Jacob Waterman Wins The 2025 Arkansas High Country Race

Words by Aaron Arnzen, photos by Kai Caddy

Jacob’s battle with Shermer’s neck began on the morning of the 5th day, as race photographer Kai Caddy spotted him outside of Hot Springs over 700 miles into his ride. This led to Jacob taking apart his entire stem / aero bar combo, flipping his stem in an attempt to raise his posture on the bike. The stem swap offered momentary reprieve before he was forced to get more creative to support what he referred to as his ‘baby bobble head’ neck. This came in the way of his puffy jacket packed in a ball and stuffed in a buff that was wrapped around his neck – it had give, but kept his neck from falling entirely to his chest.

By the time Jacob had reached the race-famous Rich Mountain Country Store at mile 855, he had only accumulated a mind-bending three hours of total sleep. In the blink of an eye, he was enjoying a cup of coffee and Steve’s almost-famous pancakes before lying down for a sleep on the couch out front of the store. Jacob slept straight past his 20 minute alarm, banking 2 hours of sleep before waking up and starting his push towards Poteau Mountain.

Early in the morning hours of Day 7, Jacob was clipped by a moving vehicle in Waveland, AR, near the base of Mt. Magazine. The driver stopped to check on him, assuring he was safe before continuing on their way. With a dead phone, Jacob flagged down the next car with the notion of simply wanting to speak through his situation with someone in more detail. Not long after, paramedics stopped on scene to confirm his own understanding that, other than a scraped up knee and a possibly injured finger, he was competent and safe to move forward.

Getting up and over Mt. Magazine later that morning, Jacob entered the last gravel stretch of riding on route, stopping halfway through it for one last power nap at the old Liberty School.

At 4:17 P.M. Jacob was showered with champagne at the Train Depot in downtown Russellville, surrounded by his wife Sarah, Race Director Chuck Campbell, and a crowd of race supporters from around the community.

Jacob has a deep history with the Arkansas High Country, placing fourth in the 2022 and 2023 South Loop Races, before nabbing second in last year’s Central Loop race, among other notable area rides. His bike setup reflects the time he’s spent riding this terrain.

Aboard the straight gauged titanium Mosaic GT-2 X, Jacob ran an Enve fork and cockpit, rolling on 29 x 2.1″ Vittoria Mezcals. Up front he ran a Coros Dura for navigation, topping it off just twice along the route. In the back, he had his Spot Gen 4 tracker hard mounted to the saddle, alongside his gremlin bell. The bike was outfitted with Dispersed Bikepacking luggage, carrying his rain jacket, puffy jacket, and emergency bivy in the upper half of his frame bag. He ran a water bladder in the lower half of the frame bag, with an extra bottle mounted to the down tube.

With the infamous ARHC belt buckle in Jacob’s hands, all eyes are turning toward singlespeed leader Tanner Frady who’s expected to finish in second place overall.

Check out the 2025 Arkansas High Country Race Tracker page for updates, where you can follow along on the live tracking map and stay tuned in for more event coverage. Find it here.

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