Cactus Roulette is a duration trail race hosted by the Lawrence Trail Hawks with 4 time options – 24 hours, 12 hour Saturday pm (Owl), 12 hour Sunday am (Lark), and 6 hours Sunday. There are three different loops ranging from 1.9 to 3.6 miles. Prior to each loop, runners …
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Cactus Roulette is a duration trail race hosted by the Lawrence Trail Hawks with 4 time options – 24 hours, 12 hour Saturday pm (Owl), 12 hour Sunday am (Lark), and 6 hours Sunday. There are three different loops ranging from 1.9 to 3.6 miles. Prior to each loop, runners will spin a roulette wheel to determine which loop they run next. Each loop will begin and end at base camp.
Base camp for the race will be at Coneflower Campground at Clinton Lake State Park in Lawrence, Kansas. There will be food, water, porta potties, heaters, and access to personal drop bags.
Course
+ All three loops will be run counter-clockwise for the duration of the event.
+ Each loop will be color-coded to match the roulette wheel.
+ There will be three separate starting mats, one for each loop. Runners will cross their specific starting mat at the beginning of each loop.
+ SWIM BEACH (Blue) Technical trail on blue and white trails. 3.6 miles with 253 ft of elevation.
+ CACTUS RIDGE (Green) Technical trail on the north side of West Park Road (N 1415 Rd). 2.6 miles with 239 ft of elevation.
+ BUNKER HILL (Red) Cross-country field conditions with two steep climbs. 1.9 miles with 150 ft of elevation.
+ Live results will be posted on monitors at base camp.
Rules
+ The finish line closes promptly at noon on Sunday (midnight for 12 hour Owl). For a loop to count you must have crossed the finish line before that time. No partial loops are given.
+ PACERS – 24 hour runners will be allowed one pacer at a time starting at 2 am on Sunday. No pacers allowed for 6 and 12 hour runners.
+ RACE CANCELLATION OR POSTPONEMENT – In the event the race should be postponed or canceled for reasons beyond the control of the Lawrence Trail Hawks (inclement or unsafe weather conditions; local, state or national emergency), refunds will NOT be made, but race packets, including race shirts, will be available at a location to be determined or possibly, though but not guaranteed, by mail.
+ ALTERNATE COURSE – If local authorities, Clinton State Park and the Kansas Trails Council trail steward, deem the trails unsafe for runners or vulnerable to damage due to muddy conditions, an alternative course will be provided by the Lawrence Trail Hawks race Directors, pending approval by Clinton State Park and the Kansas Trails Council Trail Steward.
+ Littering on the course will subject you to disqualification.
+ There will be space available to set up a personal tent/space near base camp. Priority space given to 24 hour racers.
+ The race is located within Clinton State Park, so all vehicles will need a sticker for the day or a yearly pass. Stop at the Kiosk to obtain this. If you arrive prior to the kiosk opening, there is a self-pay station at campground 3 to obtain the parking permit. All vehicles must have this permit.
+ Each time block will be capped at 50 runners.
The Joy Hawk Addendum: Racers can run linked together during the event. We understand the joy of running every step of a race together with a friend, and that would be difficult to do if each person spins different loops. Friends who wish to run together for the entire race should check-in at packet pick-up at the same time and announce their desire to run the race linked. Rules for linked racers:
+ Will spin the wheel as a team instead of individually.
+ Must run the entire race together. Loops run individually or without one linked team member will not count.
+ If a linked team places, they will share the award. If four or more linked teams are running within a time block, we will announce and recognize team rankings within that block.
+ Linked teams cannot exceed 5 racers.
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Punitive weather, nice save by RDs
So with still around 4" of snow on the ground and 1-3" of ice in places under that, the "good parts" of this race were the ones that either had … MORE
So with still around 4″ of snow on the ground and 1-3″ of ice in places under that, the “good parts” of this race were the ones that either had powdery snow or thin enough ice that your footfalls broke through and you felt the ground. I was going in with an injury and originally hoping for 20 miles, then Mother Nature happened, so I knocked it down to 13.1 when I saw the courses. Courses you ask? Yes, three. Each color coded and different lengths and difficulties. You spin the roulette wheel, do whichever lap comes up, come back to the shared start and spin the wheel again. Winner is who gets the most miles in by the end of the time. Great way to mix things up. After completing each lap you get a poker chip of that color, but they’re tracking you electronically so don’t worry that if you drop one, you’re screwed.
