Boulevard 10K Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
- 10K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Join this September for the Boulevard 10K (fka Great Plains 10K)! The race will start and finish on Emanuel Cleaver Boulevard in Kansas City, MO. This flat and fast course will provide a picturesque setting for the run. If you are looking for a PR this is a great course … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Sep 21):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 82 | 90 | 83 | 85 | 74 |
| L (°F) | 66 | 72 | 62 | 61 | 59 |
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Hidden gem high value intimate race
This course is done once a year. It's a shame, because while it doesn't have the crowd support of other courses, and there's honestly not a lot to look at, … MORE
This course is done once a year. It’s a shame, because while it doesn’t have the crowd support of other courses, and there’s honestly not a lot to look at, it’s a surprisingly fun course. This course is the last in the Heartland 30k series (3x 10k over 3 weekends), and seems to always consist mainly of people doing the series (or doing recon on this secretive course in preparation of doing the series next year). There’s a one mile out and back for the first two miles, then two miles up what is largely some rolling hills with net incline to a turnaround point just shy of mile marker 4, then a return to the start/finish line. The race occurs on both sides of a 4-lane road separated by a wide greenway median, and with only 300 or so runners on the field there’s plenty of room to spread out, even at the beginning. Admittedly it’s not the most picturesque part of town, but from a scenery standpoint, it’s not ugly, it’s just absent. There is a park by a large creek visible for a brief section by the start, but honestly the road is too far away to consider that very adjacent. Doesn’t matter though, because the energy at this course is such that everybody is there to race. This is the race to finish the series, and the people you’ve seen the past 2 weekends are back out again to wrap it up. Nods are exchanged amongst strangers you now recognize at the starting line and familiar racers gather to talk and strategize in the final moments.
After PRing by a huge amount two weeks ago at Plaza 10k, due largely to my dear friend, and the best running buddy a guy could hope for, keeping me strong on my pace (thanks ccruiz03!) and pushing through an ultra humid Woodstock 10k, the original plan was just go in there and beat my course record, but with one friend completing the series for the first time, and ccruiz03 cheering me on from Europe over Strava/text message, I beat my course record by several minutes. Couldn’t match that Plaza 10k pace, because this just honestly isn’t as fast a course as that one is, but it’s significantly faster than the narrow trails and high humidity in the park of Woodstock 10k, and a great way to end out the series. In fact, when I had a rough run at Plaza two years ago, this course ended up serving as my PR course for nearly a year, so there’s a great redemption possibility if Plaza didn’t go how you wanted to finish strong on the final leg.
The tshirt is a nice tech shirt that’s soft, not the sandy texture some of them have, and the medal is large and classy. If you did the series (and you absolutely should) then the series medal you’ll get is good enough to rival most half marathon medals and the ultrathin long-sleeved hooded pullover is honestly one you can wear probably 10 months out of the year. I’ve worn prior versions after a race when we were going out to eat directly afterwards and I didn’t want to be sweaty, and it’s honestly not too hot at all.
There are no food trucks, there are no retail opportunities at the finish line. I don’t even think there’s a backdrop up to take pictures at. We all just do it with the finish line arch behind us. We know where we are. We know why we’re there, and while that stripped down production may fail at other races, it works here because this is such a pure race.
Whether you’re racing your rival, a new friend you just met, your times from prior years or just your own personal demons and the doubt in your head that you deserve to be there, people show up to this race to RUN (or walk fast, both are welcome here), and the very last person was celebrated as much as the first. We’re going to have a large crowd of runners who stayed behind at the end here, and you’re welcome to join us off-site for coffee afterwards. This race comes with completion, and sometimes completion comes in the form of a tasty beverage
I was honored to be able to go back along the course and pick up my friend finishing for the first time, and to get to cross the finish line together. Next year I may owe ccruiz03 another PR, so sign up and come see what all this hidden gem has to offer.
Pretty flat out and back
So it's not a pancake, but it's the flattest 10k you're going to find in these parts that doesn't involve laps on a track. It's a tree lined 4-lane split … MORE
So it’s not a pancake, but it’s the flattest 10k you’re going to find in these parts that doesn’t involve laps on a track. It’s a tree lined 4-lane split median road, short out and back to the west, then longer out and back to the east. There’s not a lot to look at on this race, but you can congratulate/motivate the other runners going the opposite direction twice here. Nobody does this race because it’s scenic, they do it because the medals are always awesome, and as a Heartland 30k series race, you gotta be here to finish the series, which also always comes with a great medal and great shirt, so two great medals and two great shirts and a possible PR time, that’s why we’re all here. We’ll all be at the one next year as well. Parking can be a little weird based on the GPS directions. It’s across the street from the location listed. Cross a vehicle bridge (4-lane) and look for the fountain on your left. Then you’re at the right place.
Energy seemed lacking on this fast 10k
As the final leg of the Heartland 30k challenge, there were a number of us there who were looking forward to our extra swag (great hooded long sleeve tshirt and … MORE
As the final leg of the Heartland 30k challenge, there were a number of us there who were looking forward to our extra swag (great hooded long sleeve tshirt and extra medal).
Honestly I struggled with how to review this. It is a fast course that I PR’ed on by a pretty good margin from a fast race even 2 weeks earlier. After the first short out and back you pass the starting/finish line for what’s probably 4 miles on another out and back. It’s you and the road, which while they took great effort to close off, some drivers did decide to infiltrate the course on the crossings that had volunteers not actual cops. There’s not a lot to look at on this one. I found a few shell casings on the ground. There are lots of trees lining the road, but they’re too far off to provide shade. I was stoked because I knew at mile 4 I was going to PR it, but my friends who weren’t all agreed that the crowd felt low energy that day. Maybe it’s because it was a new race, maybe it’s because there was some early morning confusion on where we could park and where we shouldn’t. There’s a pretty park with a stream cutting through it off the course, but it’s too narrow through there to reroute the course that way. I’m not opposed to all-road courses either, but this wasn’t in a commercial area or in a residential area with much charm or architecture to it, and subsequently there was nobody along the route to cheer/encourage/celebrate with.
Up to that point it was my 10k PR for the year though, so if you want a local fast course (Yes, I even beat Plaza 10k) then this may be the one for you. Then you can drive to the Plaza to celebrate 😉
Nice and Easy
This is a semi-small 10k that fit great into my schedule. The first 2 miles the road was not the best with a lot of potholes. it was advertised as … MORE
This is a semi-small 10k that fit great into my schedule. The first 2 miles the road was not the best with a lot of potholes. it was advertised as a mostly flat course; however, don’t be fooled there are some hills.