Free State Trail Ultras

Bad Ben's Trail Running Site

Free State Trail Runs

Design by Jason Crosby http://jasoncrosbyillustration.com

Mizuno Cabrakan
Free State Trail Runs
100-Kilometer & 40-Mile Trail Ultras
And 26.2-mile Trail Marathon

Saturday, April 24, 2010

4th annual

Photo by Rachel Seymour, Lawrence Journal World

Kyle Amos, 100-Km Course Winner in 2007

Race Details

Location: Clinton Lake State Park, in Lawrence, Kansas
40-miler & 100Km start: 7:00 AM, Marathon start: 8:00 AM

Loop course on rocky & hilly single-track trails.
Amenities: Food, gels, water and sports drink at the manned aid stations. Post race meal, regular and vegan. Post-race showers will be available right next to the race finish area, this year. Nicely-designed, technical event shirts & unique finisher's "hardware." The marathon and 40-mile finishers get custom medals, and the 100-Km finishers get a custom-made pewter belt buckle. Camping and showers are available within the State Park.
Prizes for age group winners.
Race Director: Ben Holmes 816-810-0440

Photo by Rachel Seymour, Lawrence Journal World

Registration is Now Open!

There is NO additional charge for online registration:

Click on RaceIt Logo to Register

There is NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE for Online Registration

Current 2010 Participant's list

If you want to request a snail-mail entry form, email me.

See the Group Site, with updates about the race.

You can join this group here:

Please ask for "discount codes" for active service members and coaches, for online entry.

We cannot have a total field of runners higher than 200 participants, due to an agreement with the Trail Steward. We completely agree with this policy and will abide by it. Thank you for your understanding. Every Trail Nerd Ultra event this past year has filled-up prior to race day, so register early.

23 states were represented in the 2009 entrants' tally: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OK, PA, TX, WA, WI.

Mizuno Cabrakan Ultra Trophy Series

Brief Description:

Loop course on rocky, rooty, and hilly trails. 100%single-track trails.

Time limit: 17 hours for 100K and for the 40-Mile. Estimated Participants: 200+.

4th Annual. Amenities: Hot showers nearby and post-race food.

Entry Fees:

100-Kilometer (3 Loops) - $60 until Apr 1, $80 until Apr 12, $100 until April 20.
40-Mile (2 Loops) - $60 until Apr 1, $80 until Apr 12, $100 until April 20.
Trail Marathon - $60 until Apr 1, $80 until Apr 12, $100 until April 20.

Finisher's

The marathon and 40-mile finishers will get a custom medal, and the 100-Km finishers will get a custom-made pewter belt buckle. The 100K Relay finishers will get a special group finisher's award.

T-shirts

All participants will receive a nicely-designed "technical" t-shirt.

Course(s)

The marathon is one very-large 26.2-mile loop. The 40-mile course consists of two 20+ mile loops. The 100-Km course is three 20+ mile loops. Map of Courses.

Trails

The course is held on 100% single-track trails. There is no pavement. More.

Nearest Airport

Kansas City International Airport, Missouri (MCI) is a short 1-hour drive away. Map and directions.

Packet Pickup

Packet Pickup will be at Garry Gribbles Running Sports, (839 Massachusettes St, Lawrence, KS) from Noon to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 23, 2010. There will also be late packet pickup on race day at the start/finish area, one hour prior to your race.

Additional Information

Courses are on unpaved, 100% single-track trails, with rocks, exposed roots and beautiful woods; mostly shaded. Note: A large portion of the 2009 race’s net proceeds will go to the Kansas Trails Council exclusively for the Clinton North Shore Trails "Friends of the Trail" Fund. If you would like to donate more to the fund, please write a check for race day to "Friends of the Trail Fund."

There will be plenty of aid along the course, but we must insist (for your safety) that you carry a water bottle or hydration system with you. You will be disqualified for not carrying such.

There will be no cups at the aid stations (other than for hot soup or hot drinks), so you will need to have something (other than your hands or mouth) to put the water into.

Sustainabilty issues are a part of our mission statement. We are dedicated to reducing waste and recycling as much as is currently possible.

Final Race Instructions

Race Day Start Times

40-miler & 100Km start: 7:00 AM, Marathon start: 8:00 AM

Show up on race day about 1-hour prior to your race’s start time. Please check-in at the registration table.

Race Bibs

We print our own Tyvek race bibs. Please pin them to the FRONT of you somewhere, so that they are VISIBLE. This race is not chip-timed, so we will need to see your bib number, to have an accounting of you in the results.

