Chuck Krueger's Staging Area

This race hits near the unofficial change of spring weather to summer weather in the Midwest. The weather was very hot and there is little to no shade. The course itself is rolling hills so the weather change will not drastically affect your performance, but it is something to be mindful of. The race is a good time. The name suggests that you will be running with cows, but the course went through 0 cow pastures, not an issue, just kind of funny. The course takes you through the rural outskirts of the town and finishes at the school. The after race party is amazing. The parents of the school students throw an amazing buffet together for the runners. Overall, it was a good experience, just didn’t quite live up my expectations as Kansas’s best half marathon.

This was a great race. It is very challenging but rewarding. I packed extra nutrition and hydration but not enough. Thankfully the course has both for runners about every 3 miles. I replenished my bag with electrolytes and pretzels at every stop. Going up was physically taxing but going down was way worse. I started to chafe right at the top and it was a problem the rest of the way down. I could really feel my breathing getting easier each step on the way back down. The downhill really beats your legs up also. The running expo and swag were disappointing, but the post race food and beer was good and the race itself was a 10 out of 10. I will probably do this race again in a few years.

I have done this race several times now. This time was a little different. The morning started out rainy and windy. Lightning struck so the race officials canceled the race about 1/3 through. This led to some confusion among participants. We were advised to seek shelter and that buses would pick us up or we could continue at our own risk unsupported. I paused my watch and waited to see what the storm would do. After a brief pause my group decided to continue with the race, but run on the trail instead of the road because the lightning had dissipated. The rain continued throughout the day turning into a pour within the next hour. When we finished the course, we found that many of the volunteers where still waiting at the finish line giving out bags of food, drinks, and thermal blankets. We went into the old train station, got messages, then changed out of our wet clothes. Because the race was “canceled” everybody that was running in person was switched to a virtual race. I am submitting my race from the day as my virtual race. All in all I had a great time running with my group. Hopefully next year the weather is a little more cooperative!

This was a smaller race. It started out by pace group waves. My pacer was great, she talked with us and kept us on track the entire way. I eventually left the pacer at the end to finish faster. The course didnt have much support besides the aid stations. That was okay with me because the scenery was excellent. The course was mostly flat. Included in the course was a fasted across the dam challenge. The race finished with a pizza meal and drinks but I was to cold to stick around very long. The medals were very nice and I had a great time.