COVID-19 spares no one. Since 2013, the Mid South (formerly, the Land Run 100) has seen gravel riders and long-distance dirt racers converge on Stillwater, Oklahoma for an epic sufferfest. For 2021, there will be no gathering in Stillwater for the Mid South. But, there will still be a race.
PRESS RELEASE (more info):
There’s nothing we want more than to see all your faces lined up at 7th and Main in March. Seriously. COVID sucks.
But we can’t, in good conscience, ask you to come here when cases continue to increase in our state and across the country, and the world. We do not feel it is the responsible or ethical choice for you, our sponsors, and our local community.
HOWEVER. That doesn’t mean March 12-14 is going to be boring.
We are so stoked and proud to introduce The Incredibly Socially Distanced Mid South.
We didn’t make this decision lightly. We agonized over it for weeks (ask Bobby), but in the end, we decided to do the best we can with the situation at hand. Something about life and lemons?
What the heck is The Incredibly Socially Distanced Mid South?
Glad you asked. We want you to go ride or run (or both!) outside, just like you had planned, but you don’t have to pack up and travel to Stillwater.
We are partnering with several bicycle shops in cities and states where many of you live. We are working with each shop to create comparable 100-mile, 50-mile and 50K routes in that area.
Ride With GPS will facilitate a challenge board, which any registered rider or runner can join. We will share the links for each challenge (100, 50, 50K) in March. If you’re registered for The Mid South and have at least a free account with Ride With GPS, you’re good to go. You must have an account with Ride With GPS to participate in the challenges.
Partner Shops
District Bicycles | Stillwater, OK
Meteor | Bentonville, AR
Gravel City | Emporia, KS
Angry Catfish | Minneapolis, MN
Cycleast| Austin, TX
Cycleworks| Lincoln, NE
Hope Cyclery | Johnstown, PA
Yawp! | Denver, CO
Don’t live near one of these shops? We invite you to make your own route and ride or run the roads around you.
What’s the skinny?
- First things first, if you are registered, you’re in. You’ll receive an email with information about joining the Ride With GPS challenge before event weekend.
- You will receive a 50 percent refund of your registration fee. BikeReg will begin processing these refunds Tuesday, Jan. 19, and refunds will deposit within 5-7 business days. If you purchased a transfer, you’ll be getting a check in the mail from us. BikeReg processing fees and transfer fees are non-refundable.
- We are shipping your swag bag to you. Yup. You read that right. All the cool stuff you get when you check in is going to show up at your door.
- Any time over event weekend, March 12-14, record your ride or run and upload it to the Ride With GPS challenge board. There’s no mass start or timing, so ride or run as fast or as slow as you want. We are big fans of “snack-paced” rides.
- Once you finish your ride or run, show your completed route to any of the host shops to pick out some rad swag from our awesome sponsors. Swag items are available on a first-come, first-served basis at each shop. Swag items will be announced soon, but we promise they’re way better than t-shirts and water bottles.
- But wait, there’s more! On Monday, March 15, we will draw names from the Ride With GPS challenge board to win a variety of awesome prizes, including several free guaranteed entries to The Mid South 2022; an Eternal Entry to all future Mid Souths; a free entry to The Mid South 2022 plus free bike shipping to and from Stillwater with BikeFlights ($300 value); a Premium lifetime account with Ride With GPS; a complete Mid South cycling kit; a Salsa Stormchaser; a pair of Zipp 303 carbon wheels; and more.
What about the riders meeting and the beer can release party?
Believe it or not, both are still happening!
We will host virtual versions of both. How, exactly? More details to come!
Hold on, I still have questions
So… Is this a virtual event?
Heck no. It’s a socially distanced event.
Can I get a full refund?
No. We are providing everyone with a 50 percent refund for their registration fees, as well as shipping swag items to every single one of you. While we are not hosting the full-throttle version of the race we are working diligently to bring you a socially distanced event worthy of your time. Get motivated to ride and win some DOPE prizes!
Can I defer to 2022?
No. The Mid South is happening. Join us.
Can I transfer my spot to someone else?
No. Transfers closed at 8 p.m. CST Tuesday, Jan. 19. Because we are shipping out swag items early, we need to order things earlier than usual, and having appropriate numbers and t-shirt sizes is a must!
Did you guys even consider postponing?
You bet we did. But, contrary to popular belief, we can’t predict the future. Many events have already announced that they’ll postpone to the fall or next year. We thought about postponing to the summer or fall, but we don’t know if or when COVID will still be making life difficult by then.
If I do any of the Stillwater routes, will there be aid stations or water refill options?
No. This is a completely self-supported event.
I can’t go out and ride or run because of *insert reason*. Can I do it virtually?
Sure! Join the challenges and upload your activity when you’re done. You won’t be eligible to pick up items from our partner shops, but you could still win some rad stuff from the challenge board drawing!
Wait, what’s the difference between the swag at the partner bike shops and the swag we can win from the drawing?
If you complete the curated route promoted by your local partner shop, you can pick a swag item from that shop after you show that you completed it. You must complete the specific route to be eligible to pick items from the shop.
If you join the Ride With GPS challenge boards, you’ll automatically be entered to win some awesome prizes from The Mid South and our sponsors. Everyone who joins the challenge will be eligible to win these prizes. We will draw names for the prizes on Monday, March 15, 2021.
If you do your own route, you are not eligible for swag from the partner shops, but you are entered into the challenge drawing.