Cut-off Time

In the interest of your safety, there will be a 10:30 p.m. cut-off time for the Army Corp of Engineer's (KUS) Aid Station. That last 9 miles is a real bugger, and completing it will take you longer than a 5 MPH pace, at that point in the race. We will drive you back to the start/finish area, if you are past the cut-off time. There is also a cut-off at 10 p.m. at the aid station prior to the KUS station.

No Cups! A Hydration Device is Required Equipment

There will be plenty of aid along the course, but we must insist (for your own safety) that you carry a water bottle or hydration system with you. You will be disqualified for not carrying such.

There will be no cups at the aid stations (other than for hot soup or hot drinks), so you will need to have something (other than your hands or mouth) to put the water into.

Sustainabilty issues are a part of our mission statement. We are dedicated to reducing waste and recycling as much as is currently possible.

Aid Stations:
There will be 3 staffed aid stations along the course. There will also be at least three un-staffed aid stations. You will travel no more than 3-1/2 miles between aid stations. But keep in mind, that distance on the trail can take much longer than on pavement.

The aid station volunteers are very experienced ultra-runners, and are there to help you. If you are having a problem of some kind, just ask an aid station volunteer for a potential solution. They may be able to help you. Make sure you are checked in at each aid station (have your number visible on your front side), for they will record your number and time into the station. Limited first aid will be available at the stations as well as bug repellent, Vaseline, and sunscreen.

The staffed stations will have the following food and drink:
Water
SUCCEED Ultra (orange flavored)
Coke, Mt. Dew
Pretzels, Crackers, Cookies, Chips
Fruit, such as bananas, watermelon, canteloupe
Electrolytes: SUCCEED!
They may also have coffee, potatoes, sandwiches, candy, soup and other assorted food for runners and pacers. Remember: If you carry a cup or bowl out of an aid station please carry it to the next station. Ice will be typically be available at staffed aid stations.

Drop bags:
Drop bags are only allowed for the 40-Mile and 100-K races. At the morning check-in you will be given the opportunity to leave 2 drop bags, one for the start/finish area and one which will be transported to the Army Corp of Engineer’s (KUS) aid station out on the course. Write your name, and bib number onto each bag. These two locations will give you access to your bags at ten mile intervals, which should be about perfect. You should have a flashlight or headlamp stashed in both locations, for your personal safety when dusk falls. You will have to pick-up your drop bag from the Army Corp of Engineer’s (KUS) aid station yourself, after the race.

Please keep these bags down to a reasonable size, and secure or pad any "breakable" items. No ice chests larger than 6-pack size. Absolutely no styrofoam coolers. Rule of thumb: A large drop bag should be no larger than a large shoe box, and weigh no more than 6 lbs. Any bags left at the race will be discarded, or the items contained within will be given to charity.

Trail Markings:
The course is marked with yellow signs that will tell you "right turn," "left turn," "straight ahead," and "wrong way." We will mark the course with ground flags and or ribbons at important intersections or turns. Care must be taken when crossing roadways!

Flashlights or headlamps WILL BE REQUIRED to navigate the trails at night. Each runner/pacer should plan accordingly. Backup batteries or flashlights are important.

Yes, the Trail Nerds are a GeNerdous bunch!

The Trail Nerds give back more than labor to the trails. We also give our $$$. So far in 2009, we have given $1500 to trail advocacy groups. One thousand dollars of funding alone went back into the North Shore Trails in Lawrence (through an ear-marked donation to the Kansas Trails Council), up from $528 that we gave the year prior, and $383 that we gave in 2007. Many of the improvements that you see out there were funded by the Trail Nerds Association. In addition, we have given $500 to ERTA (so far in 2009), toward their trail maintenance and trail building concerns. View the letters.

MCI (KC International)

Map to Start / Finish area below:

Hotels & Accommodations

Photo by Dick Ross, www.seekcrun.com

You can count on S!Caps and ULTRA Sportsdrink being at all of our staffed aid stations.

Jason Crosby Illustration

Dr Jesse Walden, DC (Active Release Techniques)

The Trail Marathon:
Running a marathon on a trail is a wonderful experience. It is much different than running a marathon on the road, though. Your overall time will be slower, so don't count on a hyper-fast Boston Qualifier. The "perceived" time will fly by faster though, because there is so much beauty to take in, and you will be busy "picking your best line" on the trails. If you are a first-time trail marathoner, we have some information for you about trailrunning available here.

