A Few Comments About the 2010 Race:
"You guys put on an amazing race! Best food & volunteers of any
race I've ever run!!" - Sheree Betta Reece
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"Ben & Sophia--
Thank you so much for ALL the hard work you put into
organizing this great race so we runners could come & have some tough fun!
It was a great course, very well marked, even to a newcomer like me. It included every type of challenge!
Thanks too to all your fantastic volunteers. They were not only highly efficient,
but friendly every time. Nothing better than reaching another aid station after a hard run.
Thanks, I had a great time!"
Brian Daldorph
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"What
a great race. The aid stations rocked, the volunteers were super helpful and the course was brutally wonderful......I will
def be back for more!" -Erin Hennessey
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"Thanks to all who made this race possible. This one put the hurt on me like
no other." - Steve Pollihan
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"Race Directors (Ben & Sophia),
Great job putting on the race as usual. The course was tough and a lot of fun, looking forward to Pysco Wyco winter
already, not really my legs are still killing me.
BTW - You did have an Irishman (and yes Irish Citizen) win the
15mile so you can add to the countries represented.
Thanks again for the great time,"
- Ken Moran (Winner of 15-miler)
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"Awesome race! Thanks for
organizing a great event. Those hills were brutal! Hope to see you guys out on the trails in Topeka sometime."
Thanks,
Brent
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"This was my first trail race (well, my first trail run, actually) and I enjoyed
it thoroughly! Keep up the good work and I'll see you next year!"
- Belinda Ambrose
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"This
was my first trail race, and it was awesome - I had a great time! The volunteers and aid stations were great. thank you so
much for putting this together and doing such a great job. I'll definitely be back!"
- Saskia
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"Hey you two. Just wanted to say thanks for putting on such a fun event. Even
though I came by myself, I definitely felt like I was amongst friends. Still waiting for that damn elusive sub 6!" -
Mark Inbody
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"I know I said this after the run on Saturday, but I wanted to make for sure you
heard it again...GREAT
RUN!!!
Thanks for organizing a great event and thanks to the Trail Nerds for
outstanding preparations before,
during and after the run. The aid stations
were well stocked and placed, providing much needed assistance at just the
right
times on the course. The volunteers were fantastic, supportive and full of
friendly cheers arriving to and
leaving from the stations. GREAT TRAIL!! I
loved every mile of the run. What a great way to start running trails and
complete my first 50k!
One final comment: ICE!!!! ICE!!! ICE!!! I never thought frozen H2O could be
such
an awesome treat. I will never look at ice again in the same way
or de-value the merits of cold water on a warm day
:-) I also appreciated the
water even more after getting to fill the containers before the run. Please let
me
know if you are ever running short on volunteers.
Thanks for the run!"
- Dan Thomason
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"I
ran in your race this past Saturday and it was awesome. It was cool running up and down the hills, climbing up a rope and
running through the mud. I have never had that much fun in any races before. Thanks again for you and everyone else whom helped
out on Saturday. It was a great event." - Chris Notestein
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"Terrific, and humbling event. Superb organization and execution by folks
who obviously love what they do. Glad to have been a part of it." - Jon O'Neil
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"WAS SO FUN UNBELIEVABLE
> Hope you all had fun as well!" - Jarod Reisin
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"Great race! Psyco Wyco annihilated me!!! Thanks race directors and volunteers
for an epic day!!! Good times."
- Matty J Mullins
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"What a CRAZY run! Thanks (SO MUCH) to all who organized, weed-whacked, volunteered
and supported. Was definitely the MOST difficult run of my life. Was my first trail run ever - what a challenge and quite
an emotional end for me. CHEERS to all psycho trail runners!" - Tracy Speiss
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"AWESOME race, swore I was
NEVER going to run another ultra again and it is a good thing no one was around to hear my language the last 1.2 miles (I
personally think they altered the route and added 10 more) but after a day went by I will definetly return! The volunteers
were amazing and I think I would still be out there if it werent for them!!! Thank you so much for putting on such a great
event!" - Michelle Elliott
And
yes, someone has to always complain:
haha! Labeled
as a complainer, eh? Now that you mention it there are a few items that need addressing....
Where were the ticks?
In previous years they have been a bit scarce, but I’m afraid they are approaching fabled status. Everyone talks about
them, but no one has actually seen one in years. Rumor has it that the course was rerouted to avoid a tick reintroduction
colony, so I’m cautiously optimistic that following years will improve, but know better than to count the ticks before
they hatch.
Much was made in the pre-race briefing about poison ivy awareness. What runners should be aware of
is that very little poison ivy remains on the course! I found it difficult to earn even a mild rash after many hours of effort.
One fallen log had poison ivy deliberately placed on it, but I’m afraid too many opportunities were missed and there
was a lack of overall suffering because of it.
Now, on to the most egregious offense….WATER! Why even bother
to have a run in the middle of summer if you are going to provide water around every turn? I could have carried a mouthful
of water between aid stations at some points! Where is the thrill of dehydration? Where are the water rationing and the fear
of running dry for hours? 10 water stations on a 15 mile loop? Are you mad? It’s like you were intentionally trying
to weigh runners down with water they couldn’t possibly drink before the next opportunity to refill…hmmm, perhaps
you are an evil genius?...
Finally, you are hampering the development of future runners and threatening the good
name of masochistic athletes everywhere. By staffing aid stations with experienced runners with all the supplies anyone could
need, you are preventing the next crop from learning the hard way! Paying for mistakes - GONE! Monday morning horror stories
- GONE! If this continues, you’ll have scores of average people romping around the woods having a good time –
with none of the ultra style pain and suffering. Is that really what you want? Seriously?
Joking aside -
I had a blast. It was not my best time for the course, but was my best time ON the course. Well done!
Thanks again!
Mark Stovall
