Michelle Roth Wins 2026 Arkansas High Country Race!

Words by Aaron Arnzen, photos by Monica Foltz and Kai Caddy

Kick off your boots and stay awhile. Michelle Roth takes the crown, errrr, Cowgirl hat, in this eighth edition of the Arkansas High Country Race. With an official time of 7 days, 4 hours, and 20 minutes, Michelle was the first woman to finish and placed fourth overall, setting a new FKT for the route’s singletrack variation.

Bypassing 50 miles of rolling gravel and pavement along the route’s southern corridor, route creator and race director Chuck Campbell wanted to give riders an opportunity to embrace the IMBA Epic trails in this region. Added up, this alternate route variation offers roughly 54 miles of trail, traversing the entire 38-mile Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) and 16 miles of the Womble Trail, connected by neighboring gravel and pavement.

Despite her prowess on the mountain bike, Michelle didn’t take her decision to ride the singletrack variation lightly. In an otherwise gravel-and-pavement 1,020-mile ride, committing to this variation requires not only the right kit and bike setup, but, perhaps more importantly, a total shift in physical pace and headspace. In the case of this year’s grand depart out of Bentonville, it means sticking to the plan 535 miles in, choosing to turn onto the LOViT trail instead of coasting past on the paved Blakely Mountain Dam road. Ten miles before the trail crossing, we intercepted Michelle rolling into Hot Springs on the fourth afternoon of riding. After a relatively long stretch of paved riding, she said she wanted a change of pace, and we knew the race was on.

Entering this year’s race, single-speeder Eric House held the overall FKT for this route variation with a time of 7 days, 19 hours, and 14 minutes, while single-speeder Lindsay Shephard held the women’s overall time at 8 days, 12 hours, and 4 minutes. While these (SS) times are categorically different, Michelle’s effort takes the cake for setting a new overall FKT on this route variation. Far beyond the weight of the record books, though, Michelle managed her effort in a way she was proud of, continually overcoming her own mountain of obstacles along the way.

Spending all but one night outside, this tops the number of nights she’s ever spent camping, on or off the bike. To simplify her sleep, Michelle left the tent at home, knowing she wouldn’t want to fuss with setting it up at the end of every day. Similarly, she rode sans ground pad, eliminating any chance of sliding around through the night. Light and efficient, her bedroll included a lightweight 45-degree sleeping bag, an inflatable pillow, and an emergency blanket.

Strong on the pedals and no stranger to big days on the bike, she’s grown to expect the unexpected. On the third day of riding, she was experiencing an intolerable amount of discomfort between her chamois and saddle. With no desire to push through the pain, she took a chance at the nearest Dollar General and switched to a pair of AND-1 men’s basketball shorts. The reprieve she needed, Michelle sported the ‘90s athletic look throughout the route. Several hours after sundown, Michelle’s only encounter on either trail system was counter-clockwise rider, Preston Williams. Returning AHCR readers may remember this jort-sporting single-speed enthusiast from either of the two previous years. Back for another go on this niche ARHC route variation, if there was ever another stoke-filled rider to cross paths with on the trail at night, Preston is your guy. Both were surprised the other had opted for this approach, and they shared a few confidence-inspiring words of encouragement before continuing on.

With the singletrack in the rearview, Michelle kept the pedals to the metal through the remote Ouachita Mountain stretches. Halfway through her sixth day of riding, the afternoon heat and long supply runout put her on an emotional roller coaster that asked her to dig deeper than she had before. Grateful for the generosity of strangers in the farming community at the base of Mount Magazine, Michelle refilled a few water bottles before making the 2,000-foot climb up the mountain. Cashing in on her first real bed of the race, she made the most of a 12-hour layover at the state park lodge, banking a big rest before filling up on the breakfast buffet. Around 230 miles from the finish, she made one final push to Bentonville. After riding through the night, she made time for breakfast, pastries, and coffee in Fayetteville before tracing the Razorback Greenway for the final 30 miles.

On her Santa Cruz Highball, Michelle chose Maxxis Reckon Race tires in the 2.25 EXO casing. Despite having to pump up the tires after dropping pressure during the trail section, Michelle’s only real mechanical was a broken spoke that split in half on her back wheel during the climb up Pilot Rock Mountain. Together, Michelle’s bottles and bladders offered six liters of water carrying capacity, which was hardly enough for some of the longer runouts on these unseasonably hot October days. Embracing the solitude a week in the Arkansas High Country offers, she put in many solo miles in the second half of the race, and she has a new western hat and shiny AHCR belt buckle to show for it.

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.

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