12-Week Training Timeline • Race-Day Checklists • Packing List
12-week training timeline, race-day checklists, packing list, and a personalized fueling calculator — free, instant access.
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“Iconic climb up Mlima wa Shetani followed by a thrilling single-track descent. Scenic but grueling ride through Loita Forest's winding trails. Potential wildlife encounters, including elephants, require ranger coordination. Unpredictable rain can turn trails into thick black clay.”
— Stage 2 characteristics
“The first half was on smooth gravel and the gradients were mellow, but as soon as we turned right after water stop 1 it got steeper and through narrower paths.”
— Stage 2 - Climbing
Race-Specific Training Focus:
Distance: 404 mi
Elevation: 26,000 ft
Location: Maasai Mara, Kenya
Signature Challenge: It's not one thing—it's everything. Heat. Altitude. Dust. Distance. Wildlife. Four days of sensory overload.
Establish aerobic foundation. 70-85% volume in Z1-{{Z2}}. {{CTL}} rising steadily (+5-8/wk in loading weeks, netting about +10/month after recovery weeks). {{TSB}} slightly negative (-5 to -15). Week 4 = recovery week (60% volume). Feels boring but doable—you should finish most rides feeling like you could do more.
Layer intensity, develop race-specific fitness. 60-70% Z1-Z2, 30-40% Z3-Z6. Two to three quality sessions per week. The magic happens here: deliberately dig a fatigue hole ({{TSB}} goes to -25), recover just enough, then dig another hole. This is where fitness sharpens.
Shed fatigue, maintain sharpness. Volume drops 30-50%. Intensity stays high but duration decreases. Week 11: {{TSB}} rises to +5 to +10. Week 12: TSB targets +15 to +25 for race day. Fitness doesn't improve—the goal is to remove the fatigue layer so you can express the fitness you've built.
Four days through Kenya's Maasai Mara where heat, altitude, dust, and wildlife create the ultimate gravel adventure.
Migration isn't a race you do for a time or placing. It's a race you do for the experience. Four days through Kenya's Maasai Mara with full support, wildlife encounters, and landscapes that rewire your brain. If bucket-list gravel exists, this is it.
Historical weather data shows average highs of 71°F and lows of 53°F, with a 43% chance of rain on any given day. Heavy rain before Stage 1 created "thick mud we had to ride, or walk, through something that was more like clay, with our wheels unable to keep turning.
Stage 3 featured "knee-deep water crossings, navigated herds, and dodged thorn bushes as nature took center stage." Riders regularly encounter "wildebeests, zebras, giraffes, antelopes" on course, with lions spotted 500 meters from camp.
Where else are you riding cattle tracks through wildebeest herds with potential elephant encounters on Stage 2? The Maasai Mara setting delivers untamed adventure that makes your local gravel race look like a parking lot crit.
The ultimate bucket-list gravel event. Not about racing—about experiencing cycling adventure at its most raw. (est. 2019)
If you can afford it and can get a spot, Migration is the gravel adventure of a lifetime. No other race combines this level of support, experience, and pure adventure.
Expected Race-Day Conditions:
Climate: Equatorial heat at altitude
Key Challenges: Equatorial sun at altitude, Heat + UV + altitude = dehydration risk that compounds daily, Cumulative stress over 4 days
60-90 minutes Z2 endurance. Keep legs moving, nothing hard. Optional: 3 × 1 min Z4 to keep neuromuscular system awake.
45-60 minutes Z2. Maybe 2 × 3 min G Spot if you're feeling restless. Don't go hard.
Rest day or 30-45 minutes very easy spin. The last hard workout was 4-5 days ago. Everything now is just maintenance.
45-60 minutes Z2. Include 3-5 × 30 seconds Z5-Z6 (openers to keep legs sharp). Last real ride before race.
Travel day (if traveling) or rest day. Optional 30-minute easy spin if legs feel heavy.
30-45 minutes Z2 with 3 × 1 min Z4 openers. Course preview if racing Sunday. No heroics.
20-30 minutes very easy spin or complete rest. Do what's worked for you previously.
Tire Setup (Red volcanic dust and savanna trails):
Reviewed Picks for This Course:
Top tire pick: Specialized Pathfinder Pro 42mm ($54.99) — See full analysis →
Climate Gear (Equatorial heat at altitude):
Drivetrain: Chain clean and lubed. Shifting smooth across all gears. No chain slip under power.
Tires: Tubeless sealant fresh. Tire pressure set for race conditions. Check for cuts, sidewall damage.
Cockpit: Computer charged and mounted. Bottles/cages secure. Bento box organized.
Wheels: Thru-axles tight. No spoke issues. Hubs spin smoothly.
Don't: Install new chain race week. Change tire pressure drastically. Add new untested equipment.
