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Prairie Sprit Fall Classic

Guest Author 11/20/2014
Guest Author 11/20/2014

by Matthew Perkins

The man’s hands tremble slightly upon his face, as he bows his body with arms on knees. There is no crying, no grimace of pain. Those have been shed over the long miles he has traveled. Sweat and salt-stained skin are his reward. And as he steadies himself upright, the last remnants of weakness abandon him.

The delicate combination of misguided exuberance, shiny awards, and celebration of a humbly accepted gift led me to ultrarunning. The latter is my impetus for running. All other elements prove less valuable and fall by the wayside, as pain is juxtaposed with spiritual awareness during a Saturday of fog and bright blue sky that was the Prairie Spirit Trail Fall Classic 50 Mile race.

Nervous energy battles with nature’s calm, dark morning as uniquely-crafted athletic bodies move toward the line. It is not the start, but the beginning of the end of months of training, procrastination, injury, and courage. Ten seconds of foreplay are more than enough before we plunge into what we believe we know, but are soon aware of which we know very little. There is no abstract thought to take my mind off what lies ahead. In fact, there is no focused thought at all. I spend five miles recalibrating for the unknown. It is foolish to jump into the ocean while wondering how to swim…unless you are a shark. Unfortunately, there are no mirrors for the shark to look into for confirmation – only nature’s assurance of an environment in which it belongs.

The light from my flashlight rebounds off the morning fog, but my legs pay no attention. Forward into the dark, I run alone. I am ill-prepared for the miles and pain awaiting me, but I am fully prepared to accept both. It is a concept easier said than done, as I will quickly discover. A mere 15 miles after we start, a hiccup: my right knee begins to tighten, and then feel weak. It is not my foot, which was broken over a year ago. It is not my left knee, which was strained a few weeks ago. It is not my mental strength, which is regularly defeated – something new…and unwelcomed.

Over the course of 12 additional miles I run with an altered gait, straying from a form as flexible as an oak tree. It hurts, to put it simply. It hurts badly. Aid stations provide the water with which I wash down the energy gel and salt tablet medicine. Apple provides the musical distraction. But none of this can overcome what I know lies ahead – untested pain. No, untested grit!

Through town and fields I run, just like everyone else. We are all on the same course, but with unique experiences, and toward unique ends. For some it is the finish line or a sticker on the car. For others, it is a battle with a private demon. For me, the end is unknown. Twenty-seven miles I ran to stand inside a building, to eat a snack and drink flat Coke: A warrior’s meal. But with a single step, my knee falters. Unbeknownst to the volunteers, I fall onto the bench. My mind is racing, determined to figure out a way to overcome what is a seemingly insurmountable obstacle…a leg that refuses to work. I am offered ibuprofen…I take four. And with an embarrassingly ugly limp, I return to the course.

Perspective is my enemy. But the enemy does not realize that while my body looks vanquished, my mind is hidden behind it, giving me strength that cannot be refuted. I grit my teeth, and I pray. Why I don’t pray for my knee to be healed, I don’t know. I pray to be a better person, to be the man God wants me to be. I pray for my family. I grit my teeth…and I just pray.

The man’s chin shakes and energy moves up from his feet and legs, past his hands and chest, and smashes into his face. The wave crests over the edge and emotion floods into a new state of being. And he begins again.

It was only 15 minutes ago I couldn’t walk. Now, I was running. There is no pain. There is humble joy. There is now a race! My hips begin to move in a way they have not before. If it was a dance, it would be laughable. This is not a dance, this is running. My head begins to bob back and forth and images of a Paula Radcliff appear. The form is ugly, un-scripted, and strangely natural. With each step I feel strong…not stronger, but just strong. I don’t take credit for the transformation, for it was because of something much greater than me. Perhaps the medicine was the element, but God is the reason. I know people will discount my dramatics, saying the emotions of such a trial and tribulation cause a distortion of reality. I don’t care. I believe.

