Shannon's story: Cheaha Challenge

BaseCamp athlete Shannon Scanlon shared her experience at the 2025 Cheaha Challenge in Alabama.

Not all podium finishes are your best day on the bike. Getting the best out of myself, accomplishing my race goals, and having fun determines a good race by my standards. I got the best out of myself for the day and accomplished my goals, but that race was not fun!

The day started out great, especially since they delayed the start and we didn't head off into thunderstorms and rain. I focused on my 1st goal; stay on Nathan's wheel and get over the 1st climb with the lead group, and I was able to do that. And, it was fun for about twenty miles until the climb up to the parkway. Two of us were dropped there from the group; me and a young female from Miami. We started the climb together to the parkway, and eventually several guys caught us from behind. We stayed together for a few miles, but then my legs were just unable to match their pace. The very steep climbs felt never-ending, and my spirits started to drop. Soon my second goal of hitting Tempo on the climbs was restated as "Don't Walk Any of These Hills." I kept questioning the bike gearing or my legs, but the fun was gone from the day.

The race was an out and back, and on the back side of the climb, I saw Nathan and Namrita heading back to the start/finish, which brought a smile to my face with their friendly waves. When I finally reached the turnaround, I hit my third goal of being under my three hours and saw my young Miami athlete stopped, but I pressed on. I had made the decision to only use the second-to-last aid station on the parkway, but only if needed. Eventually she caught up to me and we rode again for a few miles until she rode off again into the distance. Later I saw her on the side of the road talking to someone; I found out after that the guy was bonking and cramping badly, so she was getting him some aid.

As I neared the end of the parkway and pushed up to a scenic overlook aid station, I did make the decision to stop early to get some ice cold water and a slice of bread, which helped. As I pushed on, I said a small prayer because I needed God's help to finish; my hamstring was cramping, and my spirits were really low at that point. He delivered! A few miles down the road, I heard, "Grab my wheel." A group of four men and my Miami friend came by in a perfectly paced paceline. My Road Angels! Turns out three of them were doing the Ultra so weren't hammering the hills. When they did stop at the last aid station before exiting the parkway, I decided I would stop also and stay with my Road Angels instead of venturing on alone.

Three of them eventually turned off, but I was able to finish the race with my Miami companion and one other male. I even sprinted for the finish but was overtaken just after the road pitched up.

This race was challenging physically, but even more mentally. As my spirits fell, I fought with myself not to quit, a thought I haven't ever had before. But I pressed on because I was carrying my dad's locket to give me strength, and I didn't want to let him down. At the end, I learned that I had met my fourth goal, to win my age group.

Now I need to assess why and how I didn't have the get-up-and-go I expected and where the fun went that day. Was I over-trained, could my lack of sleep lately be the culprit, was it the bike gearing, or am I just not the athlete I have been in the past? I'm taking the month of June off from structured training to figure out my why, find some bike love, and just have fun. Then I'll be back to set my sights on Australia.

Here's to another day of riding. :)