Viva last Kowalski

The last Kowalski race leaves a lasting memory of being one of the toughest 50km I've done but something that I will miss dearly.
This is my 4th Kowalski race and 3rd half kowalski, probably my favorite marathon event out of all the races that I've done.

I started in wave 2, which was good decision, managed to hold my own pace, without being held back on the singletracks. There was more fireroads that I can remember compared to previous years. The first 32km went well, going through the countless switchback climbs, going down Yipikaye, down Kowalski Sideshow certainly pumped up the adrenaline in my blood.

That first singletrack section after the 32km mark was also very enjoyable. Then come the stairway to a different heaven, that section almost broke me, at that point my quads were in agony and this is where lots of riders overtook me. Pure evil that they put the most challenging bits of trial right at the end of the race

Relatively happy with where I finished this year, which is exactly the same percentile as last years, but with much less training.

Equipment wise, I rode my month old tallboy which I really enjoy riding, with 130mm travel upfront, 2.4" ardent, dropper post makes the ride more enjoyable especially on the small jumps and rocky bits. Coming from the specialized epic, the tallboy might not be as quick up a straight hill or on the fire roads, but it certainly gave me more confidence when the trail points down.

I will definitely miss the kowalski classic from the racing calendar, rather heartbreaking when you see the trees being harvested and the logs piled up, definitely changed the landscape of that area.

Viva La Kowalski !