‘It was so epic!’ - Heather Jackson wins Unbound XL at record pace

Heather Jackson’s past life as one of the best American triathletes of her time paid dividends at Unbound XL on 31 May. The 41-year-old New Hampshire native took to the front of the XL peloton, settled into her tri bars, and simply stayed there, motoring along at more than 17 miles per hour.

After nearly 21 relentless hours in the lead, Jackson rolled into Emporia, Kansas, having conquered the infamously rough 358-mile (576 km) course in 20:57:57. With this time, Jackson smashed the previous women’s record of 22:25:15, set by Cynthia Frazier in 2022, and placed eighth overall, beating the majority of the men’s field in the process.

Behind her, Serena Bishop Gordon chased furiously but never succeeded in catching the expert time triallist ahead. “It was so epic,” Jackson told Cycling Weekly at the finish line. “That was a journey, and I have done long things.”

A former Princeton hockey player turned elite triathlete, Jackson has long been a powerhouse in endurance sports, with multiple podium finishes at Ironman World Championships and numerous Ironman victories under her belt. In 2022, she turned her attention to gravel racing and ultra-endurance trail running. Since then, she’s made waves in the gravel scene with wins at the Belgian Waffle Ride San Diego and Stetina’s Paydirt, among others.

Her past time trialling experience served her well, she said, stating: “I would say I am a TTer at heart. We set my Canyon Grail up just like my TT bike and I was just TTing all day. It was awesome.”

But it was far from smooth sailing. “Oofff, what didn’t happen out there?” Jackson commented. “Five potential race-ending things happened within the span of an hour. I never wanted to see a sunrise more.”

She crashed. She feared her bike had been broken. The mud clogged her derailleur and she couldn’t shift. Her headlamp died. But she persevered, and her determination paid off. What’s more, she said she’d do it again—and would encourage XL-curious women to do so, too.

Jackson had been intrigued by the longest Unbound Gravel challenge for some time, and after two or three years of wavering, she finally pulled the trigger and signed up. And she wasn’t the only pro drawn to the ultra-endurance event.

As gravel racing has become more structured, more professional, and certainly faster, the XL has seen an uptick in popularity among both pros and amateurs. This year’s edition drew its largest and most competitive field to date, with 208 riders lining up for the overnight test. Among them: notable names like Lachlan Morton, Ted King, Rob Britton and Lael Wilcox.

In the men’s race, Canadian Rob Britton obliterated the previous course record by more than two hours, completing the route in just 17 hours and 49 minutes.

Going forward, Jackson won’t have much time to rest. In just a few weeks' time, she’s headed to Western States, a legendary, challenging 100-mile ultramarathon across California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.