The marathon starts at 8:00 am, an hour later than the Ultra-distance events. The marathon course has some additional features, (in addition to using the "Ultra-loop" course). For instance, you will go up Beacon Hill and have the best view of the lake and surrounding landscape. This truly is a beautiful course!

No Cups!

There will be plenty of aid along the course, but we must insist (for your safety) that you carry a water bottle or hydration system with you. You will be disqualified for not carrying such.

There will be no cups at the aid stations (other than for hot soup or hot drinks), so you will need to have something (other than your hands or mouth) to put the water into. Sustainabilty issues are a part of our mission statement.

We are dedicated to reducing waste and recycling as much as is currently possible.

The Ultra-Distance events: Why a 40-miler or a 100-Kilometer distance Ultra? Why not?
Many aspiring ultra-distance runners would like to move up in distance from a 50K to a 50-miler, but want to run an "in-between distance" first. The same goes for runners who have finished a 50-mile run, but would like to move up to the 100-mile distance. There just aren't enough in-between distance ultras to run "out there," especially ultras that are on 100% technical single-track trails. It would also be nice if these in-between ultras were positioned in the Spring, prior to some of the popular 50 and 100-mile races. It would also be nice if these races were close to a major airport, thus eliminating the need for long drives in rental cars for out-of-towners. Hence, the idea for the Free State Trail Ultras was hatched and implemented.

Kyle Amos, a talented local trail and ultrarunner veteran came up with the idea, and we discussed it on a Thursday night trail run. One week later, we gathered our forces and put together the pieces to the race in earnest. We already knew where and on what trails...the North Shore Trails of Clinton Lake, Kansas. We've had a plan on the back-burner to do an ultra event there (for years), but we needed an event that was worthy of the North Shore Trails. This is it!

It also helps that the race is in Lawrence, Kansas. Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas, is the most cosmopolitan small town in this part of the Midwest. It's just a short 50-minute drive from Kansas City International Airport (MCI). Some major U.S. poets, authors, and artists have lived, retired, and died here in Lawrence. There are entertainment options galore. There are fine hotels, B & B's, restaurants, bakeries, and brewpubs. You can even camp near the race start/finish area, with showers available, after the race. What more could a runner want? How about decent aid stations, with freshly-made food items, and staffed by experienced ultrarunners? We've got it!

The Course:
The Free State Ultra Trail Run is run on a 21-mile loop course in Clinton State Park, Lawrence, Kansas. (The Marathon Course is run on the same course, but includes the Sander's Mound and Bunker Hill trails with views of the Clinton Lake). The park is very close to the city of Lawrence. The course consists of two trails, the faster "Blue" trail and the more technical "White" trail. (These trails are marked with blue and white blazes on the trees). These (heavily-wooded) trails are 100% single-track trails, with all that that entails: rocks, roots, hills, and potential water crossings. The hills are not too steep or tall, but after 39 or 59 miles, they may appear to have grown, somewhat.

Flashlights or headlamps WILL BE REQUIRED to navigate the trail at night. Remember that with the shade of the wooded course, it is darker after dawn and darker before sunset than on an open course. Each runner/pacer should plan accordingly. Backup batteries or flashlights are important. This is the only real safety rule of the race, other than picking your feet up when you run, and not running into solid tree trunks.

The 40-Mile race consists of two complete loops and the 100 Kilometer race is three-loops of the race course. The course time limit has been set to correspond to the time limit given to both race's participants. This allows the volunteers to break down the aid stations based on a single time for all runners. We will allow 17 hours to complete the 40-Mile race, and 18 hours to complete the 100 Kilometer race. This is ample time to finish both of these distances for a reasonably-fit runner who wants to take that "step beyond" marathoning, 50-Km or 50-Mile runs. These race distances are the perfect stepping stones to your first 50-Mile or 100-Mile trail runs.

It will be our official policy that any runner not making a cut-off time with be pulled from the course for purposes of safety and course logistics. Race Management also reserves the right to pull a runner for "other" reasons. We appreciate your help and understanding with this policy.

There will be a "40-Mile dropout option" for runners that have "bit-off more than they can chew" with the 100-Km race. You will receive a 40-Mile finisher's award, but your results will not count in the 40-Mile age group or positional awards. This eliminates this as a 40-mile-Ninja-stealth-devious race strategy, for those so inclined...we're sure that you understand.

