Over the weekend, Zachary Morvant of California finished first place at the 2025 Dark Divide 300, completing the 330-mile route in a record-setting 1 day, 7 hours, and 48 minutes. Find a brief recap from Zachary here…

Words and photos by Zachary Morvant , additional photos by Connor Azzarello and Evergreen Gravel Racing

With a name like “Dark Divide,” you know you’re in for something ominous, maybe even a little fucked up. It certainly looks monstrous enough on paper: 330+ miles, 32,000+ feet of elevation, mostly off-road, with a daunting fastest known time (FKT). But when you get your tires (and often enough, shoes) on the ground, you truly appreciate just how tough of a route it is.

The key challenges I identified ahead of the race were:

– The notorious Juniper Ridge section.

– A timetable that meant one viable resupply (aside from water) over 200 miles from the finish.

– A dearth of cell service that made tracking your competition tricky.

Mentally and emotionally, I didn’t really find my groove until dawn, some 20+ hours into the thing. That was when I began to close the gap on my main competitor, Abdullah. I knew he was a capable descender (and on a hardtail vs. my gravel bike) and that I’d need to put a lot of time into him on the 10-mile climb out of Stabler to hold a lead, which I managed to do. Even after that effort, the remaining 65 miles were unrelenting, with rising temperatures, punchy climbs, twisty paths, and demoralizing headwinds.

The backdrop to all of this individual suffering, however, was non-stop natural beauty, featuring some of the most breathtaking views of the Cascades and surrounding areas I’ve ever seen. Being so deep in the forests and mountains squeezed my heart, reminding me of my childhood in Alaska. Many thanks to Ben, my fellow racers, and all of the other folks involved in making this unique event a reality.

2025 Dark Divide Results

First Men’s: Zachary Morvant (1d07h48m)
Second Men’s: Abdullah Mustafa (1d09h13m)
Third Men’s: Sean Geivett (1d11h02m)
First Women’s: Becca Book (1d13h16m)
Second Women’s: Kristen Chalmers (3d10h24m)
Third Women’s: Caitlin Cloonan (3d17h09m)
First Non-Binary: al parks (1d22h19m)
Second Non-Binary: Ava Cole (3d17h09m)

Congrats to all the riders at this year’s Dark Divide! Visit Evergreen Gravel Racing on Instagram to see more great PNW bike racing.

Further Reading

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