Julie Hancock Dunkle

8 DAYS. EMPORIA. LET’S GO. 🔥

May 30 cannot get here fast enough.

I have had the Emporia forecast open every single day. And every single day it changes. Better. Worse. Better again. Doesn’t matter. We’re racing regardless.

But let’s be real — the tire obsession is REAL right now. 👀

Rain on the 27th. Rain on the 28th. Rain on the 29th. Kansas doesn’t drain overnight. So here we are — tread depth, tire width, paint sticks, tubeless setup — running through every scenario like it’s a second job.

This is the part they don’t tell you about gravel racing. The week before isn’t taper. It’s a full-time weather-watching, gear-second-guessing, can’t-sleep-because-you’re-too-excited experience.

And I am HERE for every second of it. 😤

The only thing you can actually control is your attitude. So mine? Locked in. Ready. Fired up.

Emporia, Kansas. 200 miles. See you Saturday. ⚡🌪️

NYXEndurance EmbraceTheDarkness 200Miles

Want to tweak anything?

Same start line. Completely different race. The 2026 UNBOUND 200 goes south first — a hybrid course that hasn’t been run since the early Dirty Kanza days. Here’s what changed and why it matters.

The sectors tell the story. In 2025 the north route punished you slowly — relentless rollers, a sustained 18-mile grind past mile 70, Little Egypt, then the Kahola headwinds before Highland Hill broke what was left. Technical and relentless.

In 2026 the course comes at you differently. The Towers Climb hits at mile 15 before your legs are even warm. Texaco Hill at mile 42 is notorious for a reason — stunning views, water oasis at the top, then Water Bottle Hill descent tries to strip your kit. Sharpes Creek is 10 miles of chunky, rocky south-route gravel last ridden in a mud year. Kahola dam crossing at mile 181, then Kahola Hill — the last real climb before Emporia — when your legs have nothing left.

The geology shift is the wildcard. 2025’s north route is hard flint limestone — drier, firmer, lower mud risk. The 2026 south sectors run through shale. Shale is notorious for turning to peanut butter when wet. Ask any 2023 finisher.

Stoked to do this!!!!!

107 miles. No heat — just technical, dirty, brutal, beautiful elevation. Every year I say I am never doing this race again. Every year I sign up. 😅

It’s a hometown race. It humbles me. And I love it.
Power up, effort up, and in the last 4 miles I buried myself trying to catch someone (didn’t get her) — and finished on fire. Grateful for the AG win, but the bigger victory was the power and effort on the day. That’s the data that matters.

To have this in the legs heading into Unbound? Stoked. 🔥
Racing alongside my dirt buddies Monica and Gina is why I do this sport. Women in the dirt — that’s the fun. 🤘 Big shout out to Michael for getting the Crux dialed, Coach Joy for keeping me on track, and John and Marisa — those cowbells in the final miles were everything. 🙏

Final push to Unbound. Let’s go. 🖤
Thank you, BWR. You humble me every single time. 🙌

Last night was one of those evenings that reminds you why community matters. 🌱

Had the most incredible farm-to-table dinner at — right here in our own backyard in Encinitas. Food prep by

Wines by

If you don’t know them: 18-acre nonprofit, regenerative organic farm that donates over half their harvest to community members who lack access to fresh food.  Pay-what-you-can farm stand. Nobody turned away. That’s the kind of neighbor I want.

The dinner? Every course built around freshly picked produce straight from the fields we were sitting in. Vegan option included — and it was good. Every ticket purchased goes directly toward feeding San Diegans in need. 

Topped it all off with a fun night with the amazing Les! 🙌

Support these humans. Follow . This is what community looks like. 🌿

Fueling the "easy" workout is where the magic actually happens.

We nail it on race-pace days, key workouts, and long days — but the 45-min run? The aerobic spin? The morning swim? Those get skipped constantly. And your strength session without carbs? You create the stimulus but block the adaptation. You lift, but you don't grow.

Here's the thing — your body doesn't know a session was "just easy." It still needs fuel to perform, recover, and adapt. Underfuel it and you're breaking down muscle, tanking tomorrow's key workout, and training your gut NOT to absorb fuel on race day.

Here's the thing — your body doesn't know a session was "just easy." It still needs fuel to perform, recover, and adapt. Underfuel it, and you're breaking down muscle, tanking tomorrow's key workout, and training your gut NOT to absorb fuel on race day.

New Training Peaks Feature- Climb Detection

Use Climb Detection to isolate and compare your climbing stats in every activity. 🏔️
Analyze 360 now automatically identifies significant ascents using GPS + elevation data — for every sport type, including Normalized Graded Pace for runs.

See your Duration, NP, and HR climb-by-climb, then ask Gemini to pull it all into Sheets.

Find it in the Lap Comparison tab inside Analyze 360. This one's a game-changer for our Premium athletes. 💪

Currently deep in USAT Level III coursework and this slide stopped me in my tracks — not because it's new information, but because it perfectly visualizes the conversation I have with athletes every single season.

Most triathletes buy the frame first. It's the sexy purchase. The thing that turns heads in transition. But from a pure speed-per-dollar standpoint? It's dead last on ROI.

Here's what actually moves the needle:

🥇 Tyres — cheapest, highest return. Most overlooked upgrade on the planet.
🥈 Wheels & Drivetrain
🥉 Position / Bike Fit — 85/100 ROI and costs a fraction of a new frame
4️⃣ Aero Helmet
5️⃣ Aero Frame — buy it last, if at all~90% of aerodynamic drag above 18-20mph is YOU. Your body. Your position. Not your $10k frame.Invest in the rider before the ride. 🖤

season.mo

Sometimes the strongest move an athlete can make is to pivot.

There’s a lot of pressure in endurance sports to always be building toward the next big finish line. But sometimes the smartest thing you can do is listen to your gut.

I was talking with one of my athletes who was staring down a full Ironman build. Life was throwing some curveballs, a small ni**le was hanging around, and honestly—the motivation for that massive commitment just wasn’t there.

Here’s the truth: Ironman is hard enough when everything in life is aligned. Forcing a build when your heart isn’t in it is a fast track to burnout or injury.

So we pivoted. Instead of forcing the full distance, she deferred. Now we’re focusing on some top-end bike intervals for an Olympic and a 70.3, keeping her heavy lifting with friends, getting back to Masters swim, and, most importantly, keeping training fun and purposeful.

Finish lines aren’t going anywhere.
Protecting your health and love for the sport always comes first.

Have you ever made the tough call to pull the plug on a race? 🙋‍♀️