Prairie Spirit Trail Ultra Races
Ottawa, KS
- 100 Miler, 100K, 50 Miler, 50K, Marathon, Half Marathon, 5 Miler
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
The Prairie Spirit Trail is a beautiful “rails-to-trails” course that runs through numerous quaint little towns. Runners will do an out-and-back, beginning in Ottawa, KS, and traveling south to Iola (100 milers), Welda (100Kers), Garnett (50 milers) or Richmond (50K), then, back north to the finish. The course is primarily … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Mar 28):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 63 | 77 | 68 | 51 | 58 |
| L (°F) | 27 | 59 | 30 | 34 | 34 |
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Good for first-timers
Free camping at the start, great meal at the end, flat course along an old RR bed. This was my first official marathon, although I'd done an ultra already. But … MORE
Free camping at the start, great meal at the end, flat course along an old RR bed. This was my first official marathon, although I’d done an ultra already. But this race kicked my @$$. I had broke my ankle six months before and I was not quite ready for a run of this distance. I finished but I was hurting. But that was not due to the course. The course was great. I don’t know whether to classify this as a road run or trail run. It is a trail run, but it was so smooth and flat that it is a bit unfair to call it a trail. The aid station at the marathon turnaround was stocked full of good stuff. And there were water stops in other spots along the route. I don’t remember if there were toilets along the way, except they did have them at the marathon turnaround point.
You can camp at the start line. I stayed at a local hotel, but there were other people that camped. It was maybe a bit cooler than I wanted to have for a night of camping before a marathon run.
The meal at the end was good, and plenty, but no protein for vegetarians. Still, I was able to fill up and then go get a protein shake elsewhere.
The race was well organized and I enjoyed it. Would I travel to Kansas from Tennessee to do it again? No, but only because the course isn’t like, say, the Gorge Waterfall 50k course in Oregon. That is, it isn’t a scenic course. But I chose it because it was flat. So if a flat 26.2 mile course is what you are looking for, this is a good choice.
Flat!
I "only" ran the 50K. Overall the race production was great and I felt well supported during the race. It seemed as though if I had signed up for any … MORE
I “only” ran the 50K. Overall the race production was great and I felt well supported during the race. It seemed as though if I had signed up for any of the longer distances that I would have had plenty of support. The race is on a rails to trails so it is really flat. The scenery got a bit monotonous after awhile but it is Kansas after all. It was quiet out there but there always seemed to be other runners in sight. Before and after the race you had access to an indoor area. I would not hesitate to do another race from this company.
Flat and fast jaunt through rural KS
This is the second time I have run this race. To be honest, the reason that I signed up was the dirt cheap early registration fee. I think it was … MORE
This is the second time I have run this race. To be honest, the reason that I signed up was the dirt cheap early registration fee. I think it was only $45 when I signed up over a year ago. I had to defer to this year though due to the Covid pandemic. We weren’t able to stage inside the Celebration Hall like they usually do, but the weather was nicer this year, and the wait before the start wasn’t bad at all. I was lucky in that the weather was much nicer this year than during the last time I ran in 2019. I started out wearing a light wind jacket, but had to stop and take it off after only a few miles as I was sweating too much. It never really warmed up that much though, as there was a still breeze coming out of the north. I had a good run even though my training wasn’t that great during the prior week, and also having run a 100-mile race just a couple of weeks before. I ended up with the fastest time that I have run in the last several years, even though I didn’t feel like I was racing.
Flat trail through serene farm country
Race headquarters for this run was at the fairgrounds in Ottawa, KS, so you could go inside the Celebration Hall and stay warm and socialize with other runners. The trail … MORE
Race headquarters for this run was at the fairgrounds in Ottawa, KS, so you could go inside the Celebration Hall and stay warm and socialize with other runners. The trail is flat and straight, and the one turn that you had to make to go under the freeway was well marked. Nice soft crushed limestone surface was easy on the feet. Belt buckles were given for all distances, and they had breakfast food at the finish including coffee, pancakes, sausage, and bacon. The volunteers were very helpful and the race had a community vibe. I very much recommend it.
The Prairie Spirit blew me away...
Overall Rating: I would rate this one above average. Course Difficulty: Easy-squeezy. Rail trail with low grade hills and crushed limestone surface that was really soft on the feet. It … MORE
Overall Rating: I would rate this one above average.
Course Difficulty: Easy-squeezy. Rail trail with low grade hills and crushed limestone surface that was really soft on the feet. It was an out and back and the 15 miles back in gave us 20mph sustained headwinds (ouch).
Course Scenery: Not really. It would probably be prettier in the late spring early summer, or if the sun was out, or if the wind wasn’t screaming (lol). I’m sure there are prettier places in Kansas.
Race Production: Race production was outstanding; no surprises at all-everything was exactly as it was supposed to be. Manned and unbelievably well stocked aid stations every 4-5 miles, unmanned with water in between. Super friendly volunteers who had obviously run before. Tons of good food at the pre-race and post-race meals. Free pics. Really good production!
Race Swag: Awesome Kansas shaped buckle (even for the 50k) and a sweet cotton poly blend shirt.
My Performance: I got to ring the PR bell on this one. I could have finished a little quicker than I did, but I came across a young guy (17) who was struggling a little, and turned out to be great company. He pushed me on my speed walking, and I kept him going for about the last 9 miles (for me the camaraderie is worth much more than a better finish time).
I wanted to complete another 50k before my 50 miler in April, and was previewing this course for a 100miler later in the year. It was a very good race with good people. If you’re into no frills and no surprises, this is your race. If you like big crowds, busy expo’s, and tons of epic scenery, you should prob look somewhere else. I personally loved this race!