Amelia Earhart Fun Run & Walk
Atchison, KS
- 8K, 2K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Come for the run and stay for the fun! This is a great, family friendly race held in conjunction with the Amelia Earhart Festival, which is BACK this year!. Choose from the challenging 8k run/walk that provides some hills to test your training, or the 2k which is mostly flat … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Jul 18):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 84 | 82 | 80 | 89 | 84 |
| L (°F) | 70 | 61 | 67 | 65 | 67 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Kansas is Flat - Said No One!
Wow! I had heard that Amelia Earhart was hilly but there is a difference between rolling hills and my sister-in-law wondering if I was dying HILLS. The 128-participant 8k race … MORE
Wow! I had heard that Amelia Earhart was hilly but there is a difference between rolling hills and my sister-in-law wondering if I was dying HILLS.
The 128-participant 8k race is small and mighty. As a first-timer, I had my doubt the race would start on time since packet pick-up was still going on minutes before the race start. However, most of the latecomers were participants of the 2k.
Oh, but those hills. The first gradual long hill snuck up on me, but it was worth it. Ice-cold water awaited for me at the mid-point of the hill. It was as if the race organizers knew my only salvation was the Dixie cup of water.
The hills to come and I was sure to take advantage of the downhills. Water stations were the sweet victory after steep and long hills.
I went into this race thinking – 5 miles? I can do that. I have done more.
Amelia Earhart said: But you have never done 5 miles like this.
I love the challenge of a good race and this was it. For a distance runner, 5 miles may not sound like a lot, but the hilly heat prove otherwise.
I had a personal event to attend afterwards, otherwise, I would have stayed around longer. The attached festival looked to provide awesome music, great food and an overall fun-filled day. I am definitely looking forward to going back next year to conquer those hills and partake in the local festivities.
Sub 5 mile half marathon
Hard and hilly, this 5-mile is legitimately harder than the first 10 miles of several half marathons I've done. In a good way. What is that? Yeah, so the first … MORE
Hard and hilly, this 5-mile is legitimately harder than the first 10 miles of several half marathons I’ve done. In a good way. What is that? Yeah, so the first hard hill comes out around 0.5 miles in. Get up that and get rewarded with a left turn and fast downhill for .25-.35 miles then a slow grind up to complete the first side of this basically rectangular course. The second side is one long hill up with a slight plateau in the middle. Here’s you’re pace-breaker side. The third side is up and down, with a soul-crusher of a hill towards the end. The fourth side of the rectangle is your money maker, as just past the water point on side three you turn right and it’s all downhill from here, gradually at first with a very steep final couple of blocks that allows you to get some great speed going, but not long enough to burn up your quads, then a final right turn onto the starting side of the rectangle and a couple hundred meters back to the start/finish line.
Here’s the thing, the shade on this course is spotty and it seems to always be right in the middle of a heat advisory, but there’s four or five water stations on the course because the race directors aren’t fools. It sounds like a lot, but it’s not, it’s really what you need and where you need them, not just haphazardly placed every two miles regardless of terrain. You conquer a hill, you get some water; you conquer a hill, you get some water, rinse and repeat.
The tshirt was a nice technical and the medal was nicely incorporated into the new colors for the race, orange and purple, vs the old blue and black. Stick around for the town festival if you have the time, or swing by Trotter’s on the riverfront for a great burger and drinks post-race (Open at 10 on race day)
Second time's a charm
So if you want to PR an 8k, here's an opportunity... There are some hills out here. Small one at the start, gradual incline, and two big ones towards the … MORE
So if you want to PR an 8k, here’s an opportunity…
There are some hills out here. Small one at the start, gradual incline, and two big ones towards the end. I’ve raced here in oppressive heat (last year) and light rain (this year), and the latter was far more enjoyable.
They added a (small) medal this year and the shirt is a nice tech shirt. This was a super cheap race $30, 2 days out, so I do really feel like we got a good deal. I raced it alone last year and brought three friends this year and we all had a good time in this cozy little small town race. Great energy despite some sleepy weather and the volunteers were all smiling and well stocked. Don’t expect something like the Mini Indy or RWTC, but for the smaller production it is, it’s actually quite good. Looking forward to next year’s.
Small town race with big town heart
How often can you do an 8k? Virtually automatic PR. I love small town races as much as I love giant productions for very different reasons. Everybody seemed to have … MORE
How often can you do an 8k? Virtually automatic PR.
I love small town races as much as I love giant productions for very different reasons. Everybody seemed to have been out for this one and milling about before the race started many of the locals stopped to wave and say hi, introduce themselves and say thanks for coming to their town. The only downside was that I signed up too late to get a t-shirt (about a month out), and there were no extras I could buy on race day. Shortly after the race starts there’s a slow gradual uphill by the gas station that seems to go on for quite some time, but being as how it’s such a small incline you think nothing of it. Don’t worry, there are two punishing ones later that will help your calves appreciate flat ground more. When I made it across the finish line as a back of the packer people were cheering like I was winning at Boston, and the post race festivities were absolutely charming. If I hadn’t another obligation that day I’d have spent the day exploring the town and hanging out with some truly wonderful people. Can’t wait to go back.
Amelia Earhart Run
This was my first time participating. I love that it benefits the YMCA and the medal was a pretty cool design. The shirts looked nice too, but I registered too … MORE
This was my first time participating. I love that it benefits the YMCA and the medal was a pretty cool design. The shirts looked nice too, but I registered too late to get one.
This was a pretty small race. The course is open so you have to be careful of cars. Sidewalks and streets were in pretty rough shape in some places, but it wasn’t difficult to get around them.
Downtown area was nice to run in. Some of the streets a little further out not as much. There were plenty of hills, which combined with the July humidity to make the race a bit challenging.
I loved all of the course support. Volunteers were extremely upbeat and there was even a guy distributing cold water out of his truck. That made it all worth it.