Course difficulty...hmm...this was a big mental game for me. I lost that game, thought I did manage to crank out a pace considerably faster than my last marathon, so there's … MORE
Course difficulty…hmm…this was a big mental game for me. I lost that game, thought I did manage to crank out a pace considerably faster than my last marathon, so there’s a tradeoff. You’re out and back or a brief section through a charming little town, then 14 or so miles straight out on a rails-to-trail course. The canopy was pretty constant for probably 80% of the course, so there was no sun to worry about. There was one 15-degree turn, then turn around and go back. In a straight line. For miles. There’s a tiny town you pass through for maybe two blocks. I was so happy when I saw a squirrel or groundhog. The cows at the end really saved me. There was a calf! So what’s the scenery here? One shoe? Five? It is certainly peaceful. If you want the same thing for miles then you’ll love it. I learned I miss hills and turns, so it got rough for me the last 10 miles or so.
Those two categories aside, the production I can easily give a 5 to. There was a manned aid station on the way out, at the turnaround, then visiting the first one again. The food selection was honestly too numerous to even try to list, but highlights were half a dozen sodas, quesadillas, peanut butter, PBJs, soup, oranges, candy, banana, sports drink, and pickle juice (I’m getting addicted). Tables and tables of food. If you like to have it when you run, it was probably there. The pre/post race was inside a hangar/barn-style building. Space heaters kept it cozy but wasn’t so warm that you got shocked when you went outside, zero gravity chairs, plenty of places to sit and eat afterwards, I will seriously be looking at whatever other races these people do. They are not messing around. The eggs and bacon at the end were amazing.
The awards double as belt buckles, as is the normal way for long trail runs. It’s nicely designed, and the ribbon meshes well with the design. So many times, it appears as if the ribbon was an afterthought, maybe just the name on there in boring font. This was well integrated. The longer distances got larger belt buckles. I think we all got the same Tshirt, but other swag was available to buy such as a hoodie or mug and a few other things. The hoodie was especially high quality when I rubbed it, but I’ve got so many hoodies this year already I couldn’t pick up another one.
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Hard to rate...but a great race
Course difficulty...hmm...this was a big mental game for me. I lost that game, thought I did manage to crank out a pace considerably faster than my last marathon, so there's … MORE
Course difficulty…hmm…this was a big mental game for me. I lost that game, thought I did manage to crank out a pace considerably faster than my last marathon, so there’s a tradeoff. You’re out and back or a brief section through a charming little town, then 14 or so miles straight out on a rails-to-trail course. The canopy was pretty constant for probably 80% of the course, so there was no sun to worry about. There was one 15-degree turn, then turn around and go back. In a straight line. For miles. There’s a tiny town you pass through for maybe two blocks. I was so happy when I saw a squirrel or groundhog. The cows at the end really saved me. There was a calf! So what’s the scenery here? One shoe? Five? It is certainly peaceful. If you want the same thing for miles then you’ll love it. I learned I miss hills and turns, so it got rough for me the last 10 miles or so.
Those two categories aside, the production I can easily give a 5 to. There was a manned aid station on the way out, at the turnaround, then visiting the first one again. The food selection was honestly too numerous to even try to list, but highlights were half a dozen sodas, quesadillas, peanut butter, PBJs, soup, oranges, candy, banana, sports drink, and pickle juice (I’m getting addicted). Tables and tables of food. If you like to have it when you run, it was probably there. The pre/post race was inside a hangar/barn-style building. Space heaters kept it cozy but wasn’t so warm that you got shocked when you went outside, zero gravity chairs, plenty of places to sit and eat afterwards, I will seriously be looking at whatever other races these people do. They are not messing around. The eggs and bacon at the end were amazing.
The awards double as belt buckles, as is the normal way for long trail runs. It’s nicely designed, and the ribbon meshes well with the design. So many times, it appears as if the ribbon was an afterthought, maybe just the name on there in boring font. This was well integrated. The longer distances got larger belt buckles. I think we all got the same Tshirt, but other swag was available to buy such as a hoodie or mug and a few other things. The hoodie was especially high quality when I rubbed it, but I’ve got so many hoodies this year already I couldn’t pick up another one.
Beautiful fall fun in a small town
My favorite things about this race: The fall scenery, the beautiful medal, and the amazing photography (and photos are free, wow!) I chose this race as part of my quest … MORE
My favorite things about this race: The fall scenery, the beautiful medal, and the amazing photography (and photos are free, wow!)
I chose this race as part of my quest to complete a half marathon in every state and I am mixing up my selections between trail/road, big cities, small towns, beaches, mountains, etc. This was absolutely the perfect small town race during fall, and I highly recommend it! The course was beautiful, as you run through trees displaying their fall color, with the sound of crunching leaves on some of the quieter spots on the trail. I deducted one “shoe” since the course is a straight out and back, which sometimes felt like I was running on a treadmill with the same beautiful picture ahead of me. However, since it was an out and back, and the race ran in waves with many other long distances, you also had the chance to pass by a lot of other runners and cheer each other on! The course was also entirely flat FYI.
