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In the lead-up to tomorrow’s grand depart, Aaron Arnzen provides an in-depth look at the 2026 Arkansas High Country Race, riders worth keeping an eye on, and the new “Women to the Finish Line” initiative. Check it all out here…
Words by Aaron Arnzen, photos by Aaron unless noted otherwise
With September in the rearview and the first October leaves on the ground, that can only mean one thing here in the Natural State: the Arkansas High Country Race is nigh. Set against the same Autumn backdrop in the rugged Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, the eighth edition begins in Northwest Arkansas, with Bentonville as the new host city.
As it prepares to roll out the welcome mat to over 80 participants, the proverbial mountain bike capital of the world is paying its dues in the ultra-endurance scene, too. Riders will launch from the iconic Bentonville Square on Saturday morning, with this year’s Grand Depart set for 6:30 a.m. With the new host city comes a few exciting event evolutions to familiarize yourself with before the dot-watching commences.
Women To The Finish Line
“Women To The Finish Line” is a new ARHC initiative to get more women to the start line. Katherine Anderson was the main event’s sole female racer in 2025, and WTFL grew out of shared discussion after her finish. Rooted in a collaborative approach to directly supporting the needs of women in Ultra Endurance Cycling, a core group of initiative leaders created a peer-driven support ecosystem.
This complimentary service was free to the public and offered a variety of preparatory calls and experiences leading up to this year’s race. With a significant increase in the percentage of female participants across both race distances, there’s much more to this story. Tune in following Friday’s rider check-in for a deeper dive into WTFL and how it’s helped shape this year’s race.
The Northwest Loop
Alongside the 1,020-mile main event, the relocation to NWA brings back the beloved Northwest Loop as the alternative race distance this year. Initially offered during the 2021 Grand Depart out of Fayetteville, the four-year hiatus has ended, with over 60 cyclists getting in on the action this year. Compared to the Central and South Loops, nearly twice its size, the Northwest Loop is still a properly challenging track.
Boasting over 18,000 feet of elevation gain, the 245-mile route links vast stretches of mixed-terrain Ozark riding from the legendary Big Sugar miles in the north to the quintessential Boston Mountain corridor to the southeast. Riders will weave through the quirky mountain culture of Eureka Springs before following the Kings River south toward the iconic Oark General Store, ultimately tackling White Rock Mountain, south of Fayetteville. Despite the various goals riders will bring to this year’s Northwest Loop Race, there’s no denying several eyes are fixed on improving the current FKTs set in 2021. All Northwest Loop racers will ride clockwise this year. Statistically, the Northwest Loop has the lowest drop-out rate of all previous event distances. Tune in over the weekend for specific coverage of this race as both solo and pairs riders make their way around the course.
ARHC Route Preview
As Race Director Chuck Campbell noted in his rider email earlier this week, “It’s been hotter than nine kinds of hell in Arkansas this Summer.” Like the rest of the country, the state currently has burn bans and less water in creeks than ever before. With rain expected to move into the region throughout the next 24 hours, it’s unlikely to change much beyond knocking the dust down for the first day of racing. While this could lead to some incredibly fast course conditions, it will likely come at the cost of some longer stretches without filterable water. Alongside several repeat offenders, there’s a slew of new men’s and women’s dots to keep your eyes on this year.
The Women’s Race
Christie Tracy
No stranger to long days on the bike, Christie Tracy of Austin, Texas, has an extensive resume of ultra-endurance cycling pursuits, including several 24-hour national championships and her 3,600-mile ride in the 2024 Great American Wheel Race. In 2025, she took the overall women’s win in the Gravel Worlds along Voyage. Understandably, Christie is one of this year’s WTFL leaders. Although Christie is openly less experienced on the steeper, more rugged terrain the ARHC Race offers, it will be interesting to see how her skill set stacks up against a strong women’s field this year. Follow Christie on Instagram here.
Katherine Anderson
As mentioned above, Katherine was the only woman to participate last year, finishing in 8 days, 5 hours, and 55 minutes. Building on bikepacking races like DOOM and Badlands in Spain, Katherine added the Tour Divide to her resume this summer. There’s no doubt Katherine will embrace intentional community connection on her quest to beat last year’s time, while embodying her leadership qualities with WTFL in the process. Follow Katherine on Instagram here.
Michelle Roth
Local to the Ozarks, you may recall Michelle’s name from her various efforts at DOOM and the Fayetteville Ultra Circuit. While Michelle has proven her engine and technical ability on remote, rugged terrain, she’s venturing into relatively new territory with this kind of mileage. Expect Michelle to ride strong and steady from the start; it will be interesting to see how things play out halfway around the route.
Leigh Bowe
Coming in from Flagstaff, Arizona, Leigh has a rich background in mountain biking and enduro racing before transitioning to multi-day off-road events. With notable results at Bones To Blue, the Colorado Trail Race, and the Arizona Trail Race, Leigh brings a wealth of experience in bike and body preservation over multiple days. Trading autumn riding in the Sonoran Desert for a full Natural State immersion, we’re excited to see how Leigh fares with the engaging riding that the ARHC route offers. You can follow Leigh on Instagram here.
Scarlet Zeigler
One of this year’s last sign-ups is teenager Scarlet Zeigler. You may recall reading a bit about her world record experience on the site last summer. Coming to the ARHC from Pennsylvania, Scar brings a wealth of riding experience, alongside her overwhelmingly positive attitude, and a burning passion to get more gals on bikes. Will her fresh perspective shake things up overall? However it shakes out, this women’s race is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in event history. You can follow Scar on Instagram here.
The Men’s Race
Bryan Dougherty
Coming down from Minneapolis, Bryan is no stranger to the ARHC route. After a strong year of riding, Bryan is back for revenge after his DNF in last year’s race. Turning back a few more pages, you’ll find Bryan still holds the second-fastest time on the 480-mile South Loop in the 2023 race. An otherwise quiet, sweet human, Bryan is hungry for a strong finish on the full course. You can follow Bryan on Instagram here.
Ted King
Once “King of the High Country,” Ted is back for a second lap around the course. His record-setting 2020 time has since been beaten not twice, but three times, and now that he’s moved to Northwest Arkansas, you can imagine this “local” eyeing a hot lap. Notably, Ted has added a lot more multi-day race and ride experience to his resume since the 2020 edition of the race. We’ll be following his trail of peanut butter pretzel crumbs closely to see how things shake out. You can follow Ted on Instagram here.
Josh Kile
A native of Bentonville, Josh has frequented big days in both the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains. He’s proven his engine and technical handling ability at variations of both DOOM and the Fayetteville Ultra Circuit, but anything past 500 miles is new territory for him. He has a plan, but he knows how quickly things can change. Expect to see strong, steady riding from Josh from the start. You can follow Josh on Instagram here.
Bond Almand
Another new face at the ARHC, Bond is hot off his recent summer project delivering a football to every NFL stadium in the States. Also filed under his notable endurance pursuits, you may also recall his Pan American record ride from 2024. His fitness needs no questioning, but how will his experiences transition to the rugged, remote stretches of riding around the ARHC? You can follow Bond on Instagram here.
Beyond these few names, dark horses are waiting for their chance to shine. With names still populating into Trackleaders, final preparations are underway as riders continue to roll into Bentonville before Friday’s rider check-in. Stick with us over the next week or so as we chase riders around the course, uncovering stories throughout the Arkansas High Country.
Check out the Arkansas High Country Race 2026 Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map, watch for ongoing race updates, and tune in for more event coverage. Find it here.
Further Reading
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