Night Wolf 5K & 10K
Kansas City, KS
- Double 15K (10K + 5K), 10K, 5K
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
It’s time to relive some old courses and fun summer nights out on the trails at the annual Night Wolf 5K & 10K! There will be a 5K held at 7pm featuring an old favorite course – with a bit of an extension to take it the distance! Immediately following … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Jul 31):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 79 | 94 | 81 | 90 | 83 |
| L (°F) | 71 | 73 | 70 | 71 | 73 |
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At least no crappy wooden medals....
...because there were none at all. Just two stickers. More on that later. Since this was actually two races (5k first, then 10k) I'll break down each by topic. Difficulty: … MORE
…because there were none at all. Just two stickers. More on that later.
Since this was actually two races (5k first, then 10k) I’ll break down each by topic.
Difficulty:
5k was the hardest 5k I’ve ever done. Anyone familiar with the Psycho Wyco trail, this starts at the end and is an out-and-back though some serious elevation. Prepare for some quad burn, but on the way back, once you cross the large rock plateau it’s all downhill to the finish line, and with such a steep decent there’s some real speed to be gained there. Great course and a 5k that gives you a real feeling of accomplishment.
10k
3 miles (roughly) out and back along the start of the Psycho Wyco, with a turnaround at the best aid station I’ve seen in years, and on a trail race ever. Some challenging spots in the deeper mud and large loose rocks, but for the most part this is a smooth enough trail to get some speed on. Much easier than the 5k, but this one is after sunset, so you’ll need a light source.
Course Scenery
5k I think is quite nice in that the elevation provides some nice top-down views and a variety of trail types along this short course keep it interesting. The 10k is similar, with more stream/run-off crossings and of course a harder time seeing anything, as it is at night.
Race production.
5k The aid station was really at the perfect spot just past the turn around. Juice up and take a steep hill down before crossing a small field and getting back into the woods. I know it’s a trail race, so SWAG is limited, and/or a la carte, but I really feel like something major was missing with no medal here, especially since last time I ran that course it came with the exceptional medal of Psycho Wyco.
10k
The 10k we were told there’d be raccoons around the aid station, “just leave them alone.” When I saw the disco lights though the trees, I must admit a smile crossed my face, at which point I saw the raccoon balloons. Turn right just before the aid station, enjoy the music, go on about a 1 mile loop then return back to get your beverages and maybe enjoy a song or two. Whoever was playing DJ that night, great job with the high energy songs. Though the path back was shorter, it didn’t feel that way undertaking it, and the party at the end had some great pizza and drinks waiting on everyone, even the very last people to finish. I had to go back to my car to charge my dead phone, so I didn’t get a chance to enjoy as much of the party as I’d like, so sorry to my trail buddies that we didn’t get to exchange strava, in case you’re reading this. What was NOT waiting for me at the end was a medal though, so I got another sticker. Not even a different sticker for the 2-race challenge. Great party folks, but sorry, “three shoes” is as high I can give production when there’s no SWAG.