Congratulations to Marshall Nord for setting the new SC W-E WUCA Record for Solo, Male, Standard, 50-59
Rider’s Narrative Summary
Record Attempt: State Crossing- South Carolina west to east
Name of rider: Marshall J. Nord
The start time was 7:54 am on Saturday, October 23, 2021, with a temperature of 51 degrees at the middle of the bridge on SC 72 as you enter South Carolina from Georgia (Google recorded State Line). The attempt to cross the state of South Carolina from west to east setting a world record was at hand, and I was mentally, physically, and psychologically ready to crush this ride. The wind was out of the WNW, which I thought would benefit, but this worked against me for over half the ride. My crew comprised good friends (including two officials) who were no strangers to ultra-cycling and all had experience in crewing, which was a true blessing. I was riding a rented Quintana Roo PR6 aero bike, which performed very well. I used a skinsuit, aero helmet, and shoe booties. The first 30 miles were rolling with 600’ of elevation, and I averaged 22.7 miles per hour. I was stoked, and then I hit the city of Greenwood. Many stoplights and a waive to the SCHP officer as they were alerted of the attempt and were watching for me (so it seemed). My average dropped to 21.7, but I was not discouraged and bent on making up the time I pressed on only to experience very rough roads for the next 30 miles and, after a smooth section, another stretch of rough roads. My average dropped to 21 and then to 20.5 after a pee stop at mile 100. I was determined to keep my average 20.5 or above and worked very hard to achieve this. My crew was excellent with nutritional hand-offs (very smooth and timed well), and with the roads smoothing out, I maintained a 20.5 mph elapsed time average for the remainder of the ride. I was losing a lot of salt by looking at my skinsuit, covered in white rings, as the temperature rose into the 70’s. I took in salt tablets along with sodium in my electrolyte drink. I had one concerned moment around mile 150 when my left quad tightened and knotted on the side upwards of the hip. I took in a magnesium tablet and forgot about it – the issue resolved itself. In total, I only stopped for 6 minutes between stoplights and stopped signs with one urine break, which was remarkable to me – Yeah! Crew and no mechanicals. As we raced towards the finish, I knew I had beaten the record, and feared the possibility of a flat in the last 5 miles, which was unfounded and did not happen. The exact finish was marked by a North Carolina State Line sign, almost precisely where Google Maps had the state line. This is on Old Wire Road and very easy to spot on the right-hand side. It was a true victory, and I could not have ridden any faster or asked for a better crew. I am so grateful for this experience. The finish time was 5:47 pm with an official ride time: 9 hours and 53 minutes and a distance of 202.7. I praise God for giving me a fit body at age 55 to accomplish this feat and to my dear friends who gave up a weekend to help me reach my world record goal. I am forever grateful.