Tiblow Trot
Bonner Springs, KS
- 5 Miler, 5K, 2K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The annual Bonner Springs Rotary Club Tiblow Trot 5-mile run, 5K run/walk and 2K (1.24 miles) fun walk, takes place during Tiblow Days, Bonner Springs’ largest annual community festival. All funds raised go toward Bonner Springs High School scholarships, the Rotary’s Polio Plus Program to end Polio worldwide and other … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Aug 29):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 81 | 94 | 90 | 89 | 87 |
| L (°F) | 61 | 75 | 66 | 74 | 73 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Hills, swag and festival days
Word on the street was that this race was hilly. The rumors were true. Tiblow trot was full of challenging hills and straightforward directions in a mostly residential area. Runners … MORE
Word on the street was that this race was hilly. The rumors were true. Tiblow trot was full of challenging hills and straightforward directions in a mostly residential area. Runners can either partake in the 5 humid miles or 3.1 miles on a modified 5k route. Whichever route is chosen, runners will get a decent challenge and worthwhile run.
Arriving to the race early is critical as the race is part of the Tiblow Festival Days. There is no easy start line parking due to the multiple street closures for the festival activities (don’t get your hopes up high for immediate post-race celebrations, but more on that later). I parked a few blocks away in a business parking lot. I can’t imagine where everyone else parks, because there is no real central parking spot.
The race itself seemed relatively small. It is a summer race, but still I have come to expect bigger crowds for a race with prominent name recognition. I enjoyed the immediate downhill start through the unopened festival booths and Bonner Springs downtown. I’ve come to appreciate small town races and the unique flair they have to offer. We quickly left the fairgrounds and began a hilly venture into the residential area.
I can’t remember how many aids stations were on hand, but I do remember never getting lost thanks to the course monitors. They were attentive to the bibs and directed the 5-mile runners and 5k runners with ease. It’s a small pet peeve, but it bothers me when course monitors actively ask me my distance while directing traffic. Does my flushed red, sweaty face not give way that I am not in the mood to talk? So thank you to those volunteers that pay attention to the different bibs and/or seem are vocal enough to make the split known.
While the course is hilly, it was simplified by straight roads. I appreciate long stretches of road that I can maintain a steady pace and/or consistent intervals. It also helps to see the upcoming hills so I can strategize accordingly. Five miles is not the longest route, but it stills requires some forethought and the Tiblow Trot allowed me to plan ahead.
The downhill finish was a literal dash to the finish line as my running partner, jkelling, challenged me to the sprint. As good fortunate, and photography, would have it, we finished at the exact same chip time and synced our stride to cross the line. That finish line photo and chip time is probably one of my favorites of the year.
If you are hoping to partake in the Tiblow day festivities, be ready to wait around. The race is at 8am, but the food trucks and booths do not open until 11am, if they are ready. The ONE local coffee shop had a line around the block. We stuck around for lunch, but the lag between the race finish and waiting around killed some of the race vibe adrenaline.
Nonetheless, the swag and course make me want to do it again. The medal, included tshirt, and Tiblow Days theme were all tied together. I like when the marketing looks at all aspects of an events and creates a cohesive event. As a participant, it makes me feels that the race is part of the overall festival days and not just a random add-on.
I’ve had a lot of first-time races this year, and this is definitely one I would like to do again. The course is only used once a year, 5 miles is a good push deserving of a fresh, ice cold lemonade, and my love/hate relationship with hills seeks further stubbornness, wait, I mean redemption.
I love this little town 5-miler
This is a great race which kicks off the town's festival. There's a 5k and 5-miler option, and there are some hills out there to be sure. There was a … MORE
This is a great race which kicks off the town’s festival. There’s a 5k and 5-miler option, and there are some hills out there to be sure. There was a noticeable one before where the two courses diverged. 5k went right and did their thing, 5miler went up a pretty good size hill in front. The course was slightly altered this year, I heard due to construction, so that hill was missing. I do hope they bring it back. It reminded me very much of Hospital Hill where the 10 and half diverge. IYKYK on that one. The course is mainly in neighborhoods, finishing “downtown” The medal is nicely designed and the shirt was a soft cotton. There were, I believe, 3 aid stations on the course. There’s only one coffee shop in town, so be prepared for a wait, but there are a ton of great vendors out at the festival for food choices or a souvenir.
Hills, hills, hills
This course was mainly a loop with a little loop of about a mile attached to it. Nice and hilly with some real doozies in there, but gorgeous scenery and … MORE
This course was mainly a loop with a little loop of about a mile attached to it. Nice and hilly with some real doozies in there, but gorgeous scenery and the overcast day made it more than tolerable. Enough interspersed trees that there would have been shade if it was nasty outside. The metal is nicely designed and the cotton t-shirt is comfortable. This race starts off a town festival that had tons of stands setting up along a couple of the streets downtown. I would have loved to stick around if I didn’t have other engagements. Will absolutely do this one again.