I chose to do packet pick-up the morning of the race and everything was simple and easy. We started out with a pre-race meeting and then boarded a school bus to the start line. When we got dropped off, we were allowed to just start whenever ready! I liked this aspect because it created start waves and spaced runners out.
After the race, there was a very nice spread of breakfast items, including pancakes. I also ventured into town and had breakfast, which added to my enjoyment of the day because they were having a Halloween trick- or-treat street for kids. It was adorable and added to the fall festive feeling of the morning.
Can’t spell prairie without a “PR”
BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas Rails-to-Trails Extravaganza was the perfect race to help me maintain my health, sanity and motivation in the midst of a global pandemic, as for five (near-freezing) … MORE
BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas Rails-to-Trails Extravaganza was the perfect race to help me maintain my health, sanity and motivation in the midst of a global pandemic, as for five (near-freezing) hours I was able to forget the virus heard round the world. And if you’re a fan of low-key, small-town events that feature grain elevators as highlights, then this may be the perfect race for you in any year. With a population of around 12,000 residents, Ottawa is one of the smaller towns I’ve visited in my 100+ races—a bit ironic, given that my original choice for the Sunflower State was the Eisenhower Marathon in Abilene, a town half the size of Ottawa.
The bulk (24.6 miles) of the 50K course runs north/south on the comfortable crushed limestone of the Prairie Spirit Trail, book-ended by 5 miles at the start and 1.5 miles at the end on paved terrain. (The 100 Mile course covers the entirety of the PST.) It’s tough to imagine a much flatter or straighter course than this one. And though the rural route lets you decompress and breathe, the flip side is that you better enjoy time alone with your own thoughts, because there’s little in the way of distraction—no energetic spectators or musical bands, only amber waves of grain as far as the eye can see. Aside from aid station volunteers and a few folks crewing for other runners, most of the spectators had four legs, and most of the two-legged spectators had wings. With the trail stretching out ahead of you for miles at a time, you’ll swear you can see Nebraska to the north and Oklahoma to the south. At the same time, the unchanging scenery makes it challenging to gauge progress, which in turn makes it easier to surrender to fatigue and give yourself permission to walk. Kansas Rails-to-Trails is a “dig deep, find your inner bad-ass, and keep going” type of race.
I’m not typically a fan of out-and-backs, but in such a relaxed, laid-back setting I appreciated being able to see and lend support to my fellow runners. In that sense, KRTE provides the opportunity to be both competitive and sociable at the same time. How many races can say that?
For anyone who likes the sound but not the timing of the Kansas Rails-to-Trails Extravaganza, the Prairie Spirit Trail Ultra held each March is the spring edition of essentially the same race, minus October’s fall colors and the marathon/half marathon distances: https://raceraves.com/races/prairie-spirit-trail-ultra-races/
PRODUCTION: Race production was minimal and even more so during a pandemic. Everything about race weekend was easy peasy, from the start and finish lines separated by just a few yards alongside incongruously named Celebration Hall, to the outdoor packet pickup, to the staggered start times with each runner being assigned a starting window of ten minutes. (I was among the last runners to start at 8:15am and did so alone.) Three well-stocked (though widely spaced) aid stations awaited runners at miles 11 (out)/24 (back) and at the turnaround at mile 17.5, along with a couple of other unmanned “stations” which basically consisted of a stash of bottled water. With crew access limited to the three manned stations, carrying your own nutrition may not be a bad idea. And to help you prepare for race day, the organizers provide a detailed booklet which answers most of the questions you’re likely to ask.
SWAG: Definitely a highlight of this low-frills event. Aside from the potential to set a personal record on its flat & speedy course, one reason I chose to run the 50K rather than the marathon was the promise of a belt buckle rather than the usual finisher’s medal—a minor detail to be sure, but nonetheless a silver lining on the dark cloud of a brutal pandemic/election year. And with Race Director Carolyn being kind enough to provide its own ribbon, the buckle now hangs proudly alongside the other medals on my 50 States Wall o’ Fame. With temperatures in the 30s and my brain awash in post-PR endorphins, I also had no qualms about buying a charcoal-and-green KRTE hoodie to match the standard short sleeve race tee. Both have turned out to be very comfy, even if I do live in Los Angeles where a heavy sweatshirt isn’t the savviest consumer purchase.
For more deets and plenty of prairie spirit, check out my race report at https://blisterscrampsheaves.com/2021/04/21/kansas-rails-to-trails-extravaganza-race-report/