Race Report: Point 2 Point // Park City’s 75 Mile Mountain Bike Race with 10,000ft of Climbing

One word to describe the Point 2 Point Race would be, unrelenting. 75 miles of trail, cutting through every single riding area that Park City has to offer, with 3 distinct climbing sections that total over 10K feet of vertical gain. The elevation profile of the course looks like a heart rate monitor, without any flat sections to recover. There are the small spikes when you’re in Round Valley, followed by massive spikes with the climbs up to Deer Valley, 9K at PCMR, and eventually up to Canyons. 400+ racers take on the course each year, with nearly 50 of the hopefuls failing to finish due to mechanicals, injury, or their bodies unwilling to make the next climb. And I will be the first to say that Park City’s XC mountain biking trails are not the hardest I’ve ever ridden, but the way this course links together climb after climb, loose rocky sections, switchback after switchback, you will find yourself asking, “Why the hell did I sign up for this race?”

I’ve lived in Park City for the past 8 years and have ridden nearly every single trail there is here, but not every race. Each Labor Day Weekend Park City hosts the epic Point 2 Point mountain bike race. This race, to most, is a right of passage for the locals of Park City, right along with the Mid-Mountain Marathon. And each year, I’d wish I signed up but ultimately let it pass me by. It’s hard to sign up for a September race in the peak skiing month of February. Especially a race that cost $239 and sells out in 5 minutes. But this year, I was finally going to commit to the 2026 Point 2 Point, and I was going to dedicate this spring and summer to preparing for an epic day across so many of my local trails in town. But going into this race, I had a few goals to motivate me during those long training rides:

Goals for the Race

• Goal 1: Finish the Race
• Goal 2: Beat my riding buddy Nate (Even though he raced in Single Speed division)
• Goal 3: Sub-9 Hours
• Goal 4: Ride Every Feature (No Walking)
• Goal 5: Have Fun & Ride with a Smile

Description of Course

The race course intricately circumnavigates clockwise around Park City, starting in Round Valley, crossing the road to Prospector Trails, then up and around Deer valley, followed by a painful climb in to the top of Park City Mountain (PCMR), ultimately across Canyons, and finally down to the Utah Olympic Park to the finish. The course is broken up into thirds, with the first third ending at the Montage Resort, and the second at the base of PCMR. From start to finish, you race on single track trails, with the exception of a few link-ups on paved bike paths or service roads at the resorts. The single track mountain bike trails range from super smooth carpet, to rocky technical switchback climbs, and even large, loose rocky sections that go on for miles. The climbs are moderate grade, for the most part you can pedal in 2nd or 3rd gear, and the descents are equally as moderate. There are only a few technical sections that most riders walk up. The real challenge is the fact this course is design to feel like you are climbing the entire day, all +9hrs the average rider takes to complete it.

Race Day (1st Section)

With the sunrise still minutes away from cresting the hillside of Promontory to the east, we lined up in our respective group waves and prepared to pedal all day. The groups were broken down into professionals, single-speeders, 7-8 hour group, 8-9 hour group, and lastly, the party group, 9+ hours. When our group finally went off at 7:08AM, we stormed off the line and down the paved bike path north, with the group cruising at +25mph. Eventually, we got dirt under our tires on Round Valley Express and settled into a more realistic race pace for us in the back of the pack. But then it became less a test of fitness, and more a test of patience as we rolled into traffic. Up rambler we climbed, in wheel-to-wheel traffic, cruising around each switchback and every straight. Any opening you could get on double track or trail crossings were used to make up places. The little expenditures of energy weren’t an issue, since you could recover as soon as rode back into traffic and slowed down. This continued on the rest of the climbs, descents, and all the flat sections around Round Valley. Before I knew it, we were crossing 248, scarfing down as much calories as I could before we hit the first real climb on the course, Skid Row in the Prospector trail system.

Pedaling at a relatively fast pace, the Lost Prospector trail hugs the contour line of the hillside, wrapping around above Old Town Park City. A trail that I hold close to my heart, as it was the go-to trail when I moved here, especially one I used to run Gregor when he was a puppy. On the switchbacks of Gambel Oak Park, I rode with a guy from Germany visiting for the race, before finally getting some free air on the decent on Solamere Connector while the stranded hikers hugged the edge of the trail avoiding the racers flying passed them. The trail dumped out into one of the Deer Valley neighborhoods, before a steep climb to wrap around Snowtop and the Gap Loop which weaves through scrub oak and the fancy mansions. At this point, I was feeling great, strong, and not letting anyone pass, making up one place at a time before finally hitting the first water station at the St. Regis hotel (Mile 23). There, my wife and my dog met me to cheer me on and that was such a mood boost.

