Laura's story: Big Frog 65

BaseCamp athlete Laura Felicetti shared her experience at the 2026 Big Frog 65 bike race in Tennessee.

Big Frog was my first race in a loooong time and my first real attempt at a marathon mountain bike race. I tried years ago and failed miserably, but I wasn't prepared. For this race, I was.

At the start, I paced it well. I didn't start slowly, but I didn't overcook it. I'm not good at going hard at the beginning. It tends to kill the rest of my race/ride. I got into a sustainable rhythm and rode with a group for a while until they either dropped me or I dropped them. I caught some people on the super fun singletrack! I passed the first aid station without stopping. I started with two bottles with a scoop of fluid in each and a full bladder (with a packet of LMNT in it). I was feeling good! I felt really good until I reached an intersection with no signage! Crap. I'm off course. I waited for the rider behind me. We decided to turn left, which took us back toward the course. Eventually, we came to an aid station. We weren't off course. Someone tore down the sign! Whew!

I filled bottles, and, because I miscalculated how many gels I would need, I had to take some neutral gels, which did not sit well in my stomach. Note to take more gels! At the last aid station, I drank pickle juice because I was CRAMPING! It was the first hot day of the year. Fortunately, it was only five miles to the finish, and it was all downhill. 😊 When I crossed the finish line, I learned I won my category and placed third overall!

Overall, I'm really pleased with my race. I honestly don't think my first race could've gone any better -- other than my stupid power meter stopped working! I definitely have areas I can improve on, like descending and VO2 work, but honestly, I'm so pleased! I couldn’t have done it without BaseCamp and Coach Maia Paris!