Night Hawk, sponsored by the Lawrence Trail Hawks, has the option of a 50K, a 20-mile and a 10-mile trail race. The course consists mostly of rocky trails winding through the beautiful Clinton Lake North Shore woods. The race loop heads out on the white trail to Land’s End (~6 …
MORE
Night Hawk, sponsored by the Lawrence Trail Hawks, has the option of a 50K, a 20-mile and a 10-mile trail race. The course consists mostly of rocky trails winding through the beautiful Clinton Lake North Shore woods. The race loop heads out on the white trail to Land’s End (~6 1/2 miles) and returns to the Start/Finish line on the blue trail (~3 1/2 miles). The 10 Miler is 1 loop, the 20 Miler is 2 loops, and the 50K is a 3 loop race with each loop covering 10.3 miles.
Aid stations are located at Land’s End and the Start/Finish Line and will have water, Tailwind, Honey Stinger gels, chews and waffles, fruit, and sweet and salty snacks. Please note that the Land’s End aid station will be up near the Wakarusa cabin like last year. This makes it easier on our volunteers and guarantees the 50K race distance is at least 31.1 miles.
Free online access to high quality photos from Mile 90 Photography included in race price. Race goodies and food offered post-race.
Drop bags need to be brought to the allotted area at the Start/Finish Line aid station by 7:30 pm. Drop bags are only allowed at the Start/Finish Line aid station. Please make sure they are marked with your name and bib #. Thank you.
It is required that all runners carry a water bottle or hydration pack during the race. All runners will need a headlamp. There is a cut off time of 10 hours that begins at 8:00 pm. Organizers will evaluate runners completing their second loop after 7 hours as to whether or not they should attempt to complete the 50K in the allotted time.
LESS
What Coulda Been...
I was supposed to do a 20 miler on this one. I had one brand new headlamp (Charged 24 hours), a belt light that I love because I can get … MORE
I was supposed to do a 20 miler on this one. I had one brand new headlamp (Charged 24 hours), a belt light that I love because I can get 8+ hours out of it (charged 24 hours), an old headlamp that I’ve used on shorter 10ks before (charged 24 hours). All of them died during this race. I had to drop down after one lap so I got 10M out of an intended 20M, but it wouldn’t have been responsible to go back out. Many people I spoke with had lights dying early that night. Solar flares? EMP attack? I don’t know, but it was profoundly disappointing.
The race itself was exceptionally marked and the aid stations were well equipped to include fresh watermelon. The course itself was appropriately challenging in places but had some smoothish sections of trails that were great for picking up the pace. At the start when we had daylight still, the scenery was top notch, and deer were even spotted crossing the trails.
I will be back next year for my redemption race so I can get my 20 miles in if I have to bring a backpack of batteries, a USB battery bank and a hand crank light. Finishing through the corridor flanked with tiki torches was a nice touch, and Mile 90 was there to do an excellent job with the (Free!) photos. Energy with the crowd was great and everybody was real polite on the trail. Great experience that I can’t wait to get another shot at.
A Local Gem
The Lawrence Trail Hawks put on some of the best races in the Kansas City area, and are really second to none in the area. This race, like most of … MORE
The Lawrence Trail Hawks put on some of the best races in the Kansas City area, and are really second to none in the area. This race, like most of the other Trail Hawk races, is run smoothly like all of the other major ultra races in the area but really nails the intimate local feeling. You feel like every person there knows you and is cheering you on. The aid stations at this race were well stocked with all the trail running essentials (quesadillas, PBJ, potato chips) and had wonderful, eager volunteers. Even more, Mile90 Photography was out on the course documenting the race in a way only they can. If you haven’t checked out their work, you really should!
This year’s course was different than years previous as we’ve experienced a lot of rain fall in Kansas City. The blue trails that this race normal uses were all under water and unrunnable. So, this year featured a little bit of road running for the first 1.7 miles, and also for the last 2ish miles. We also got to brave a waist deep river crossing.
Last year I DNF’d this race about 5 or 6 miles in with an injury. I was happy to finish this year, and even happier to finish 5th. Highly recommend this race and other Trail Hawk races!!