Essentials: Spare tube (even if tubeless), tire plugs, CO2 cartridges (2-3) or mini pump, multi-tool with chain breaker, quick link, tire levers.
Nutrition: Gels, bars, chews—whatever you practiced with. Bottle with sports drink pre-mixed. Extra water bottle.
Other: Sunscreen, chamois cream, arm warmers/vest, rain jacket (if forecast), extra base layer.
Race essentials: Bib number and pins, race chip, ID and emergency contact info.
Migration Gravel Race Start Time: Stage racing format - daily starts.
Wake up. Coffee if you normally drink it (not the time to change habits). Breakfast: 100-150g carbs, minimal fat, minimal fiber. Oatmeal with banana and honey, bagel with jam, or white rice with a pinch of salt.
Start sipping sports drink. Begin hydrating and topping off fuel. Apply chamois cream and sunscreen.
Arrive at start area. Check in, use porta-potty. Get your head right.
Light warmup ride: 10-15 minutes easy spinning. Wake up the legs.
Final gear check: bottles filled and secured, nutrition in pockets, tire pressure verified, drivetrain sounds good. Run through your performance statements mentally.
Openers near the start: 2-3 x 30 seconds at race effort with easy spinning between. Gets HR up, legs awake, reminds body what fast feels like.
Roll to start line. Find your position. Deep breath.
6-2-7 breathing if anxious. You're ready. Trust your training.
Your Fueling Math (404 miles): At ~10mph, expect ~40.4 hours on course. Survival pace — palatability and GI tolerance are the limiters — target 30-50g carbs/hour (1212-2020g total, or 48-80 gels).
Carb targets scale with duration: shorter races burn more carbs per hour at race intensity, while ultra-distance events shift toward fat oxidation and GI tolerance becomes the limiter (Jeukendrup 2014, van Loon et al.).
Enter your details for a complete race fueling plan — carbs, hydration, sodium, and an hour-by-hour strategy.
Your numbers are the easy part.
Hitting them at race intensity is a trained skill — gut training over 4-6 weeks, bottle logistics, heat adjustments when the plan meets the weather. The custom training plan builds your fueling protocol into the actual training weeks, so race day is a rehearsal, not an experiment.
BUILD MY PLAN — FUELING INCLUDEDGet race-day tips in your inbox
What Riders Say About Conditions: Historical weather data shows average highs of 71°F and lows of 53°F, with a 43% chance of rain on any given day.
Plan your fueling around these conditions — heat and humidity increase fluid and sodium demands significantly.
Aid Stations: Full camp support + mid-stage water
2-3g carbs/kg bodyweight. Low fat, low fiber. Familiar foods only. 500ml water with meal.
One gel (24g carbs) with 200ml water. Tops off blood glucose.
Focus on pacing, positioning, settling in. Sip on drink. Heart rate is spiking, gut blood flow is reduced.
First gel or equivalent (24g carbs). Start your fueling clock. Hydrate consistently.
Consume carbs consistently by the clock. Target rate depends on race duration: 80-100g/hr for races under 4 hours, 60-80g/hr for 4-8 hour events, 50-70g/hr for 8-12 hours, and 40-60g/hr for ultra events (12+ hours). At lower intensities fat becomes your primary fuel and GI tolerance is the limiter. Set a timer. Your brain will be stupid. It will forget to eat.
Practice eating real food on easy rides. Start with 40-50g carbs per hour, mostly solid. Build tolerance gradually. SGLT1 transporters can double in 2 weeks of consistent gut training (GSSI).
Increase toward your race-day target rate. Mix of liquids and solids. Practice eating at tempo pace. Your gut adapts to what you train it for.
Hit your race-day target rate (see duration-scaled targets in your prep kit). Race nutrition only (gels, drink, bars you'll use on race day). Practice at race pace. For ultra events (12+ hours), include savory and mixed-macro foods alongside gels.
Stick with what worked in training. No new products. Trust your gut (literally).
Known Suffering Zones:
Budget Planning:
Cost of Trip: Budget-friendly (2/5)
Nearest Airport: Nairobi (NBO) - then charter/transfer to Mara
Nairobi (NBO) - then charter/transfer to Mara
Included in race package. Safari lodges/tented camps. All-inclusive.
Race briefing at start location. All gear handled.
N/A - airport transfers included
Included in race package. Meals provided at camps.
Spin in Z1 after crossing the finish line. Let heart rate drop gradually. Stopping abruptly causes blood to pool in your legs.
20-30g protein, 60-100g carbs, 500-750ml fluid with electrolytes. Chocolate milk, protein shake with banana, or whatever the finish line has.
You lost 1-4 liters of fluid. Drink 500-1000ml within the first hour. Add electrolytes. If pee is dark yellow by evening, keep drinking.
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