The next section was the first, real test of the race, as the groups started to spread out on the Deer Creek and Mid Mountain Extension climb. Seeing riders above you on each crossing trail was always a gut punch on each switchback, realizing how much farther ahead they were. And even though we all still sort of rode in traffic, the overall pace was much slower as we headed uphill. I was so in the zone by the time I got to Silver Lake (Mile 26), I almost missed my buddy rooting me on from the side of the trail. But then came team Big Bear, which lead to countless people falling or missing the climbs as they got rooted and rocky. Getting out of the saddle for a few sections, my right quad started to get heavy and early signs (looking back) of a muscle cramp.  But it held off through the entire descent of Corsair which was flying perfectly after all the rain we had been having. Even though I almost overshot a bunch of the turns because I was flying too fast.

Preparation & Training

I signed up for this race in February, and started pedaling in March with serious focus on this race come Labor Day Weekend. I even picked up a used Specialized Epic 8 Evo from a guy in town, which made the climbing exponentially better than my enduro bike. The training  for a race like this was going to be tough and should have been more structured than it was, but I did the best I could. Each week I was trying to climb between 7K-10K over 40-70miles of these Park City trails. I’d push it at a race pace when I felt strong, but other days were just long slogs up to the crest and down, over and over. Going into the race I didn’t feel 100% prepared as I could have been, but I never do. My longest rides were under 50 miles and definitely not enough long rides. Plus, I spent the month leading up to the race in way too much wildfire smoke, but also having fun in the Whistler bike park for a week. But time ran out and it was race day, and I had to go with what I had built over the past year. 

Race Day (2nd Section)

The section from the Montage Hotel (Mile 33) to the Park City Mountain base area (Mile 53) was by far the hardest. The aid station was stacked, and the volunteers filled my water bottles, gave me waffles and gels, and even some other snacks. But the rest was short lived, because there was immediately a 100m, 1st gear, steep climb out from the aid station. By this point, at least, the traffic had all but disappeared and were separated into groups of two to four for the rest of the race. I pedaled solo along the roots section of John’s 99 eventually to Park City’s worst downhill trails, John’s. A moderate uphill at best, the roots switchbacks through the aspens of John’s trail make any downhill feel like you’re still climbing uphill, leaving little reprieve on a punishing course. But at least at the bottom of the trail, near Sweeny’s Switchbacks, I got to see Court and Gregor again! 

After I filled up on all the Honey Stingers I needed, It was time for the climb that was going to push me to my limits. I started to push hard up Jenni’s climb, as if it was a normal day out, but I could feel my legs starting to reject me. Not giving up just yet, but I was loosing power. Then came the horrible Steps to the Yurt. I tried to eat more Gel Blocks, but felt my legs fading, and eventually I gassed out. For the first time in the race, I was off my bike, bent over, trying to recover my heart rate. I pushed it up to the Yurt (Mile 40), when I actually caught up to my buddy Nate who was getting support from our friends Tyler and Jessie. The excitement immediately wore off, because I was gassed out again and couldn’t imagine what was next. 

Beyond the Yurt, was a gradual climb up Three Candles, where I kept Nate in view just ahead, that is, until we hit Fat Lip and Stiff Upper Lip. The punchy climbs got me out of the saddle and that’s when my legs started to cramp. I couldn’t pedal more than 5 feet before the cramps came back over and over again. First the right leg, then the left. I tried to walk it off, which helped briefly, but didn’t fix anything. I drank more electrolyte mix and ate food, but was still in this painful cycle. By the time I hit 9K, where I saw a group of dudes partying it up, sending great vibes to all the racers that passed by, I had a bit more energy to push. But that was quickly erased again when the cramping traveled from my quad to my hamstring. I nearly fell off the bike trying to straighten out my leg only to have my quad cramp, turning into a vicious cycle of cramping and self pity. 

At mile 44, I was almost to the downhill below Blazing Saddles, when I found myself sitting on the side of the trail with my head between my legs, texting my wife to tell her how much I was struggling and that my race was all but over. I was down, real down, and the closest I felt to quitting. The PCMR base was calling my name, and I could tap out. My internal monologue kicked in, and I told myself over and over again, one more mile, and that I was not going to quit. I trained for too long to give up. And with that I pedaled on, chasing down all the riders that passed me. This was the Apex downhill and CMG, sections of trail I’ve flown down countless times, and so I started to fly. No sense in touching the brakes, it was time to make up what I lost, and I just let the suspension go to work. 5 miles of descending down Thaynes Canyon at nearly 20mph in the dusty afternoon, bringing a pure smile to my face.

