Well, we pulled-off another fun and successful Trail Nerd event.
There was a lot of mud, sweat and tears at the 2nd Annual Psycho Psummer Trail Runs and Psychopathic 5K trail run. The volunteers made it happen. I'll post a longer report, later. Until then, here are some race reports to read:
2008 Race Reports:
Tony "Semper Fast" Clark (50K male winner)
Chris Hoffman (50K)
Scott Giddings (50K)
Gregg Lynn (50K)
Coleen "Cynical MudBabe" Voeks (50K)
Sophia "MudStudMudBabe" Spencer (50K)
Mickey Woolard (50K)
Adam Monaghan (50K)
Laurie "Nerdo" Euler (50K)
Jim Megerson (50K)
FunkySpunkyPenguin (50K)
Scott Hill (50K)
John (15-Mile)
KC Stine (15-Mile)
Sarge (15-Mile)
Shane Jones (15-Mile)
Mark Stovall: Complaints
Mookie Thompson (first 50K): Thanks
Psycho Psummer 50K
Wyandotte County Lake Park
Kansas City, Kansas
July 5, 2008
Race Director's Race Report
Many ultra-newbies set their sights on Kansas to run a flat, fast “first 50K.” They enter our little race under the assumption that our race will deliver such. What they get is a challenging course with exceptional aid station help, who all have massive “ultra-cred.” Many of the runners, when they realize they’ve bitten off more than they can chew “go with the flow” and settle in to “just having fun” and “enjoying the ride.” Others take the challenging course head-on with a vengeance. Some do better than others in the attempt, but the course tends to be much kinder to those who have both trail and ultra race experience.
This year’s two-loop course was slightly different, and had another 600 feet of elevation change added. We figured that the 2007 Psycho Psummer course just wasn’t tough enough, so we had to eliminate a slightly flat section and add yet another hill. And it’s a beautiful hill, with a lush, jungle-like demeanor. People leaving Kyle and Stacy Amos’ aid station (with an Indiana Jones theme) tended to love this section. Our other staffed aid station out on the course was manned by Pat Perry, who had just completed the Bighorn 100 with Kyle Amos. He had set-up a portable shower set up to cool-off runners, and had some other wondrous goodies in his bag of tricks to encourage a fabulous finish from every passing runner.
The men’s race had some decent competition. Tony “Semper Fast” Clark, just back from also running the Bighorn 100 two weeks prior, ran with Gregg Buehler for a while on the first loop. Tony ran at a smart and consistently strong pace to finish first in 4:33, a course record (for this new course). Randy Myers slipped by Gregg and hammered-in to finish second, with Buehler finishing slightly behind in third.
The fun race to watch was in the female division. Ultra veteran Beth Seuferer was running a smart race, trailing ultra-newbie Margaret Drew. Margaret ran the first loop at a breakneck pace. She was worried about another competitor that was nipping at her heels. What she didn’t know was that same competitor was planning to drop at just one loop. So she headed out on the second loop like gangbusters, and had a gastro-intestinal crash landing at Pat’s aid station (where he nursed her back to running health, eventually). Beth and (ultra-newbie) Cheri Fine would end up passing her, but all of them would be passed, as well. Jonette Killmar, one of our local Trail Nerd “Mud Babes,” is a veteran on this course and many other tough ultras. This Mud Babe is strong! She ran as consistent as a human metronome, and clinched a record-setting first place finish. Beth took second ahead of last year’s winning time, also. Cheri Fine had a great “first ultra,” and still looked fresh (albeit slightly muddy) while finishing third.
We love this park, and we love the folks who come to race in it. It’s just way too much fun, showing-off our little piece of Kansas Trail Heaven!
Happy trails,
Bad Ben
Somebody always has to complain…
Trail Nerds,
Lest you get a big head from another fine race....I thought I'd issue some complaints.
1. I only found two ticks on my person, both of them small and more interested in hitching a ride than feasting on my blood.
2. The aid stations were entirely too well staffed and stocked. Given the number of runners that turned out for a post-holiday run, I was counting on supplies running out.
3. The mud was only shin deep at best. The addition of the fresh horse manure was a nice touch, I'll give you that, but it was not of a sufficient volume to make up for the modest quantity of mud.
4. The temperatures were much too pleasant. I know you can't control the weather, but maybe you should consider rescheduling the event if the forecasted heat index is below triple digits.
Sunday, I felt great with a total lack of burning urinary pain. I feel cheated!
Begrudgingly healthy,
Mark Stovall
Blue Springs, MO
Mark,
Your complaints are duly noted.
1. You can blame Tony Clark (1st Place finisher in the 50K) for the lack of ticks, AKA "Arachnid Americans." Tony picked-up a lot of hitch-hikers, (being one of the first runners to fly through the course). A couple of them were big enough that they bullied me into giving them finisher's medals!
2. We tried our best to run out of fruit, food, water, ice, and electrolytes at our over-stocked and well-staffed aid stations. Our volunteers were shoving all kinds of crap into the runners' mouths in a valid effort, (but vain attempt, nonetheless). Our solution: Next year there will be a "mouth size requirement" for any runners entered in the 50K event.
3. Lack of mud was a problem. Next year, we're going to stage a long-distance horse event on the same day, and have the Chinese Army help with cloud-seeding operations prior to the race. Six inches of rain just wasn't enough, this year.
4. If the temps aren't high enough for next year, we have an action plan. We'll initiate our "Harrison Bergeron Handicapper Standard." Any athlete that is not wearing a thick winter parka will be considered to be under–handicapped, and should be regarded as "extremely dangerous," and will be disqualified immediately.
Happy trails,
Bad Ben Holmes
Race Director
James Barker, course volunteer extraordinaire adds:
“What exactly are you doing on the trails to anticipate suffering from a “burning urinary pain”? And, more importantly, who are you doing it with?”
Results for 2008:
15-Miler and 50-Kilometer Events
5K Event
2008 Photos:
Dick Ross Photography
More Dick Ross Photos
Gary Henry's Website (w/photos)