There were plenty of bonfires at the starting line, and like ultra groups tend to do, they sustainment sources were plentiful. Tailwind, Gatorade, coffee, beer, more soda types than I cared to count, all the munchie food at typical marathon aid stations, cheeseburgers, breakfast burritos, I thought I heard someone say the vegetarian sausage was good, and three different pizza topping options were on hand.
The courses themselves were red (“Bunker hill”) the shortest of the three at 1.9 miles. Go out a quarter mile, switchback up a hill, go down the backside and run around the corner before taking a more direct ascent up the back and back to the start. I heard this was 2.6 in the past…not sure what was cut out. I know that one intimately because I rolled red 4 times in a row.
Green (“Cactus Ridge”) was the more technical course, and the one where I wished I had crampons, because there was little sun making it through the canopy. I fell twice on that one. Fortunately, I had body armor on which absorbed most of the blows. Unfortunately, I had body armor on, so when I landed on other parts it was just a lot more weight coming down. Probably more overall elevation, but not much in the line of the big ones from Red.
Blue was “Swim Beach” or something to that effect and stuck to the hills around the lake providing a great view of the iced-over lake and the surrounding white silence. I’m not sure how hard this one was. I apparently got off trail and according to my strava added just under 4 miles. Apparently a couple of us missed “the left turn at the stairs” but whereas they took a shorter route to correct, I saw blue tree markings in the distance and thought it was the blue flags I was following, so I just kept going. It make sense at the time. I was tired. Fell twice on that bad boy, too, and slid down a hill. Good stuff.
So there’s a great big Cactus Roulette blanket available for purchase. A knit beanie came with the registration. There was no medal, per se, but you got to keep the medal casino chips, so I drilled through them and strung them together so I have something to hang. I’m going to go with only 4 shoes for SWAG because I really like medals and not everybody has a drill and aspirations to make their own afterwards. The chips were solid casino weight though, not the cheap plastic ones you buy bulk at party supply stores, so kudos on them for that. The blanket is staying in my car for the rest of the winter for those cold races I still have left to go to, and I get in the ultra trail community you typically are paying a la carte for your swag, so I’m not deducing for having to buy the blanket.
This was an excellent race that could have been abysmal due to the weather. It was awesome, the spread was awesome (loved the grilled bacon) and I’ve already convinced one friend to come out next year with me. Hopefully Mother Nature will be a little kinder to my back and legs. Massive kudos to the RDs for making this such a successful event.
Fun event, great food, fun vibe
Flew out to Lawrence, Kansas from NC specifically for this event. Seemed like a fun atmosphere. When Mother Nature threatened to turn this into a pavement run (out-and-backs, no less), … MORE
Flew out to Lawrence, Kansas from NC specifically for this event. Seemed like a fun atmosphere. When Mother Nature threatened to turn this into a pavement run (out-and-backs, no less), I was crestfallen. But the run gods intervened, we ran mostly on trails, and I had a blast.
Usually I start a review by talking about the run, or maybe race logistics, but I’d be foolish not to highlight the food first and foremost. The RD and event team put on a helluva feast all day and all night. Quesadillas, sammiches, burgers, pizza, snacks of every variety imaginable, drinks of all persuasians, several soups, beer…I could go on and on. It’s a miracle I kept going out for more laps with all that food waiting in a heated tent.
The run itself was great. Trails were moderately technical, and soggy in a lot of places. No crazy hills, though plenty of up and down. Three trails — 1.9mi, 2.6mi, and 3.6mi — with the shortest one on pavement due to poor trail conditions. Each challenges you in their own way.
The camaraderie was solid…got to chat with several other runners, most from nearby. Seems like a good running community out there in Lawrence and nearby Kansas City.
Every runner got apparel (half zip for 12-hour runners), and you got a Cactus Roulette branded casino chip with each lap you finished, each chip colored to match the trail you just ran. And when you tapped out, you got a yellow finishers chip.
For just the third year of this event, it’s incredibly well done and promises to grow. Tons of fun, truly unique and a nice change of pace from my usual road marathons. Definitely give this one a run if you get a chance.