KANSAS ULTRARUNNERS' SOCIETY
INAGURAL 24/48 HOUR ULTRAMARATHON
CAMP HIAWATHA
WICHITA, KANSAS
MAY 3-5, 1996
BY: ERIC STEELE R.D.
Published in July-August '96 Issue of ULTRARUNNING magazine
On Friday morning May 3, I awoke to a
misty morning, foggy deals and a predicted forecast for heat, humidity and
showers all weekend long. The previous two days of race preparation had left me
somewhat bunjee-headed, to say the least, and I had to keep reminding myself
that the KUS' second opportunity to perform was only a few hours away. As David
Horton stated in the December '95 issue of UltraRunning, "Regardless of
how many months/weeks in advance you prepare, there always seems to be a
million things that have to be done on race weekend(Pg.12)." I certainly
agree with Dave, especially considering our event was lasting the entire
weekend!
My primary concern was if the seven dedicated volunteers (Randy
"Elfman" Albrecht, Warren "Purple Flirp" Bushey, Rhonda
Czechhowski, Scott "Obi-Run-More-Kanobi" Demaree, Chad
"Wicki" Flint, Marc "Virtual Boy" Friesen, Eric
"Pup" Sharpe) and myself (all of which were committed to the entire
weekend, literally) could last the entire 48-52 hours without opening fire
(verbally or emotionally) on each other. To rest this issue right now, I can
only state: I was dumbfounded beyond my wildest imagination by the synergistic
bonding of human spirit and soulful community formed by everyone participating
in this event (volunteers, competitors, family & friends), not to mention
the emphathetic, yet raucous, cheering section (especially in the last six
hours of the event) that embodied Camp Hiawatha's south side, from setup of the
event to complete breakdown. KUSpirit was in the air, again, and in a big way!
It's must have been the CatHats!
Our event was originally scheduled to be held on a .75-mile asphalt loop in a
city park. However, due to an exorbitant amount of money the city was
attempting to charge our nonprofit organization for use of the park facilities
(of which we were not informed until the end of March), we began searching
elsewhere, trusting in the "UltraForce." Within a couple of weeks,
full deliverance of our predicament had been realized through the grace of The
Salvation Army, who offered us use of Camp Hiawatha for a very nominal fee. An
0.5 mile asphalt loop around the camp was certified by Scott Demaree and normal
race preparations (whatever that might be...) continued.
Excluding the six speed bumps on the course, Camp Hiawatha is a wonderful place
to hold a multi-day ultra, because runners can rent cabins at a reasonable rate
right on the property, or set up a camper/tent, if they do not wish to use the
heated/AC bunkhouse (sleeps ten) with restroom/shower that is available to all
runners. Additionally, the commercially equipped mess hall and dining area had
chefs, Purple Flirp and Pup, floating on "Cloud Dine" for most of the
weekend. Hot spaghetti & meat sauce, Midwestern style chili,
turkey/ham/chicken & cheese sandwiches, hot coffee/chocolate/bouillon (beef
or chicken)/tea were available at all times from the "A" rated
"Stone Soup Kitchen."
Standard fare at the aid station included, but is never limited to: water,
Conquest Thirst Quencher, soft drinks (various flavors) watermelon, oranges,
bananas, bagels, pretzels, potato chips, mixed nuts, oyster crackers, boiled
potatoes/salt, M&M's (plain or peanut), Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, and
24-Hour competitor Marilyn Lamm's favorite, Sam's Choice Mint Cups. Indeed,
24-Hour competitor, Robert Shimmel, from Grosse Ile, Michigan, remarked that he
loved the price of our 24-hour, all-you-can-eat buffet, and the ultra itself
was merely a secondary benefit.
By 4 PM, Friday afternoon, only four hours until the start of the 48-hour
event, the humidity was at 90% and the temperature in the low 80s. Scott and I
discussed how Houston-like the weather was and wondered how our two Colorado
competitors and one Canadian competitor might fare. As many Kansans know, this
time of the year in Wichita can potentially bring everything from vicious heat
and humidity to torrential downpours & golf ball sized hail. This is, of
course, assuming one makes it past the frequent 20-30 m.p.h. gusty winds and
constant chance of tornados. Over the course of the weekend we witnessed
virtually all types of weather (excluding tornados and believe it or not,
frequent gusty winds), including a Midwestern-style "hurricane" that
blew through around 6:50 am on Sunday morning (more details later).