One might imagine the miles to just fly by, but for me they did not. Looking ahead on the Prairie Spirit Trail is like looking over Lake Michigan – you cannot see the other side, but you know it is there…somewhere…miles and miles away. I run now with greater ease of mind than I have in months. But now I run with purpose. I have been given a wonderful gift, the ability to run, and I intend to celebrate it. Over the immaculate trail, across a bridge, and past a farmhouse I continue to run. I am a hip-swiveling man! I keep reminding myself where I am place-wise does not matter. Finishing strong is what matters. It matters right up to the point where second place is in my grasp.

Through a final aid station I take in more medicine and set off for the final seven miles. Time is against me. To finish less than eight hours will be decided now. I decide I don’t care…as much. No more music, no more daydreaming. Pure focus reigns supreme. Energy gels and water fuel my body, but faith fuels my resolve. I am running 50 miles today. I AM RUNNING 50 MILES!

The course has a little less than two miles to brutalize me with its pancake flat hills and bright blue sky. I am gently reminded of my knee again, nearly falling with pain. I grit my teeth and hobble back into a slow run. Again I stumble. But again I bear down, gather up all the anger and happiness, pain and ability, and run. Across the trail, turn the corner, under the bridge, past the back of a semi-trailer, over the concrete, and into view of those beautiful orange cones. I see a child sitting on a chair, ringing the warning bell…another runner has come home.

The man stands at the end, no different than when he started, but more aware of who he is. The purity to his new reality has already settled in, and a new balance must be struck. What might seem like bad timing, can be perfect timing. What might seem like bad luck, can be great luck. And what might seem like an absence of grace, can be grace manifested in both timing and luck.

“Get off my timing mat!”  The words to begin a new chapter…

Results

Saturday, Oct 25, 2014

Ottawa , KS

50km

Place Age Gender Gender Place First Name Last Name Time City State
1 29 M 1 David Cox 3:44:21 Ottawa KS
2 49 M 2 Michael Pfannenstiel 4:39:12 Olathe KS
3 27 F 1 Jill Becker 4:48:09 Sioux City IA
4 33 F 2 Kodi Panzer 4:50:27 Marion KS
5 35 M 3 Scott Hill 4:52:15 Wichita KS
6 39 M 4 Ryan Stansfield 4:54:02 San Diego CA
7 39 F 3 Jennifer Arrowsmith 4:54:02 San Diego CA
8 51 M 5 Dann Fisher 4:58:03 Manhattan KS
9 44 F 4 Francene Johnson 5:16:58 Joplin MO
10 28 M 6 Cody Cunningham 5:23:16 Columbia MO
11 39 M 7 Kris Marshall 5:23:46 Eatonton GA
12 44 M 8 Ciro Ortega 5:27:03 Overland Park KS
13 40 F 5 Beth Gulley 5:40:02 Paola KS
14 60 M 9 Steve Richards 6:03:29 Wichita KS
15 63 M 10 Bob Woods 6:10:34 Baldwin KS
16 30 M 11 Zach Shemon 6:14:35 Kansas City MO
17 54 M 12 Henry Yount 6:15:20 Fort Scott KS
18 41 F 6 Kim Brooks 6:19:15 Lenexa KS
19 44 F 7 Deb Anderson 6:24:09 Des Moines IA
20 45 M 13 Bruce Cameron 6:51:48 New Prague MN
21 54 M 14 David Killingsworth 6:59:03 Berryville AR
22 33 M 15 Tam Nguyen 7:01:20 Saint Louis MO
23 51 F 8 Tammy Wiemken 7:11:41 Springfield MO
24 38 F 9 Chandy Davidson 7:16:49 Kansas City MO
25 34 M 16 David Hoysm 7:16:54 Spring Hill KS
26 56 M 17 Mark Mannering 7:45:32 Green Valley AZ
27 69 M 18 Robert Dewar 7:49:20 Springfield MO
28 40 F 10 Julia Edwards 7:49:21 Galena MO
29 48 F 11 Loree Hoag 8:03:30 Lakewood CO
30 35 M 19 Chad Stadsvold 8:32:04 Sioux City IA
31 34 M 20 Bryan Lawson 8:32:28 Wdm IA
32 37 F 12 Billie Rhodes 8:33:10 Kansas City MO
33 49 F 13 Karen Nicholson 9:41:14 Overland Park KS
34 78 F 14 Carolyn Mitchell 9:41:15 Lenexa KS