Race Bibs

Cut-off Time

In the interest of your safety, there will be a 10 p.m. cut-off time for the Army Corp of Engineer's Aid Station. That last 10 miles is a real bugger, and completing it will take you longer than a 5 MPH pace, at that point in the race. We will drive you back to the start/finish area, if you are past the cut-off time.

No Cups! A Hydration Device is Required Equipment

There will be plenty of aid along the course, but we must insist (for your own safety) that you carry a water bottle or hydration system with you. You will be disqualified for not carrying such.

There will be no cups at the aid stations (other than for hot soup or hot drinks), so you will need to have something (other than your hands or mouth) to put the water into.

Sustainabilty issues are a part of our mission statement. We are dedicated to reducing waste and recycling as much as is currently possible.

The aid station volunteers are there to help you. Make sure you are checked in at each aid station (have your number visible on your front side), for they will record your number and time into the station. Limited first aid will be available at the stations as well as bug repellent, Vaseline, and sunscreen.

The staffed stations will have the following food and drink:
Water
SUCCEED Ultra (orange flavored)
Coke, Mt. Dew
Pretzels, Crackers, Cookies, Chips
Fruit, such as bananas, watermelon, canteloupe
Electrolytes: SUCCEED!
They may also have coffee, potatoes, sandwiches, candy, soup and other assorted food for runners and pacers. Remember: If you carry a cup or bowl out of an aid station please carry it to the next station. Ice will be typically be available at staffed aid stations.

Drop bags:
Drop bags are only allowed for the 40-Mile and 100-K races. At the morning check-in you will be given the opportunity to leave 2 drop bags, one for the start/finish area and one which will be transported to the Army Corp of Engineer’s (KUS) aid station out on the course. Write your name, and bib number onto each bag. These two locations will give you access to your bags at ten mile intervals, which should be about perfect. You should have a flashlight or headlamp stashed in both locations, for your personal safety when dusk falls. You will have to pick-up your drop bag from the Army Corp of Engineer’s (KUS) aid station yourself, after the race.

Pacers:
Pacers are allowed on the course for the last 20 miles of the 40-Mile race, and the last 40 miles of the 100-kilometer race. Pacers are not allowed to be a "pack mule" for their runner, and should be fairly self-sufficient. Pacers need not pay, but must sign the waiver and be issued a numbered pacer race bib. Pacers can enjoy all of the food/hydration/service of the aid stations, but must not be an "overbearing burden" upon the race organization (or their assigned runner). We reserve the right to pull any pacer who we deem as "burdensome" either to us or to their runner.

Dogs as Pacers:

We are a dog-friendly bunch, within reason. You can run with your (well-mannered) dog, but it must be on a leash, and you must not let it get entangled with another runner. Your dog will be issued a bib number that needs to be attached (with your name and cell # written on it with a sharpie). Your dog will be included in the official results, if you sign it in at the starting line. There is no additional cost to you. Please keep in mind that we won't allow any cruelty to animals, so you must attest to your dog's "trail conditioning." If it appears that your dog is heat-stressed or otherwise physically stressed or injured, we will ask you to pull out of the race and seek out veterinary help. Please provide water and food for your dog. You can refill your dog's water at the aid stations.

No Littering!

Littering on the course will not be tolerated and will result in removal from the race and the results.

Post-Race Meal
Upon completion of the race, participants (and one guest or crew member) can enjoy post-race food near the start/finish area. We will have burgers, black bean burgers, or chili available. If you bring more than one guest or crew member, they are welcome to enjoy post-race food for a $5 donation per person. The aid station table food is for PARTICIPANTS, ONLY.

Results

Since this is an event with an 18-hour time limit (that is over at midnight), please do not expect results to be posted online on the day of the race! Results will be available on the Free State web page, sometime on Sunday, April 26.

Important Phone Numbers

If you have a question DURING THE RACE, please call these numbers, instead of the race director’s number:

Volunteer Coordinator & Logistics Director (Sophia Wharton): 816-808-7758

Logistics, Transport, and Jack of All Trades: (Matt Holmes): 816-810-0442

Note: A large portion of the 2009 race’s net proceeds will go to the Kansas Trails Council exclusively for the Clinton North Shore Trails "Friends of the Trail" Fund. So the actual trail that you will be running on, will receive the funds from the race!

Map to Event from Lawrence

Trail Description

Lawrence, Kansas Links

Bad Ben's Trail Running Site