Outdoors in Arkansas
Michael Spivey, a Rogers native, spent almost eight years in South Africa as general counsel for Massmart, a firm that owns a number of major brands in Africa. It’s the second-largest distributor of consumer goods on the continent and the largest retailer of home improvement equipment and general merchandise. Walmart purchased 51 percent of the company’s stock in June 2011.
In February 2017, Spivey became Walmart’s general counsel for Africa and South America. He knew the day would come when he would take what he had seen in South Africa— promotion and utilization of outdoor recreational opportunities—and bring it home to northwest Arkansas.
In August 2020, Spivey had a chance to do just that when he joined Tom and Steuart Walton’s Runway Group as director of events.
The Walton brothers have poured tens of millions of dollars into efforts to make this state an outdoor recreational mecca. They realize that’s one of the keys to attracting talented people to the state. So does Spivey. In 2021, he created the Ozark Outdoor Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports outdoor events.
In its first full year of operations in 2022, the foundation supported almost 40 outdoor events. These included summer youth camps, cycling events, open-water swimming competitions and more.
“We had an immediate impact on outdoor recreation in the region while staying true to our mission,” Spivey says. “Every month we saw our mission come to life through events we created and those we supported.”
Daniel Trujillo, the foundation’s board chairman, says the long-term goal of the organization is “to be a driving force in transforming the Ozarks and the state of Arkansas into a global center for outdoor activity. We believe this is possible with our seasonal weather; abundance of rivers, lakes and mountains; committed communities; long country roads; and the best single-track mountain bike trails in the world.”
Last month, the foundation announced the return of Expedition Ozark, a race that will begin at the conclusion of the solar eclipse on
April 8. This year’s race attracted 35 teams from around the world to northwest Arkansas to complete a 340-mile course. Expedition Ozark includes mountain biking, trail running, paddling, rock climbing and orienteering.
“Starting our race on the date and hour of the solar eclipse will add a unique and memorable dimension to it,” says Carrie Wilde, the event director. “Expedition Ozark reflects the rugged beauty of the Ozark Mountains.”
Spivey says he was pleasantly surprised with this year’s inaugural event when more than 130 athletes from 13 countries showed up for a five-day race through the Ozarks. The Arkansas event is part of the Adventure Racing World Series, which includes races in Chile, Namibia, Ecuador and Australia. Expedition Ozark winners will receive a paid entry for the Adventure Racing World Championship in Ecuador in November 2024. Teams also will compete for a $15,000 prize pool.
Heidi Muller, the Adventure Racing World Series CEO, says this year’s participants were “blown away by the Ozark scenery, the quality of the course and the support they received from the race organization and local communities. The first Expedition Ozark was a stunning success.”
In August, Spivey announced a new bike tour called the Arkansas Graveler. The-six day journey of more than 300 miles will take place next June. It will begin in Fayetteville and go 55 miles to the community of Oark (where folks like to say “we’re so poor we couldn’t afford the Z”) on the first day. The second day will cover 56 miles from Oark to Jasper, and the third day will cover 55 miles from Jasper to Marshall.
The fourth day will cover 51 miles from Marshall to Mountain View, and the fifth day will traverse 49 miles from Mountain View to Cave City. The final day will consist of the 70 miles from
Cave City to Jonesboro. Spivey expects cyclists from around the world.
“By the time this event hits year five, the economic impact for host communities will be exponential with restaurants, lodgings and retailers benefiting,” he says. “We’re calling the 2024 ride the Hog-Wolf route as it goes from Fayetteville east to Jonesboro. We’ll highlight small communities and Arkansas culture from the Ozarks to the Delta.
“The broader experience will include fishing, canoeing, skeet shooting, archery and local entertainment. The event route will change from year to year and traverse different regions of the state. We hope to showcase the best of Arkansas.”
The Walton brothers have already transformed Arkansas into one of the nation’s top destinations for mountain biking. Spivey thinks gravel biking has just as much potential. Arkansas has 69,000 miles of unpaved roads. Most have very little traffic and run through scenic rural landscapes.
Spivey’s calendar stays full. Last October, for example, Fayetteville played host to a Union Cycliste Internationale Cyclo-Cross World Cup event. It was one of two World Cup events held in the United States and attracted more than 5,000 visitors to northwest Arkansas.
“It was quite a privilege to have an event of this caliber here, not just in North America but also in northwest Arkansas,” Spivey says. “It was an amazing energizer to the cycling community. It was also an amazing energizer to the business community. It’s a special opportunity to host folks from all over the world.”
Between the Walton brothers, Spivey and the Ozark Outdoor Foundation, expect more such events in Arkansas in the years to come.