Kelowna’s Meaghan Hackinen took second in the women’s division at the Atlas Mountain Race in Morroco, on Friday, She finished 1,300 km route in a time of 5 days, 1 hour and 30 minutes.
She was the only Canadian woman to compete in the race.
A hilly ultra in Morroco
The Atlas Mountain Race is a 1,300km, unsupported, single-stage cycling race that starts in Marrakesh, traverses the Moroccan Atlas, and finishes in Essaouira. The route covers challenging terrain, including gravel, single and double tracks, and old colonial pistes, with minimal tarmac. Riders face long stretches between resupply points and may need to walk in some sections. With no prizes and the clock running continuously, participants can expect approximately 1,300km of distance, 20,000m of elevation gain, and 7 days to complete the race. The course varies slightly each year but remains one of Morocco’s most demanding routes.
An strong start to season
“Holy smokes, I made it! My head is still spinning with the colours of the landscape, people encountered, and diversity of terrain navigated along the way. To me, every ultra feels like the hardest race ever—and Atlas Mountain Race was no different,” she posted on Instagram.
Hackinen went on to say February is early in the year for northern hemisphere folks like herself to prepare for a race; there are just a lot of key pieces to get in place.
Challenging terrain
“Many of my concerns going into the race didn’t turn out to be issues at all, but other surprises jumped up in their place. That’s just the nature of ultra-racing: events are long and a lot can happen. In the case of AMR, the challenge of the terrain was surpassed by the beauty: from snow-capped peaks to lush palm oasis, stark open spaces, and narrow pistes that wound their way through the mountains. My photos don’t come close to doing justice,” she said.
She’s no stranger to gruelling riders. Hackinen, who is also an author, won the 2024 Tour Divide in the women’s category and became the first woman to complete it in under 16 days, finishing in 15 days and 23 hours. The Tour Divide is an ultra-endurance mountain bike race spanning 4,345 km along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, from Banff, Alta., to Antelope Wells, N.M. Cyclists race unsupported, navigating rugged terrain and relying solely on themselves for food, shelter, and navigation through challenging conditions and remote wilderness.
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