What is a Trail Nerd?

A trail nerd is a runner who loathes the pavement, does not let a little bad weather stop them, does not whine, and is always ready to help a fellow trail runner. They originate from Kansas City, then like little seeds, propogate in other areas. Wanna be a nerd? Just join one of our group runs.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Dogwood 25K / 50K - Day 1

After several trip to Dogwood Canyon and the help of many people including John Montgomery and Mike Baxter, the course had been worked out. and race weekend had arrived. Saturday (the day before the race) we started out by taking a load of race course signs to start marking the intersections.

The grounds crew had been clearing some sections and had 'fixed' the creek crossings. One in particular though was still very soft. The Arctic Cat 'Prowlers' had no problem, but our jeep sunk to the axles. This was the first of several exciting events awaiting us on the inaugural Dogwood 25K / 50K trail race, sponsored by North Face.
After many hours of setting signs and asking ourselves 'Have we marked it well enough so Lea would not get off course?' we headed back to the ranch.
On the way back, we spot a bald eagle perched in a tree just above 'Glory Hole'. That made the whole day worthwhile.
At dinner we wanted to get together to discuss logistics, but Dean was nowhere to be found. We figured he'd gone back to the hotel, he had started the day in Springfield getting the Tour De Bass (an inaugural bike ride) off and riding.
I pitched my tent, took off my wet boots and nodded off to the sounds of Endurance Planet's 'Breakaway Friday' which was entitled 'What was I thinking?'. The night was chilly, and the stars were bright.

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