Race Report: 2026 Sea Otter Gravel 60 Mile - Women
Date: April 17th, 2026
AVRT racers: Meghan Kransz (Sedovy), Janene Ostrow
Top Result: Women’s 60 mile 6/11 (19-29) 20/54 (women), Janene Ostrow 4/9 (50-59) 26/54 (women)
Course: The 60 mile course consists of two laps of a 30 mile loop. It begins on the Laguna Seca racetrack with a short climb, followed by an approximately 3 mile gravel descent. The descent features sections of significant chatter bumps and loose gravel towards the bottom. The middle portion of the loop includes rolling hills with a mix of gravel and paved sections. While much of the gravel is fast, there are periodic sections of loose gravel and sand. The course also includes a short section of flowy singletrack (a slight climb). The final 5 miles of each lap feature three notable climbs: two short, punchy climbs where riders may lose traction, followed by a longer, steadier climb. After completing this section, riders descend back toward the racetrack, finishing with a steep climb, a short gravel descent, and a 180-degree turn into the finish.
Strava: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54004242
Nutrition: There were three aid stations, two on course and one at the start/finish, with volunteers handing out gels and bananas. I carried all of my own nutrition and water, using a hydration pack, two bottles of Carborocket 333 (84g carbs each), and Carbs Fuel gels (50g each). I took a gel before the start, finished both bottles within the first two hours, and then took one gel per hour for the rest of the race.
Recap (written by Meghan Kransz): After the opening climb, I hit the long gravel descent mid-pack and things separated pretty quickly. The chatter bumps were rough enough that bottles were scattered all over the course from people losing them on the way down.
From there, the race stretched out. I rode with a few other women at different points, but a lot of the day was solo. There were a few moments when I thought I might slip on a patch of loose gravel or sand but I managed to stay upright for the whole race.
Lap one hit a bit of a snag on the singletrack climb. Our group got stuck behind a slower rider, and with nowhere to pass, we just had to wait it out.
The final climbs each lap were where things really started to hurt. The short punchy ones had people slipping and walking, and the longer climb turned into a steady grind with lines of riders moving up together. At the top, there were drummers playing a slow and steady marching beat (which I thought I was hallucinating at first).
By that point, everything felt a bit strung out, but I kept moving forward and took advantage of the moments I did have with other riders. Because the race was so spread out, I spent a lot of time alone, but I still had some great times with friends old and new.
Additional comments by Janene:
Still being new to gravel, I went out thinking I didn’t want to be in people’s way, as I lack some confidence in my offroad skills, and lots of people commented on the early “sketchy” descent. I realize now, I should have gone out harder for better positioning as the course bottle necks when you leave the race track and enter the trail. Turns out I got a bit held up there and actually felt ok on the descent, though now had lost the group ahead. Much like Meghan, I spent a good bit of the day solo, occasionally hooking up with others for short bouts, all the while, trying to figure out who I was actually competing against due to the mass start. As mentioned, that final climb was brutal and I dismounted twice the first lap (think I lacked confidence), second lap, I stayed in the saddle the whole time, which felt like quite an accomplishment. I could feel my confidence building throughout the day, which was a win in itself. I tried to chase down someone I realized was a competitor who was just 20 seconds ahead at the end of the first lap, but was never able to reel her in; she took 3rd.
Overall, I was exhausted, but felt pretty accomplished keeping the rubber side down and finishing my longest gravel attempt to date. 159/344 (overall) felt not bad for a newbie, old lady wanna be gravel racer ! 😆looking forward to more dirt in my future.