Eight competitors, from six different states and Canada toed the line as we
started the inaugural 48-hour event at 8 PM sharp on Friday evening. Simon
& Garfunkel pumped through the stereo system immediately after the runners
took off, this being the first of many full-length rock n' roll/folk song CDs
to be played over the course of our event. The humidity had dropped slightly;
however, the overall heat index would continue to play a factor in the early
stages of the event. Glen Turner from Boulder, Colorado, jumped out to an early
half-mile lead, closely trailed by Kurt Madden from El Cajon, California. A
little past the 40-mile mark (approximately 6.5 hours into the race) Kurt
passed Glen and went up by a mile. The temperature and humidity finally began
to drop some and a much needed cool breeze caressed the competitors in the
final hours of darkness the first night. By the 12-hour mark Kurt had opened up
over a five-mile lead on Glen and was just shy of completing 71 miles!
Meanwhile, an interesting dual for the third position was starting to surface
between Al Kroeger from Woodland Park, Colorado, and Bob Risser from Cameron,
Missouri. Al had a 2.5 mile lead on Bob at 12 hours, however, due to an
extended break by Al, Bob managed to put up a 2 mile lead on Al, accumulating
60 miles around the 13:22 mark. About an hour later Craig McIlvain from Wichita
was forced from the race with 50 miles, due to severe chaffing problems
attributed to a new pair of running shorts/tights.
A little under 15 hours into the event the temperature (low 80's) and humidity
(80%) began to take its toll on the runners, once again. The closest match was
currently being battled out for the fifth place position as Robert Horner from
Atlanta, Texas, Barbara McLeod from Ontario, Canada, and Bennie Linkhart from
Tucson, Arizona, were all within two miles of each other with Robert holding
the lead (at 56 miles) by a half mile over Barbara. Bennie, however, was on an
extended break and unfortunately, would never return, due to sciatic nerve
problems. He finished with 54 miles.
At the 24-hour mark, Kurt had increased his lead over Glen to 13.5 miles and
had accumulated 123.5 miles. Bob had increased his lead over Al to 3.5 miles,
accumulating 86.5 miles. Meanwhile, Barbara had passed Robert a little before
the 16-hour mark and had since chalked up a two-mile lead, accumulating 79
miles.
Sixteen competitors, from five different states toed the line as we started the
inaugural 24-hour event at 8 PM sharp on Saturday evening. The overall heat
index was still high and the Conquest and water flowed like Niagra Falls as we
went through nearly ten gallons of each in the first eight hours of the 24-hour
event. In the early stages of the race, Ric Lind from Chanute, Kansas, and Phil
Sheridan (Wichita Marathon Defending Champion) from Ellsworth, Kansas, raced
around the half-mile loop as if running a marathon. Phil's sub 8-minute per
mile pace had him breaking 10 miles in 1:19 with Ric trailing by a little less
than a half mile. David Dinkel from Olathe, Kansas, and Rex Friend from
Oklahoma City were hanging close behind the two speedsters though; Rex hit the
10 mile mark in just a little under 1:30 and David just a little over.
By the six hour mark, the women's field had a very interesting battle starting
to shape up. Marilyn Lamm from Wichita held a two-mile lead over Donna Daus
from Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and had accumulated a little over 32 miles.
Lisa Allen from Parker, Colorado, (after taking a nasty fall or two on one of
those damn speed bumps several hours earlier) continued chalking miles and hit
29 just shy of the six hour mark.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma trio consisting of Scott Castle from Altus, Earl
Blewett from Stillwater and our "Friend" Rex (no pun on words
intended, ha, ha!) were all within a mile of each other with Scott and Rex at
33 miles and Earl trailing by a mile. Scott quickly went up, however, as Earl
and Rex both opted for extended breaks. 74 years young, TulsaRoss Waltzer (a KUS
medicine man for sure) from, you guessed it, Tulsa, and David Giger from
Highland, Illinois, had steadily piled up miles and had 29 around the six hour
mark.
Robert "24 Hour Buffet Man" Shimmel from Grosse Ile, Michigan, and
David Dinkel both had around 26 miles. Dennis Haig from Wichita and Ric Lind
were both experiencing stomach problems. Dennis had still managed to put up
23.5 miles and Ric 21.5 by the six hour mark. Randy Smith from Olathe had also
accumulated 21.5 miles. Newcomer, Angela Redfern from Chanute, Kansas, had 16.5
miles and Sara Risser from Cameron, Missouri, 13.5. Both ladies had opted for
an extended break several hours earlier. Meanwhile, Phil continued skipping
around the loop and had piled up 41 miles in a little over six hours.
