Just for fun, Wilcox breaks own record in 2,745-mile bike race

When Lael Wilcox of Anchorage set a women’s record in the Tour Divide ultramarathon bicycle race she had bronchitis and still broke the women’s record by two days.

She was probably also tired after biking, yes biking, from Anchorage to the start line in Banff, Canada, before racing to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Healthy and rested, she returned last week to the same 2,745-mile route. Even though the official Tour Divide is held in June, riders can clock official GPS-tracked times any time.

She went just for fun – and broke her own record by 39 hours.

She also became the first rookie to come back as a veteran and conquer the Tour Divide in the same season.

“I was curious to see how it would be to be out there all alone,” she told the Albuquerque Journal. “I wanted to ride the route being healthy.”

Wilcox, of East High fame, powered through wind, rain and fatigue to finish in 15 days, 10 hours, 59 minutes.

The 28-year-old is a newcomer to ultramarathon biking, having also competed in the 850-mile Holyland Challenge in Israel. But already she has made an indelible mark on the sport.