Personal History
My love for dirt bikes and racing started at a very young age.
I would watch races of all sorts and videos on how to ride and fix bikes. I repeatedly begged my parents for a bike, even if it was too small for me. One day my dad came home with a Polaris Trailboss 350 four-wheeler. I’m not kidding when I say I rode it all the time.
A couple years later it stopped working and we never ended up getting the parts for it. I tried to find something I could do that involved going fast and jumps, that’s when I discovered mountain biking. I got a mountain bike, and I rode it like there was no tomorrow. I made my own trails with my own jumps, and I rode all around town 24/7, especially in the summer.
In 2020, I had a pain in my side, and it grew worse and worse until I felt something explode in my body. I was paralyzed in pain from the neck down and needed help just moving around in bed. I was misdiagnosed 6 times in 11 days. Finally, one doctor saw me and told me it was probably appendicitis and I needed to get to the hospital now, NO STOPS, and stay there until we got answers. I was going into septic shock as we were entering the hospital. I seriously thought this was it and I wasn’t going to make it. They did an ultrasound and MRI and sure enough, my appendix ruptured and there was a 5.8-centimeter mass of infection in my abdominal area. I was hospitalized for 5 days, had two surgeries, and began the recovery process.
I wasn’t supposed to be active for 8 weeks so I could heal, I couldn’t even walk right. But two weeks later I was at my cousins riding his little dirt bike like I never even had surgery.
In 2022, we moved from our old house to a new one that has a much smaller yard, and the houses are much closer together. I once again begged for a dirt bike and my dad got me a little Chinese 70cc pit bike. I was still a newbie but eventually got comfortable. I ended up breaking it every time I rode it because I was so confident and pushed it to do things it couldn’t.
In late 2022 my dad realized I really did need a new bike. We searched until we found the bike I have now, a 2001 CR125. This was my first time riding a 2-stroke and it is a big bike, so it took me a while to get comfortable. I’ve had a lot of practice since then and have finally become confident on it. Now here I am sitting down and writing this because my dream of racing is finally coming true.
I am the oldest of four siblings, but that number has changed over the years. I have a sister in heaven, and our family is a foster/adoptive family and we’ve cared for multiple children over the years. I want to show them to never stop reaching for what you want.
-Eli Harlow
Riding Goals
My ultimate goals for riding are to go pro and make it big, I have realized it will take baby steps and it won’t happen overnight. My immediate goals are to enter local races, and to get in as many riding hours as possible. One advantage is that we’re a homeschooling family with a flexible schedule. My family is very supportive of my goals.
Competitive Highlights
My competitive nature has been refined by being part of a large family. I am one of thirty-two first cousins on my mom’s side. While I haven’t competed in any races yet, I have played little league baseball and competitive cornhole. I currently play golf, and I was part of a competitive speech and debate platform in our homeschool co-op.