Rockin K by the Numbers
10th Annual Rockin K Trail Runs
April 5, 2008 at Kanopolis State Park, Kansas
As I was cleaning up the supplies and wrapping up the details from the 10th annual Rockin K Trail Runs this year, I started thinking about 10 years of runners and food and fun. Ten years of meeting new runners and of welcoming our many friends back to the starting line. Ten years of pasta dinners, 9,000 homemade meatballs, 2,800 servings of pasta, and many, many 5 gallon pots of soup. Ten years of aid stations, at least 980 gallons of water and sports-drink, almost 3,000 homemade cookies and the number of bananas, oranges and ramen soup I can't calculate. Anybody know the number of M&M's in a bag? I'm not going to count.
Ten years of at least 830 hours of trail work, 36,000 feet of marking tape, uncounted trail markers, trail signs, chain saws, weed-eaters, 1 prairie fire, 1 melted DR trimmer, 3 fire departments, and untold volunteer hours given by fellow friends, family and runners to safely bring 691 of our runners across the finish line.
Ten years has brought 791 entries from 33 of our 50 States, Japan and Germany. Of those entered, 159 in the 50 mile and 532 in the marathon have crossed the uphill finish line, with cowbells ringing, for a total of 21,889 miles run. These runners have run when the temperature hit a record low of 19 degrees and a high temperature of 85 degrees, when the course included shoe sucking mud from the 5 inches of rain in the week before the race to 7 inches of snow the night before race weekend. They have run through 4 course changes, setting course records for each change, through water crossings ankle deep to swimming, through cattle gates and over barb wire fences, rocks, sand, and pulled cockleburs from shirts, shorts, tights, socks and shoes.
Ten years of hugs at the finish line and horseshoe awards given out. Ten years of waiting at the finish line, with many of our KUS members, for that last finisher, rooting for them and enjoying the feeling of getting everyone home safely. Ten years of packing the trailer up and driving home, already thinking about next year.
The Rockin K Trail Runs are held at the Kanopolis State Park in the heart of the Smoky Hills, in central Kansas. Hills you say? Kansas is flat. Well, not all of Kansas, the Rockin K is run on a series of interconnected loop trails, mostly horse and mountain bike trails, all single track, that follow the canyons and watersheds, then out across the prairie to the bluffs of the Smoky Hill River. The race starts with the Horsethief Canyon trail, wanders across the prairie to the tops of box canyons, where legend has it the Native Indians stashed the horses they stole, across several water crossings fed by underground springs, and across beaver dams over the creeks feeding the lake. The Prairie trail takes you past the Red Rock Canyon, named for the red sandstone, across the prairie on cattle trails, through cattle gates to the Alum Creek trail. The Alum Creek loop is primitive as no hikers make it that far and most of the horse riders don't use it as it is closed six months of the year for hunting seasons. It follows game trails and cattle paths to the Aid Station at cattle Gate 6. From Gate 6 the runners go out on the Big Bluff loop, an unimproved game trail bush-whacked out in the week before the race, crossing barb wire fences with blankets laid on top, to the bluffs above the Smoky Hill River. The trail is rough and rocky, going from the top of the bluff down to the bottom and back several times on the way back to Gate 6 aid station. After finishing the Big Bluff loop the runners head back in on the southern part of the Prairie trail, past the Eagle Hack tower, built for eagles to nest in, and onto the southern part of the Horsethief trail. The race finishes at the Corral Shelter house, on top of a hill, at the Rockin K campgrounds.
The marathon race is one loop of the course, with an unmanned water station at about 7.5 miles and a fully stocked manned aid station at Gate 6, which the runners pass twice at about 13 and 18 miles. The 50-mile race is a second loop of the same course, except for a shortcut section on the Alum creek trail, passing all the same aid stations.
Gate 6 Aid Station Photo By David Klema
Thomas McKenna, the overall winner in last year's race returned this year to not only win the race but to better his time over last year by cutting off 47 minutes and smashing the old course record of 8:36:08. Thomas not only set the new course record of 8:03:51, he also ran under the marathon course record on the first loop. Matthew Becker was in 8th place going into the Gate 6 aid station at 13.24 miles, moved up one spot on the Big Bluff Loop of 4.87 miles and was in 4th place by the time he started the second loop. By the time he came into Gate 6 the second time at 37.60 miles he had taken second place and would finish 14 minutes ahead of the next runner, in 8:38:15. Jeremy Morris led the field into Gate 6 on the first loop, and held onto the lead through the Big Bluff Loop, leaving Gate 6 just a minute ahead of Thomas. By the turnaround he had slipped back to 3rd place and held there for a finish in 8:52:11.
