The Mid South Training Plan
The Mid South — formerly the Land Run 100 — is American gravel's original mud thriller, a 107-mile cross-country odyssey through Oklahoma's Cross Timbers eco-region that has been testing riders' grit, tire choices, and mud tolerance since 2013. The course rolls through tribal lands, sandstone-ledge forests, and the red-dirt rollers around Stillwater that can be blazing fast when dry and completely impassable when wet — and March in Oklahoma offers no guarantees. Six thousand feet of climbing packed into never-ending punchy rollers, a decisive singletrack section in the final 10 miles, and the very real possibility of wheel-stopping red clay mud make this a race that demands both power and technical skill. If you want to arrive at the start line ready to race rather than survive, this plan is built specifically for the Cross Timbers.
Race Overview
Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma — starts and finishes in downtown Stillwater
Distance: ~107 miles (100-mile race distance)
Total climbing: ~6,000 ft across the Cross Timbers eco-region
Surface: 91%+ unpaved — red dirt roads, rolling prairie, doubletrack, singletrack (Bovine Bypass); turns to sticky red mud in rain
Timing: held in March (mid-March)
Aid stations at miles 28 (Mulhall), 52 (support crew allowed at Dunagan Farms), and 94
Course Demands
The Mid South's defining character is its relentless rolling terrain — there are no sustained long climbs, only an endless succession of short, punchy rollers across Oklahoma's Cross Timbers that produce 6,000 feet of elevation without ever giving riders a chance to settle. The notorious red dirt transforms to sticky, wheel-stopping mud with any rainfall, a condition that has forced mass race abandonment in prior years; tires and bike handling on slick clay are as important as fitness. The decisive tactical moment arrives at mile 97 with a 1.5-mile section of twisty singletrack that rewards technical skill and punishes riders arriving there with empty tanks.
What This Plan Targets
- ✓Sustained Z2 power across rolling, non-technical terrain without the benefit of sustained climbs
- ✓Punchy, high-torque acceleration over short steep rollers at race pace
- ✓Mud and soft-surface handling skills specific to Oklahoma red clay
- ✓Fueling and pacing strategy for early March conditions (wind, cold mornings, variable surface)
- ✓Technical singletrack confidence for decisive late-race sections
Who This Plan Is For
Gravel riders attracted to American gravel's original classics who want a specific build for the Cross Timbers' rolling red-dirt terrain — riders who understand that the Mid South is as much about bike handling and tactical restraint as raw aerobic capacity.
What You'll Get
- →A progressive build from aerobic base through race-specific punchy rolling-terrain intervals
- →Mud-riding and soft-surface handling practice incorporated into long rides
- →March-weather preparation including cold, wind, and variable surface protocols
- →A pacing and checkpoint strategy calibrated for the decisive Bovine Bypass and late-race singletrack
Training Approach
High-torque low-cadence intervals simulating punchy Oklahoma rollers, singletrack and off-camber bike handling sessions, mud/wet-surface riding practice, headwind training to replicate Cross Timbers exposure, and early-season fueling practice in cool conditions
Ready to start training?
Get your personalized The Mid South plan today.