The high humidity continued through the night until a little before 7 am on
Sunday morning (nearly 11 hours into the 24 hour event and 35 into the 48 hour
event) when the slight cool breeze we were experiencing out of the southeast
suddenly changed to a vicious cold northwestern gale. At this moment
ultravolunteer Wicki exclaimed: "We better batten down the hatches, we are
about to get hit!" Purple Flirp and I (in a state of altered consciousness
due to sleep deprivation) merely laughed and told Wicki to quit panicking.
Don't toy with Mother Nature! It only took one more serious gust of wind and
one glance into the sky at the low overhanging billowy clouds (so common with
tornados in Kansas) that sent me and several other volunteers running for rain
gear and scrambling to get precious lap counting sheets inside.
In a matter of 120 seconds (yes, 120 seconds) torrential rainfall was coming in
at a horizontal angle. Tents, awnings, munchies, cups and the Lord only knows
what else (including one lap counting sheet) were flying through the
campground. The weather report later claimed gusts of 40-60 m.p.h. blew
through. I think they possibly underestimated. Anyway, welcome to Kansas, baby!
The most comical moment in the very heart of the mini hurricane was Wicki shouting:
"There goes 100 bucks flying across the field!" as we briefly watched
his dome tent go airborne immediately after his sister and three kids came
bailing out in a "you-just-woke-me-up-what-in-the-hell-is
going-on-here" stupor. One 48 hour competitor, I believe Al Kroeger, who
was on the course when the "mini-cane" hit, later told us how he
hugged a tree and held on for dear life when the "shit hit the fan!"
Most impressive was the quick recovery of all ultravolunteers. Within 20
minutes, nearly all rubble (broken tent poles, ripped awnings, munchies, cups,
soaking wet running gear of all varieties) had been picked up. The aid station
was restocked, including hot chicken bouillon and all stations/posts were
covered. "Now if only we can find the one lap counting sheet we are
missing." Elfman exclaimed to me. A chill ran up my spine, as I knew
finding a single lap counting sheet out in the field and woods somewhere would
truly be "a needle in the haystack" venture. What were we going to
do, estimate laps? I think not! Elfman wandered out into the woods in search of
the missing sheet, no doubt conjuring up some "elfin magic" all the
while, as I began praying to Jesus & the Saints, Buddha, Muhammed,
Buckwheat and any other spiritual guru my mind could recall.
I wandered a few hundred feet further north of Elfman and my prayers were
answered, for there, lying wadded up in the grass (several hundred feet from
the lap counting table) was the snatched lap counting sheet. Luck, hell no!
Deliverance, you bet! Chalk another one up for the faithful! Thankfully, we had
been using pencil to record laps, so even though the sheet was thoroughly
soaked, the numbers were still easily readable and Elfman quickly transcribed
the figures over to a dry sheet. A few minutes later (after sleeping through
the entire adventure), Obi-Run came out of the bunkhouse rubbing his eyes in
disbelief, and later stated what was going through his mind at the time:
"I wondered why you guys and everybody else had taken their tents/awnings
down so early in the morning."
The grace under pressure and quick action demonstrated by all volunteers had
the entire emergency wrapped up in less than an hour and the ultra moved on _
everyone involved strengthened by the experience. With the
"mini-cane" came a drop in temperature and humidity. Indeed, the
weather during the last twelve hours of the race(s) turned out to be the
coolest (cloudy, low 50 s and breezy) we had all weekend.
By 8 am, with only 12 hours to go in both events, 48 hour leader, Kurt Madden,
had completed 153 miles and had a 12 mile lead on Glen Turner. Al Kroeger had
put up nearly a 15-mile lead on Bob Risser through the night and had
accumulated 111.5 miles. Barbara McLeod was just shy of 100 miles with 98.5 and
Robert Horner (our oldest competitor in the 48 hour at 63) had piled up 77.5.
Meanwhile, back on the 24-hour ranch, speedster Phil Sheridan had jammed up 60
miles in 9:26 and decided he was done. This was Phil's second ultra and his
goal was sixty miles, which he accomplished in a very impressive time, I might
add. Look for Phil to do some "serious damage" in future 100K road
ultras. Marilyn Lamm was in the overall lead at the 12-hour mark, having
chalked up 57 miles with Rex Friend holding the second position, 2.5 miles
behind. Scott Castle occupied the third position with 52 miles. Donna Daus and
Lisa Allen both hit the 50-mile mark in a little over 12 hours.
