While there was pavement in the beginning, there was more trail than I expected. It was mostly packed gravel so not too bad, but there were also more hills than … MORE
While there was pavement in the beginning, there was more trail than I expected. It was mostly packed gravel so not too bad, but there were also more hills than I expected. I mistakenly followed the runners in front of me just after passing the second water station, and we all made a right turn that went straight uphill, adding another 400ish ft of elevation and another half mile to the already tough run. There were 5 water stations, which probably would have been fine if the weather were a bit cooler. At least the water and Gatorade were cold every time! I managed to finish, but it was a struggle with the heat and humidity. An angel of a volunteer brought me a full bottle of water, and another gave me an almost frozen one and refilled it for me. So thankful for them!! Nice shirt and medal, and even though they were putting things away by the time I finished, the volunteers went and grabbed me water and snacks.
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Hilly, hot, humid!
While there was pavement in the beginning, there was more trail than I expected. It was mostly packed gravel so not too bad, but there were also more hills than … MORE
While there was pavement in the beginning, there was more trail than I expected. It was mostly packed gravel so not too bad, but there were also more hills than I expected. I mistakenly followed the runners in front of me just after passing the second water station, and we all made a right turn that went straight uphill, adding another 400ish ft of elevation and another half mile to the already tough run. There were 5 water stations, which probably would have been fine if the weather were a bit cooler. At least the water and Gatorade were cold every time! I managed to finish, but it was a struggle with the heat and humidity. An angel of a volunteer brought me a full bottle of water, and another gave me an almost frozen one and refilled it for me. So thankful for them!! Nice shirt and medal, and even though they were putting things away by the time I finished, the volunteers went and grabbed me water and snacks.
Hot, Humid, and Hilly
The elevation chart didn't look that bad, but somehow the combination of packed gravel trails and the humidity really killed me. The last third of the race that looked like … MORE
The elevation chart didn’t look that bad, but somehow the combination of packed gravel trails and the humidity really killed me. The last third of the race that looked like a downhill, just did not feel like a downhill. Maybe if the temps were in the 60’s it may have helped. I had lots of water and gatorade on course, and good snacks at finish line.
Hillier than You Think
This course kind of ate me up. It started with a nice downhill for the first 1.5 miles (which I took full advantage of) then turns on to the Katy … MORE
This course kind of ate me up. It started with a nice downhill for the first 1.5 miles (which I took full advantage of) then turns on to the Katy Trail. This trail is nice and flat with chipped gravel. It was a beautiful stretch through the woods, listening to birds, creeks, and the river. At about 6 miles you split off to Hamburg Trail which is terrain that seems to have been driven on by vehicles so you are running on the crowned top of the center or in a rut. This last 6 miles is a lot of up and down. After about mile 8 the lovely MO heat and humidity got to me along with the hills. There were only 5 water stops on the route (thankfully I had my camel pack) and no restrooms, except for the 7 port-a-potties they had at the beginning (NOT enough for the number of people there). I came in at the middleish of the pack and they were already out of gatorade at the finish, water was minimally cool. Shirts and medals were nice.
nice race along the Katy trail
I like this race because its close to home, not a destination race. Mostly flat along Katy trail but then you do some climbing up to Busch Wildlife center, which … MORE
I like this race because its close to home, not a destination race.
Mostly flat along Katy trail but then you do some climbing up to Busch Wildlife center, which is paved. It can be warm along here, not much shade. Finish at the Research Center. Plenty of parking too!