Jon Breznenik's Staging Area

Selected this race as is the closest Kansas race to home, reviews and the Royals were in town this year.
– Expo was small but had what you may need for gels, extra gear. I was there late day befor the race and had an easy time getting my number and shirt.
– Course was well marked and had some slight hills with the greatest elevation change around mile 15 but overall is relatively flat. Nothing overly scenic about the course.
– Swag: Cotton/polyester t-shirt, large medal of the logo for this year’s race.
– Typical post-race food: bagels, granola bars and I believe they had bananas. They did have an expansive selection of beer – six or seven varieties to choose from. No electrolyte drinks when I finished (around 4:30 for marathon) but I did receive a bottle of water immediately upon crossing finish line and that was appreciated.
– May want to roll dice on other options for a race in Kansas.

This marathon exceeded expectations. Course was a well-planned small/mid-sized city urban run. Lots of neighborhoods, a bike path a turnaround (into the wind) at a park, then finishing on the University of Nebraska’s campus. The second half had few turns after dropping off the half-marathoners at UN’s Memorial Stadium by hitting the bike path. While the path was concrete, just having to go straight was appreciated as I was nursing a bum ankle. Finish area was well spread out making it easy to move around and find the rest of my party.
– Kudos to the Lincoln Track Club for putting together a top-notch event. They put together a good track from start (being able to hang out in a Cornhusker facility out of the elements) to finish. But I really want to know how you managed to wedge a perfect day (sun, cool but not cold, only slight wind) for running between multiple days of wind and rain.
– Nice swag.
– Well organized pasta dinner (pick your time).
– Lincoln also provides lots of dining options in the Haymarket District.
– Parking is also relatively easy to find in the area.

This truly is a great race. Going in I knew there would be altitude issues, narrow course (it is, afterall, a trail up a mountain), and the uncertainty of having not run a marathon in over two years due to the Covid experience. When all was said in done I had finished my slowest marathon ever (not unexpected) but also felt like I had a lot left in the tank versus other marathons (totally unexpected). When speaking with someone that had completed the race before they described it as a ‘brisk hike’. That is what it was. The trail is so narrow there were only a few places to pass on the path and at switchbacks you could sneak around people. Was I gassed at the summit? Absolutely. But not near a dizzy or pass-out level. Could I have been faster with better shoes (ie trail shoes) for the downhill? Absolutely. I was also suprised how easy going downhill was regarding oxygen. I just couldn’t get decent footing going downhill on the loose gravel, sand and boulder hopping. The terrain ranged from asphalt to gravel, sand, pine needles and boulders. I knew it was a trail run going in but the need to stop so those going downhill could climb a narrow section of boulders became frustrating to me. Yes, it helped me catch my breath but it also slowed down those slow pokes, finger pointed at me, trying to meeting the cutoff time. Medal and zip-shirt (too thin to be a jacket) were okay. Expo was small but to be expected with limited participants.

Overall, I would recommend as it is a pretty cool feeling getting to the top of Pikes Peak on your own power. Manitou Springs was also a cool town to visit. But it may be better to just do the Ascent so you don’t have to hassle with crossing paths on the way down with other runners.