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The Road to the Dirty Kanza

A year ago, our kids were camping with my folks so my wife and I decided to drive up to watch a couple of friends participate in the race. We were blown away. They literally shut down the entirety of Downtown of Emporia to cheer these riders on. There are food trucks, restaurants, beer stands, Mom and Pop retailers and pop-up booths with people pedaling their wares. Enthusiasm is electric and it trickles through to every person in attendance. That's what started me down this whole journey to the finish line of the Dirty Kanza.

After seeing the experience firsthand my interest was piqued. But I had no cycling experience outside of a bikepacking trip across the state in 2016. This was something that I could have easily passed over except my uncle in Georgia knew some fellow cyclists that were going to try to get into the lottery. (The DK is now so robust, they had to go to a lottery system and not everyone that wants to participate gets in.) They were all considering doing the 200 and I thought, “Well, I could do the 50.” He quickly put to rest that idea and quipped, “That anything worth doing is worth overdoing.” So with a sigh of resignation I decided I would attempt to sign up for the 100 mile race .

Registration opens in January and stays open for 2 weeks. When a highly anticipated email comes and tells you whether you're in or you're out, you quickly have to formulate a training plan. Over the course of the cold winters in Kansas I spent numerous hours in my basement cranking away on a spin bike purchased on Facebook marketplace, watching videos of English dudes coax me into one more painstaking interval. Then Spring rolls around and the weather is  not much different.

In Wichita, the Rage Against the Chainring series is a nice way to stretch your legs and get some actual wind in your face. That is never an understatement in Kansas. I participated in 3 out of the 4 races that were held. The first race in March started with snow flurries flying and a 25 mph headwind.  Progressing through the series was uncomfortable. I didn't know how to fuel during the race or how to pace myself, but each race got a little better.

Eventually in April, I put in my longest ride out of Pratt with the 100 km Open Range Gravel Race. The temperatures were warmer but the wind was relentless. After spending 6 hours on the bike and not feeling like I wanted to die I got an inkling that I could perform this race in June.

And that's where I'll wrap this up. I set out to do something hard. Something I didn't know that I could do. It wasdefinitely something I couldn't have done by myself. My family, friends and total strangers helped me accomplish a goal. That's what I encourage you to do.

Go pick out something hard to do. Find people that do what you want to try. They will be incredibly gracious with their time and advice. Whether you want to run a marathon or compete in the Crossfit Open or a triathlon…DO IT! Go sign up. Right now. Go find your tribe. I can't count the number of times people commented on my dumb donut cycling jersey or how often they mentioned they liked my ridiculous utility van. I found a community that I identify with and it feels great to be accepted.

Invest you valuable exercise hours with people. Sign up for a race, join a group class or find a running partner. You won’t regret it.

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Courtney Morse
Post by Courtney Morse
June 17, 2019

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