2002 Rockin' K 50 Mile and Marathon Trail
Runs
Kanopolis State Lake, Kansas
April 6, 2002
Phil & Stacy
Sheridan, RD’s
Wheel measured
Single loop 26.97-mile marathon, 1.86 loops for 50.1 miles
Horse trails,
sand, rocks, hills, and water
Past editions of
the Rockin'K runs have included the "good year", "the mud
year", and "the hot year". This year was "the wind
year". We had 30 runners starting the 50-mile and 55 in the 27-mile
"marathon" race. The run started with near ideal conditions with
temperatures in the low 40's and a light overcast sky. The weather service had
predicted wind through the day. I have run many places, and they all have had
wind, wind is not a phenomenon unique to Kansas. It does have special
significance here however, due to the notable lack of trees.
The race started
well with the fast guys and gals doing their thing and everyone else following
for a good time. Most of the fastest marathoners and fifty milers made the
first loop without too much wind damage. The wind picked up by midmorning to a
nice steady 20mph with gusts of about 30mph, the mid-pack marathon runners and
most fifty milers were starting to see a little wear and tear. By noon everyone
on the course started to take a beating. The National Weather Service reported
wind at a steady 32mph with gusts of around 40mph. It stayed that way until the
run ended.
The runners
stayed remarkably upbeat, with an amazing 25 of thirty finishing the second
loop in the fifty, and all but one marathoner finishing. The fifty-mile
statistic is impressive, as we allow fifty milers to drop and get a marathon
finish after the first loop, in the past we have had a 50% attrition rate in
the fifty-mile due to folks opting for beer and chili instead of the second
loop.
Of special note
were new course records. In the fifty mile, the women’s record was smashed by
1:27:11 by Susan Gebhart from Penrose CO, with a finishing time of 8:30:30.
Both the men’s and women’s marathon course records also fell this year with
Kevin Guest taking 14:25 off the old record and Michelle Bredenkamp taking
10:15 off the women’s. Dottie Duncan got her 100th marathon finish and Tom
Detore finished our 50 miler, drove to Arkansas and completed Hogeye Marathon
the next day.
Cheri Baker
adds:
April 6,2002
Let’s make one
thing perfectly clear…Kansas is not flat.
On April 6, four
hardy NLRC members found that out.
Debbie Bailey, Mary Dose, Shannon Wasenda and I toed up to the starting
line of the Rockin K Trail Marathon. Maybe toed up is a strong word, rather we
gathered with a group of 85+ people in the parking lot of the Corral
Shelter. The weather was cool and
overcast and we had anguished (of course) over what to wear, but everyone had
settled for shorts, long sleeve poly pro, the team singlet and gloves. Interestingly enough our race numbers are
actually ear tags that are used on cattle!
And we are off….
Down the road a
short ways and then we entered the start of the trail. Unfortunately some local juveniles had
started a prairie fire earlier in the week, so the first 20 minutes we ran on a
path through the burn out, which was very eerie. The trail led us to terrain that I did not think Kansas had –
large sandstone rock formations with hues from mustard yellow to riotous red,
with several neutral shades in between.
The trail winds up and down these rocky formations and at the top you
can see sweeping panoramas for miles. The trail was soft packed dirt,
exceedingly forgiving on the feet.
Single file running is definitely the word and because of that we
bunched up with some newfound friends along the way. We stayed ahead of them because they pointed out that we were
“much faster on the flats”, which pumped up our egos and quickened our steps.
The trail also
has some interesting sandy spots – the kind of sand that is so fine you wonder
if you will still be digging it out of various places for months. Again, the color of the sand ranged from
mustard yellow to red and was at times 3-4 inches thick.
Ah yes, and the
water crossings! Not too many, just
enough to have some fun with. After
much squealing we all got through them, some ankle deep, some calf deep. The interesting phenomenon is when wet trail
shoes hit sand – hmmm, shoe just grew a half size larger.
Great aid
station at the halfway point – provided a tent to get out of the wind, great
munchies and super friendly volunteers.
A tough 4-mile loop up and down rolling hills on a gravel road to
Mushroom State Park and back and then the last 10 miles. This was not nearly as scenic, and now we
are really on the open prairie. Winds
kick up to about 35 miles an hour, and we are comforted by the fact that the
volunteers tell us this is just a “Kansas breeze”. Throw in some more sandy trails and it suddenly becomes a tougher
adventure. Finally we spot some more
burned out area and realize we are getting close. Up ahead – the sign! We
can see the shelter! Now we just have to
get back on the road and sprint UP the hill in the parking lot. Maybe sprint is a bit of an exaggeration,
but you get the idea. The Fabulous Four
from flatland Minnesota complete this 26.2+ mile marathon in 6 hours and 20
minutes. Instead of the traditional
medal, we receive a horseshoe for finishing!
This race is for
the true trail runner, but even our first timer (Shannon) enjoyed the
experience. The race directors, Stacy
and Phil Sheridan, are absolutely great.
They emailed us regularly on course conditions, weather, etc. Stacy is the one really in charge, and not
only directs the race but makes the pasta feed AND the fabulous chili that is
waiting for you at the end. Phil did an
incredible job of marking the course.
They also have a 50-mile run at the same time, which is a double loop of
the course. We politely declined doing
the second loop. We totally lucked out
on the weather – hot and sunny would have been brutal, because there is
literally no shade anywhere. Two years
ago they had a lot of rain a few days before the race, which made the sand and
water crossings a quagmire.
But, if you are
tough and love an adventure, mark this one on your calendar. For more info, contact them at psheridan@classicnet.net.