Thomas McKenna sets a new course record in the 50-mile. Photo By David Klema
The only woman entered in the 50 mile race decided to take a marathon finish, so we had no winner in the womens field.
Jess McNeely, the marathon winner was in second place at the Gate 6 aid station, but made up time on Michael Adams on the Big Bluff loop, passing him on the inbound from Gate 6, to win the race in 4:06:11. Michael held onto second place finishing 32 seconds ahead of Dan Kropatsch, who took third in 4:17:44.
Elena Yates and Leslee Hampel both entered the Gate 6 aid station at the same time, but Elena passed Leslee on the Big Bluff loop and left Gate 6 the second time 7 minutes ahead. She would build that lead into a win with a finish time of 4:55:06. Leslee would hold second place with a finish in 5:15:28. Katie Spaeth held third place in the women's field throughout the race for a finish of 5:28:10.
We had 3 dogs entered in the race this year, Bart Fisher, Duke Stamper, and Major Yunger. While we do not charge an entry fee, in order to be officially entered, we do ask that they make a donation to the park trail fund, and each dog's pacer must be a paid entrant. Each owner must agree that their dog will be leashed, is in good health and has trail running experience. The dogs pacers must carry provisions for their pet and agree they will be pulled from the race if the race staff feels they are in need of medical care. Bart is a Rockin K veteran with 2 marathon finishes and 2 50-mile finishes. Duke ran last year but as a "bandit" pacing his owner, James, both finished the marathon. This was Major's first year at Rockin K and finished the marathon.
With this being the 10th year for Rockin K we think it is appropriate to note some of the runners finishes. We offer a marathon finish to the entrants in the 50-mile race if they should decide to only do one loop of the course. This is an official finish but not of the race you entered. We would like to offer our congratulations to all.
Frank Dayton, Jim Davis and Nancy Davis all have 8 Rockin K finishes, Frank has 8 marathons, the race he entered. Jim and Nancy have 4 50-mile, and 4 marathons.
Mark Crisman at Gate 6 Aid Station Photo by David Klema
Mark Crisman has 9 Rockin K finishes, 8 marathons and the 50-mile this year, all of these are the races that Mark entered. The one year Mark missed he was with us in spirit, unfortunately for us, he happened to be in Korea and couldn't make the race.
Marc Friesen, Randy Albrecht and Rich Golden all have 10 Rockin K finishes, Marc has 8 50-mile and 2 marathons. Randy has 7 50-mile and 3 marathons. Rich Golden is the only runner that has 10 finishes of the race he entered, the marathon from 1999 to 2008.
As always we would like to thank all the volunteers for their help in putting the race on, without the many hours they put in the race could not happen. Many of our Kansas Ultrarunners' Society members give up their weekends to help with trail work and then pitch in at the race also, to all of you, thank you so much for being our support team! Some of our most loyal volunteers are friends and family that get "roped" in, their only reward is a shirt and our thanks. To Deann Corn, Peg and Roger Schultz Jamaica Sheridan, and David Klema for taking the pictures for us, thank you so much. Thanks also to all the runners' crews, pacers and family who pitch in where needed, you will never know how much help you give us.
While we try to keep the race self-supported, staffing the event with volunteers, we are indebted to the Kanopolis Parks staff for their help and support. Having the park facilities available so early in the year makes the race much easier to manage and much nicer for the runners. Thank you so much for helping us show off our beautiful park to so many, while most "out of staters" are surprised by the trails and park, you'd be surprised how many Kansans comment on this being right in their own backyard and they didn't know it. Thank you for 10 great events!
Thanks to our sponsors for the generous donations, Inov-8 for shoes and running gear, Hammer Nutrition for their products, Trail Runner Magazine, Willie Lambert for donating Gift Certificates from Great Plains Running Company to the winners of each race and to Ben Holmes and Kyle Amos for the free entry for one of their races, of all the names in the hat I managed to draw Kyle's for their free race entry, he gets free entry to Rockin K 2009 instead.
One last thank you to Pat Cook for the handmade "runner" earrings and to Gary Henry for the roses and champagne, I really cleaned up this year! Thanks.
Stacy and Phil Sheridan
See you next year!
