, the checkpoints, and the mind games make it as much of an experience as it is a race. Knowledge is power for this event. Read all the emails and social posts. Watch YouTube videos. Read some blogs and content about other people’s experiences, their successes and their failures.

Every year many people find themselves disqualified, going back on course after “finishing,” or simply quitting — and not for the reasons you might think (a common reason a few years ago was not having the correct Dum-Dums suckers). Many of these issues can be chalked up to poor research and not understanding “the game.” This is more than a bike/foot race in some ways, so do your research, know the rules, and show up prepared.

Even for seasoned riders, the length, difficulty, and magnitude of the course can be overwhelming. If you read much into this event you’ll see lots of scare quotes around things like the “100 miles” (it’s actually closer to 110). With such a daunting course, major hype on their social channels/emails, and borderline hysteria in the Facebook group, it can be easy to get dissuaded. Here are a few tips for success as you train for the big day:

• Tip #1: Break the big challenge down into small chunks and take them one at a time. The many unique sections of the Marji Gesick course are perfect for this approach. My trick is to think of each trail zone as its own ride and then check each one off as I complete it before thinking about what comes next.

• Tip #2: Work on your bike handling and technical skills! Walking up a steep hill is one thing, but when you have to turn around and walk right back down another steep slope the time and exertion start to add up. The more you can stay on your bike instead of hiking the better — every little bit you can ride or coast down saves a bit of energy in the long haul. It’s a compounding issue when you can’t cover ground very quickly: the longer you take, the more you need to stop to eat and take breaks. The more you need to stop to eat to take breaks, the less daylight you have. This means more riding at night, which is slower.

  If you can’t always practice on technical trails, try making use of things like steep retaining walls, stairs, curbs, etc. to hone your skills before the event. Take the time to go play around and be comfortable on your bike. It will pay dividends when you’re riding and not walking down the 40th steep slope of the day.

• Tip #3: Don’t get caught up in the frenzy of the start. I hear from a lot of people that their plan is to “put in some effort so I don’t get caught behind people that can’t ride the singletrack.” But when that’s everyone’s plan, they all try to ride faster than everyone else, and pretty soon the whole race feels like a one-hour short-track event. My best advice is telling people to just stick to their pace from the gun even if it means they may get stuck early on having to walk stuff they could ride. That saved energy can be used later on when the race really begins to get tough in RAMBA trails. A lot of the people that go out way too hard trying to stay ahead of other riders end up imploding a long way from the finish. Patience pays off.
• Tip #4: Run sturdy gear that makes you feel confident. Riding a bike that is both capable and comfortable goes a long way toward making it to the finish. I ditch my more svelte tires in favor of 800+ gram durable casing downcountry/enduro treads. Do they roll as fast as I’d like on the ski trail and bike path? No. Do they grip when I need them to in the sketchy RAMBA trails? You bet they do. I know a few tips ago I was talking about “marginal gains” adding up to hours but it’s important to strike a balance and assess which gains are worth the risk of not finishing. The average speed for the winner is always around 10 mph. Think of that for a second. That skinsuit, aero hydration pack and slick helmet don’t do much at those speeds. Neither does the difference of a slightly knobbier tire versus a semi-slick tire. That 60mm rear travel XC race rocket that’s 4 pounds lighter than your 120mm travel trail machine is probably not worth the trade-off. I first raced this event on a steel hardtail with no dropper; last year I rode a 120/120mm bike with 2.4” knobby tires, 180mm rotors. Relative to the course changes and distance, I now ride faster than I used to. Comfort, control and confidence are key.

Jill Martindale's Tips:

The Marji Gesick 200 happens every five years, and after I DNF’d (did not finish) in 2019, I had my work cut out for me in 2024.

I knew it would take experience and strength to finish the difficult endeavor, covering 200 brutal and technical miles with 20,000 feet of climbing. Physical exhaustion and the mental sloppiness that comes with fatigue are the biggest obstacles, and I took what I learned from that initial DNF and my other two 100-mile finishes as teachable opportunities to do better at my next Out and Back try.

I planned to build on my endurance throughout the year as the event snuck up all too quickly. Arrowhead 135, Polar Roll Ultra, Midsouth, Barry Roubaix Psycho Killer, a White Rim bikepacking trip, Lumberjack 100, the Crusher 350 — they were all great training and helped me get stronger! In August, I got up to Copper Harbor for the Rough Stuff Rally and pushed myself out of my comfort zone riding stuff I wasn’t used to and following friends’ lines. Dan and I also stopped in Marquette for a little Marji Gesick route recon.

Staying hyped about the Marji helped to keep me motivated for training and I’m thankful I was able to spend time talking about the race and training with many of my favorite riding partners. Here are some other tips that I focused on to get me to the Marji Out and Back finish line:

• Tip #1: Visualize finishing. Visualize race-day scenarios like mechanicals, crashes, or sleep deprivation. Visualize reasons that would cause you not to finish and find ways to fix mistakes you haven’t made yet. Make it a point on bike rides, dog walks, and workouts to think about how everything will help you during your Marji adventure. When things got hard at Polar Roll Ultra or went awry before the Crusher race start, I reminded myself that it in the big picture it was great practice! Finishing the 100-mile Marji Gesick in 2023 on a single-speed Timberjack was hard but a great confidence boost for racing the 200-mile on a lush and comfortable Spearfish with gears! How nice!
• Tip #2: Find joy in the weird and hard parts of adventure. Having a good sense of humor can go a long way; this is my favorite part about working towards a goal like the Out and Back. When things weren’t going my way in other races or rides, shouting, “MARJI TRAINING!” with friends kept things fun. Screaming, “MARJI!” when you’re slogging through wind and rain on a commute or holding a group ride back because you’ve had a mechanical turns the situation comical and keeps it entertaining.
• Tip #3: Get used to riding in the dark and the transition from daylight to darkness. Practice strapping lights to your bike and your helmet, positioning them, making sure they don’t rattle loose, and turning them on and off. Nothing is more frustrating than your light rattling loose on a bumpy descent or being sleep-deprived and forgetting mid-race that the light’s safety lock is on. Finally, get used to riding with the weight of a light on your helmet — it's often overlooked, but it can cause neck pain hours into the dark.

• Tip #4: Accept that it’s not going to be pretty out there the whole time. You’ll chew with your mouth open. You might get blisters. All the contact points on your bike will hurt. Your mind will go to dark places and you’ll want to quit because it isn’t fun anymore. Take a break if you have to and give yourself a pep talk. Remember all the times you set intentions because you wanted this so badly. Remember how far you’ve come working towards this goal — not just how far you’ve come in the last year but how far you’ve come since learning to mountain bike, and of course how far you've come on the Marji course already. Think of someone who really wanted to be out there and get back out there for them. If you want to quit because you’re tired, you’re hungry, you’re cranky, or it’s dark, just give it a little time. Eat a snack, close your eyes for 15 minutes, remember that it was fun for a while and it’ll get fun again soon.

  Remember to vibe off of the positivity and kindness of the locals, volunteers, support crews, and friends who have done this event. Soak up that energy. There’s an entire Marji Gesick community and between friends who are also registered to race, Facebook groups, Marji Camp, and local bike shops in the Marquette area, it's an incredibly approachable race. Sure, it’s difficult, but the camaraderie and friendships make it worthwhile and rewarding!

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