KUS Rockin K Trail Runs

Kanopolis State Park, KS, April 7, 2001

Results courtesy of the Kansas Ultrarunners' Society.

The Rockin K Trail Runs

The third version of the Rockin' K started with the weather worrying me yet again. After a very nice week with temperatures in the 50's and no wind, pre-race Friday started warm, humid and with the weather service promising severe storms and heavy rain. Remembering last year I took a boat and ropes to Alum Creek, no swimming this year, come hell or high water!! The promised thunderstorms arrived with a howling 70mph wind and a light shower Friday night. Amazingly the sky then cleared to a full moon night and the wind died to a more manageable 30mph by the start. Alum creek stayed ankle deep. The runners started out fast with Marc Friesen and Todd Nott hammering ahead of both the 50milers and marathon field. Molly Gibb led the 50-mile women and Joyce Prusaitis was followed closely by Theresa Wheeler in the marathon. By the time the runners reached the manned aid station at 20k it was becoming quite warm. Many folks found they had seriously overdressed for the day and most water bottles were empty on arrival. Potatoes and salt were hits at the manned aid station.

Everybody ran the 3.9-mile out and back dirt road section, refilled their bottles for the trek in to the marathon finish\50 mile second loop start. 50 milers Marc, Todd, and Kevin Guest led the field to the marathon\50 turnaround; Dan Winston was the fourth runner through, and the Marathon winner! This has been the case in all three versions of the Rockin' K, the marathon winner was chasing the 50 mile guys at the turnaround. In the womens marathon Joyce and Theresa left the manned aid station 15 seconds apart. Joyce was able to lengthen this to six minutes to finish in 4:30:51. Joyce and Theresa both ran under the old marathon record with Joyce resetting it.

As of this year only two runners that have left on the second loop for the 50 have failed to finish. Unfortunately only half of the 50 milers started the second loop. This is consistent with the previous two years. The easy marathon finish coupled with chili and beer at the aid station seems to take a toll on the second lap runners. In the second loop of the 50mile Marc was ahead of Todd by two minutes and about 30 on Kevin Guest. He increased this to 20 minutes at the manned aid station and finished in 7:55:56. Molly Gibb and Nancy Davis were the womens 50-mile field after the second loop start. Molly cruised through the second loop and finished in 9:57:41 resetting her record from last year by ten minutes! Many of the later marathon finishers and the 50-mile runners were showing the effects of the temperature by the finish. It was a tough day for the runners, with exceptional performances by Molly, Joyce and Theresa to all run under the old course records.

I have always had a mule option for the second loop in the 50 mile, I am glad to report that once again nobody took it. Three years running and no mules. I also would like to report that this year nobody went off trail, but I would be a lying SOB if I did. Those of you that know me realize that the run would not be quite the same without a lot of work by Stacy. The parts that would not be the same include, but are not limited to, food, water, information, aid stations, volunteers, permits, communications,.........in fact if I were left to my own devices there would probably be very little past a couple of old 2-liter coke bottles filled with water stashed on the trail. If any of you think I am joking, ask any KUS member that went to the Grand Canyon last year, they will testify to my total lack of organization when Stacy is not keeping me straight. So, thanks first to Stacy and then to all of the others that volunteered. I hope to see all of you again next year or on some other trail.

- - Phil Sheridan, RD

50 Mile

Place Name Gender Age City/State Time 1 Marc Friesen M 26 North Newton,KS 7.55.56 2 Kevin Guest M 32 REA,MO 9.42.06 2 Eric Steele M 35 Wichita,KS 9.42.06 4 Bob Woods M 50 Baldwin,KS 9.43.43 5 Molly Gibb F 39 Oklahoma City,OK 9.57.41 ! 6 Chuck Stodter M 43 Emporia,KS 10.15.51 7 Bill Smith M 53 Liberty,MO 10.33.47 8 Jim Davis M 59 Burns, KS 12.10.55 * 9 Nancy Davis F 49 Burns, KS 12.12.15 *

! New course record * Finished over the 12 hour cutoff 17 Started

50 Milers opting for Marathon finish *

1 Todd Nott M 36 Plattsmouth,NE 3.39.00 2 Randy Albrecht M 45 Wichita,KS 4.07.31 3 Bob Lufkin M Manhattan,KS 4.57.16 4 Rex Friend M Oklahoma City,OK 5.47.56 5 Buddy Jones M 63 Oklahoma City,OK 5.58.30 6 Long Vu M 51 Oklahoma City,OK 6.00.12 7 David Dinkel M 52 Olathe,KS 6.21.01 8 Kim Westerman F 39 Pueblo West,CO 6.32.14

* Not eligible for marathon awards or course records

Trail Marathon, 26.97 Miles

1 Dan Winston M 40 Ellsworth,KS 4.03.24 2 Doug Laufer M Palmer Lake,CO 4.19.34 3 Joe Prusaitis M 46 Austin,TX 4.25.54 4 Joyce Prusaitis F 44 Austin,TX 4.30.51 ! 5 LeRoy Dahlke M 52 Riceville,IA 4.31.20 6 Theresa Wheeler F 34 Wichita,KS 4.36.54 7 Tim Byrnes M 54 Wichita,KS 4.42.34 8 Kevin Wahaus M 40 Leavenworth,KS 4.46.37 9 John Peppiatt M 41 Ellsworth,KS 4.50.52 10 Mike Bishop M 44 Lincoln,KS 4.57.16 11 Chuck Streit M 56 Stillwater,OK 5.14.22 12 Chuck Zeugner M 41 Austin,TX 5.18.10 13 Scott Bishop M 29 Wichita,KS 5.25.52 14 Mel Hull M 37 Fort Riley,KS 5.29.58 15 Larry Lyon M 40 Blue Springs,MO 5.33.09 16 Ralph Steit M 43 Downs,KS 5.38.29 17 Hajime Nishi M Tokyo, Japan 5.39.39 18 James Branson M 44 Aspen,CO 5.40.43 19 Joan Klug F Odin,KS 5.47.31 20 Chris Chandler F 45 Austin,TX 5.51.47 21 Tom Lasater M 44 Wichita,KS 5.55.32 22 Carmen Eichman F 37 Manhattan,KS 6.20.12 23 Rich Golden M 54 McPherson,KS 6.22.34 24 Heather Schuerman F 24 Lenexa,KS 6.32.23 25 April Hudson F 28 Overland Park,KS 8.13.47 25 Jennifer May F 29 Wichita,KS 8.13.47 27 Kathryn Gaeddert F Newton,KS 8.16.34 28 Sheryl Baker-East F Wichita,KS 8.16.35

! New course record 28 Started