The final twisting berms and plastic mats on Seldom Seen got old very quickly, but the aid station was in view. Pulling into the absolute party below the super pipe near the First Time lift, I quickly spotted Court and Gregor outside the trail stoked to see me. Gregor immediately licked the salt off my face as I was doubled over and chugged a full Gatorade that Court had brought me. My stomach was in no position to take on food, so I drank as many ounces of fluid as possible before refilling at the aid station, kissed Court adios, and pedaled off to finish this race!

Nutrition Plan

Race day nutrition was relatively simple. I had a goal of eating between 200-300 calories per hour, which boiled down to a gel and a waffle. With any remaining amount coming from the Tail Wind sport drink I had in one of my water bottles. The other being plain water. Easier said than done. But up until halfway, I maintained my caloric intake. And drank my bottles empty before each aid station. In hindsight, I could have used more salts and maybe just brought more liquid and consumed my calories in that form which was easier. I personally went with two bottles on the bike, but definitely could have benefited from having water on my back as the course is technically challenging enough that it can be hard to find the time to drink, let alone eat during the race. 

Race Day (Final Section)

The final section from PCMR (Mile 53) to the finish line at the UOP (Mile 75) would be a fun, dare I say mellow, ride on a normal day. But The state I was in, the ever popular climb up Armstrong trail had me pedaling in 1st and 2nd gear for the the entire section. I have never, in 8 years, pedaled this slowly uphill, and it only got worse when the trail reached Mid Mountain and Iron Man. The slow crawl around Iron Mountain got even slow when the dirt trail disappeared under shale rock the size of dinner plates and baby head boulders. Every stroke of the pedal had me bouncing out of my seat, struggling to keep my forward momentum up the trail. But this was just another climb that, albeit slowly, I made my way up to the top. And then came the descent  on the backside of Iron Man that lead into Mid Mountain again. 

Luckily, Mid Mountain is mostly a traversing trail at this point, wandering through the mega-mega mansions in the Colony at Canyons Resort. For the most part, by now, I was getting passed left and right by other racers. I still had power in my lefts to pedal the flats and the descents, but was crawling on any hill climb we had left and my wrists were killing me from the constant hammering over rocks. At mile 64.5, I reached the last aid station when everything started to change and get better. 

Maybe it was the shot of pickle juice that saved me, but my legs started to come back. It was a solid 24 miles of struggling, and it drained the life out of me. But I was back, and got on the wheel of a guy from Paraguay (according to his jersey), and we started pushing hard, passing by Red Pine Lodge, and onto the last sections of Mid Mountain trail. At mile 69, the trail ends and with a 1/4mile service road climb that was the last and final test. With 4 guys in front, I put the power down, and rolled right passed them in order to get into the descent before them. 

The trail drops off the mountain on Ambush before linking up with the Olympic trail that connects to the UOP via the ridgeline. On that rocky section, I passed the last racer and was home free to ride my go-to route from my house. From the top of the Olympic park on Moose Puddle, all the way down to the new trail, and race finish, Gold Pedal Mile. This flow trail is perfectly dialed, and ripping on any size bike. Of course, my little XC bike was at its limit on some of the jumps and braking zones, but I just let the flow take over and carried me to the finish. One small climb up the road before hitting the finish line at the West Peak Lift. 

Looking Back on the Race

Finally, 75 miles pedaled, 10,000ft of vertical climbing in 9hrs 51min. I was a finisher. I finished 188th out of 430 racers. Exhausted, but stoked to see my wife and my friends at the finish line. I found all the guys I had ridden with at the end and hugged them for finishing strong and mostly getting me across the finish line too. In hindsight, even though I felt fine, I had likely pushed too hard which was probably the cause of my cramping. Between that, and I could have consumed more liquids rather than just relying on my calorie intake. I’m sure I could have performed better in the middle section and gotten closer to 9:30. But who cares, because it was an incredible race course, amazing day out. Worth every hour of training that went into it and I can’t wait to do it again one day.

Of my Goals, I’ll say I accomplished 2.5 out of 5. Finished the race, beat Nate, and for MOST of the race, I rode with a smile and was stoked to be out there.