Jack Peck Wins Ozark Gravel Doom Despair

The second-largest of the three main Ozark Gravel Doom distances endeavors 196 miles and a stout 22,000 feet of elevation gain, a monster ride that had elevation added to it due to the weather re-routes. Jack Peck, hailing from Palatine, Illinois, won the Despair distance, coming in at 26 hours and 11 minutes. According to Jack, he chose Despair because it was “half the distance and twice the fun.” Flatting last night, he had to use a few plugs to continue his non-stop effort to win. But it was a fruitful push, as three of the fastest challengers on the same course all dropped at a neutral aid station due to the extremely cold and damp temperatures.

Jack’s troubles weren’t quite over yet, as he snapped his chain on the final section of singletrack entering Horshoe Canyon Ranch. For a sleepless push through some truly terrible conditions, Jack felt prepared having largely ridden through a Chicago winter. With a big smile on his face, he happily called Andrew Onerma an “a**hole” upon finishing.

With the sun finally peaking its head out, we should start to see a fair few more finishers to both the Despair and Doom routes over the next few hours and days.

Check out the Doom 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.

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