By 2 PM, with six hours to go in both events, 48-hour leader Kurt Madden had
broken the USA 48 hour 40-49 age division record. Previously set at 172 miles,
Kurt reached 176 miles in a little under 42 hours and kept on chugging,
mumbling something about hula girls & hot tubs. Several individuals had
withdrawn from the 24-hour event at this point. Randy Smith at 54 miles, Lisa Allen
at 53.5 miles, TulsaRoss at 52.5 miles, Earl Blewett at 40 miles, David Giger
at 35 miles and Angela Redfern (who had never completed more than 7 miles on
foot) at 31.1 miles. A little less than an hour later Ric Lind withdrew from
the race with 50 miles.
In the 24-hour event Scott Castle had long since passed Marilyn Lamm and posted
up nearly a nine-mile lead, reaching 81 miles in 17:59. Marilyn was currently
treating all spectators to a lesson in "true ultra grit" as she had
slowed considerably over the past several hours, but refused to leave the
course _ it must have been the mint cups! Rex Friend had accumulated 77.5 miles
in 17:52 and then opted for an hour nap. Donna Daus trailed Marilyn by 1.5
miles and had put up 70.5 by the 18-hour mark; however, Donna withdrew a little
under three hours later with 80 miles. Unfortunately, a little while earlier,
48-hour competitor, Al Kroeger, withdrew from the event at 44 hours with 126
miles due to severe shin problems. With a little over two hours left to go,
24-hour competitor, Dennis Haig called it a day with 70 miles.
The last half hour of our event(s) found the rock group Boston's
"Boston" CD cranking at MD (maximum decibels) and lap counters
shouting mileage totals back to the runners due to excessive enthusiasm
demonstrated by the pot-banging emotionally charged cheering section, who
epitomized "More Than a Feeling" as it blasted through the
loudspeaker system in the "kinetic-rich" air. More than one spectator
commented on how the runners' steps would pick up just a slight bit when they
approached the lap counting/cheering section, especially in the last 30 minutes
of the race.
Encouraged/cheered runners equal ultra accomplishments, as 48 Hour leader, Kurt
Madden, went on to smash the USA 40-49 age division record by 28 miles, hitting
the 200 mile mark in 47:49, thus earning the KUS Hiawatha Achievement Award
(200 miles in 48 hrs.) and honors of being the first KUS 48 Hour UltraMarathon
Men's Champion. Glen Turner showed incredible fortitude as he hung in there
(with a smile from ear-to-ear) to finish 187 miles in 47:57, thus earning the
KUS Atchison Achievement Award (300K in 48 hrs.). Barbara
"extremely-jovial-all-the-time" McLeod chewed up asphalt nearly til
the end, racking up 137.5 miles in 47:28 to finish fourth overall and be
crowned the first KUS 48 Hour UltraMarathon Women's Champion.
In the 24 hour event, Scott Castle maintained his lead and finished 103 miles
in 23:38 to become the first KUS 24 Hour UltraMarathon Men's Champion.
Additionally, Scott earned the KUS Abilene Achievement Award (100 miles in 24
hrs.). Rex Friend dug deep into his "endurance-well" and found he had
the strength to finish 100 miles in 23:57, thus earning him the KUS Abilene
Achievement Award, also. Marilyn Lamm had continued her valiant "death
march" over the past several hours, finishing 84.5 miles in 23:08, thus
becoming the first KUS 24 Hour UltraMarathon Women's Champion and third
finisher, overall. Sara Risser impressively opened up with a sub five minute
half-mile in her last lap to finish 50 miles in 23:57. A little over two
minutes later the ceremonial ten-second countdown was chanted out by all
volunteers and several spectators, thus representing the end of the Inaugural
KUS 24/48 Hour UltraMarathon.
Special thanks to all KUS volunteers and/or members (full and parttime). The
event(s) could not have happened, nor can they continue to happen, without the
support given from each and every one of you. Sincere thanks to all of our
competitors (first time participants of KUS events and veterans) for giving our
organization another opportunity to demonstrate ultra "KUStomer
Care", served up fresh from America's Heartland! Additionally, the moral
support and good humor (thanks, Sheryl _ Rex Friend's friend) of the spectators
(primarily friends and family of the competitors) deserves deep thanks, as it
is many times the unseen spiritual glue that holds everyone together in events
of this duration.
Many thanks to KUS 24/48 Hour UltraMarathon sponsors: Biz/Fax, CatHats by
MaShona Steele, Central National Bank, Checker's Food Stores, Conquest Thirst
Quencher, Dairy Queen, Dillons Food Stores, Flasher Company, FumandaWear, KFC,
Mail Marketing Group, Massage By Myshka, McDonald's, National Association For
Management, Rubbermaid, Salvation Army _ Camp Hiawatha, Sonic, Valley Offset
Printing, Wendy's and Wichita Shirt & Cap.
