Race Recap & News

Trilogy of Errors: A Recap of the Belgian Waffle Ride (BWR) Arizona 2025

You never know what’s going to happen when you enter a race. Countless hours of preparation, time spent on the bike doing intervals and long rides, dialing in your nutrition, and the travel required to get there—everything builds up to race day.

The 2025 Belgian Waffle Ride (BWR) Arizona took place in Carefree, Arizona, just north of Phoenix. Nestled in the hills of the stunning Arizona desert, the race started right off Cave Creek Road, with the festival and staging area set up at Stagecoach Village.

The Journey to Race Day

We had driven from our home in Southern California to a friend’s house in Buckeye, Arizona. We arrived on Friday morning, and Ron and I headed to the staging area to pick up my race packet before heading back. Nothing particularly exciting—just a routine drive, about an hour and 20 minutes each way with traffic.

Then came race day: Saturday, March 1st. That’s when things really started to happen.

I left early in the morning, only to find that the freeway was shut down for construction. At 5 AM, traffic was still light, but being redirected off the freeway onto surface streets, winding through town, and then back onto the freeway added about 20 minutes to my drive.

When I arrived at the race location, it was still dark. Parking was a breeze, and I started getting ready. But my stomach wasn’t cooperating. I ended up running to the restroom three different times. The last time, I barely finished before the race was about to start.

The Start: A Misplaced Beginning

I made it to the starting chute—except I lined up in the wrong section. I should have been with the 100-mile racers but accidentally started with the 70-milers. That mistake put me almost 20 minutes behind my original race group. In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t really matter, since I was moving like molasses anyway.

My 104-mile race ended up being only 83 miles. At the 53-mile mark, I didn’t make the cutoff for the extra 20-mile loop. I was both relieved and disappointed—relieved because I was completely exhausted, but disappointed that I wouldn’t complete the full distance.

At that point, I refilled three water bottles at a station, and a volunteer kindly offered to fill an extra hydration pack for me. Confident I wouldn’t need it, I declined, thinking, I only have 20 miles left.

I was wrong.

Heat, Water, and a Failing Bike Computer

It turned out I had 30 miles to go, and by then, the heat was brutal. I went through my three water bottles far quicker than expected and ran out of water about an hour before reaching the next aid station.

To make matters worse, my bike computer—a device that tracks time, distance, and GPS—died at the 8-hour mark. By the time I finished 83 miles, I had been on the course for 8 hours and 15 minutes. I was physically drained, mentally exhausted, and completely spent.

But my day wasn’t over yet.

The Aftermath: A Grueling Drive Home

I still had to drive an hour and 20 minutes back to Ron’s house. I should have grabbed something to eat, but my stomach was a mess, and I felt miserable the entire way. The challenge was just making it back without having to pull over to find food or a restroom.

Lessons in Endurance

So, what does any of this have to do with being a good lawyer?

In court, when you’re getting metaphorically punched in the face by a judge or a DA, you have to build resilience. You need the ability to endure discomfort, think on your feet, and push through challenges. Races like this help develop that kind of mental toughness—the ability to suffer, suffer a little more, and then suffer even more.

In the end, it all makes you a stronger person.