Finally, endless thanks to my friends, family, wife and four children, for not
always understanding, but certainly sharing in the common mission, vision, passion
and hard work associated with positive development (personally and culturally)
in the sport, or should I say the lifestyle, of ultra-endurance events. Thanks
again!
The Kansas UltraRunners' Society is very committed to "quality" and
"continuous improvement" in all of our events. This being the case,
we included a 24/48 Hour Ultramarathon questionnaire and an SASE in all race
participants' packets. All questions were on a scale of 1 to 5, with one being
the lowest and five being the highest. All numbers were rounded to the nearest
tenth. Eighty percent of the race participants have responded and here are the
results:
1. WAS THE COURSE ADEQUATELY MARKED/LAID OUT? 4.3
2. WAS THE COURSE CHALLENGING FOR YOU? 3.7
3. WAS THE AID STATION WELL STOCKED? 4.7
4. HOW DID YOU LIKE THE FOOD SELECTIONS? 4.4
5. HOW WERE THE ATTITUDES OF THE VOLUNTEERS? 5
6. WERE THE VOLUNTEERS HELPFUL? 5
7. HOW DO YOU LIKE THE T-SHIRTS? 4.5
8. WAS YOUR LODGIN OR CAMPSITE ADEQUATE? 4.6
9. IS CAMP HIAWATHA A GOOD PLACE TO HOLD FUTURE ULTRAS? 4.4
10. DO YOU THINK THE RACE WAS A GOOD VALUE FOR THE MONEY? 4.9
11. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS RACE TO A FRIEND? 4.8
12. WHAT DID PARTICIPANTS COLLECTIVELY LIKE MOST ABOUT THIS EVENT?
The people who put on the race!
13. WHAT DID THEY LIKE LEAST?
The speed bumps and the narrow course. Both of which we shall heavily address
(in a problem solving manner) if we are to hold future ultras at Camp Hiawatha.
OVERALL SCORE: 4.6 (on a 1 to 5 scale)
We feel that performance awards recognizing the achievement of specific
distances in each of our time events will offer extra incentive for runners to
hang in there. Even if winning the race is beyond the reach of many of our
competitors, they will still receive special attention for achieving certain
milestones. We picked two such goals for the 24 hour: 100 miles and 200
kilometers. For the 48-hour we chose 150 miles, 300 kilometers, 200 miles and
400 kilometers. Since these distances are often difficult to visualize, we feel
the award should reflect the accomplishment. We chose cities and towns in
Kansas that the runner could reach on foot by running these distances starting
here in Wichita. The Abilene Award, for example, is presented to all runners
who reach 100 miles in 24 hours, which is the approximate road mileage needed
to reach Abilene from Wichita. Our list of performance awards follows:
24 Hour
100 miles -- The Abilene Award
200 K -- The Topeka Award
48 Hour
150 miles -- The Dodge City Award
300 K -- The Atchison Award
200 miles -- The Hiawatha Award
400 K -- Yet to be determined
Scott Demaree adds:
This was to be my return to 48 hour competition after nearly a seven year
absence. However, two weeks before the race, I encountered the most feared
symptom of overtraining: I caught a cold that lingered much longer than normal.
Consequently, I had to withdraw three days before the event, bitterly
disappointed.
Sometimes what seems like disaster turns out to have some positive aspects. In
this case being unable to compete allowed me to experience this type of race
from a completely new perspective. This was the first race longer than 12 hours
I had helped with, and I really enjoyed it, despite finishing the weekend in
extreme sleep deprivation! It's easy to see how the ultrarunners among the
volunteers can empathize with the competitors; after all we've all gone through
this kind of suffering before. But many of the race workers here don't even
run, much less run ultras. Yet they empathize just as strongly.
Empathy leads to enthusiasm, which then feeds back to benefit the runners. I
think this is the key to putting on high quality ultras that people will keep
coming back to. Certainly, empathy and enthusiasm will never be found lacking
at any K.U.S. event. So come and get it, all you 24 and 48-hour competitors.
We're here to stay! You won't find a better organized race anywhere with such a
focus on the runner having a positive experience. And our location makes us a
natural crossroads for runners to test themselves against the best from many
regions of the country (and internationally).
With so few 48-hour events available, this may be the closest we'll get to a
national championship. We are planning several improvements to next year's
race. It will be scheduled for late April or early May. I promise not to
overtrain.