50 Miler

Place Age Gender Gender Place First Name Last Name Time City State
1 30 M 1 Gono Enriquez 7:14:42 Ardmore OK
2 40 M 2 Matthew Perkins 8:08:59 Lees Summit MO
3 45 M 3 Daron Pratt 8:19:30 Lees Summit MO
4 44 F 1 Natalie Jetensky 8:25:02 Tekamah NE
5 39 F 2 Stephanie Cundith 8:37:57 Wichita KS
6 54 M 4 Harrison French 8:50:27 Rogers AR
7 40 F 3 April Reed 8:53:30 Wichita KS
8 34 M 5 William Soucie 9:00:28 Fort Leavenworth KS
9 36 M 6 Eric Mcmillan 9:11:55 Deerfield KS
10 50 M 7 Steve Kleiboeker 9:29:43 Lees Summit MO
11 38 M 8 Shawn Franks 9:32:53 Laquey MO
12 32 F 4 Krystle Dalke 9:44:00 Wichita KS
13 55 M 9 Mark Berry 9:47:57 Omaha NE
14 29 M 10 James Kolb 9:49:20 Green Forest AR
15 27 F 5 Kaitlyn Sevarino 9:49:55 West Dundee IL
16 50 F 6 Angela Petty 10:02:14 Johnston City IL
17 38 F 7 Rita Weaver 10:05:18 Ankeny IA
18 48 M 11 Paul Dial 10:12:40 Edmond OK
19 34 M 12 Joe Beber 10:17:28 Hot Springs AR
20 42 M 13 John Derby 10:25:37 Lawrence KS
21 35 M 14 Justin Hoffman 10:36:38 Baldwin City KS
22 44 F 8 Christy Stillwell 10:39:05 Mtn. Grove MO
23 38 F 9 Lisa Richars 10:44:26 Decatur IL
24 50 F 10 Jana Phillips 10:47:38 Strafford MO
25 45 M 15 Edward Caraccilo 10:51:58 Lansing KS
26 37 M 16 Eric Kimlinger 10:53:35 Firth NE
27 40 M 17 Scott Snyder 10:56:19 Manhattan KS
28 43 F 11 Christa King 10:58:44 Springfield MO
29 55 F 12 Deborah Lantz 11:01:07 Shawnee KS
30 47 F 13 Sherrie Klover 11:01:07 Bonner Springs KS
31 47 M 18 Barry Smith 11:02:14 Wichita KS
32 40 M 19 Sean Hamlin 11:06:14 Wichita KS
33 27 F 14 Jessica Knopf 11:06:37 Manchester MO
34 47 M 20 Mike Clawson 11:17:57 Hastings NE
35 48 F 15 Julie Stark 11:35:04 Oro Valley AZ
36 34 F 16 Alexis Soucie 11:38:01 Fort Leavenworth KS
37 44 M 21 Rob Downing Jr 11:52:42 Topeka KS
38 58 M 22 John Pranschke 11:52:46 Decatur IL
39 53 M 23 Tony Brown 11:54:21 Wichita KS
40 47 F 17 Shelly Mack 12:06:12 Lucien OK
41 53 F 18 Diane Bolton 12:06:12 Nashville TN
42 53 M 24 Rob Apple 12:06:12 Murfreesboro TN
43 37 M 25 Rocky Randall 12:15:29 Iola KS
44 51 F 19 Reina Probert 12:22:39 Jasper MO
45 42 M 26 Michael Cirone 12:38:07 Kansas City MO
46 59 M 27 John Dietrich 12:58:09 Shawnee KS
47 45 F 20 Misty Suarez 13:08:25 West Jordan UT
48 38 F 21 Tammy Reynolds 13:08:25 Stansbury Park UT
49 33 M 28 Ben Schears 13:08:35 Arkansas City KS
50 31 F 22 Rachel Schears 13:08:35 Arkansas City KS
51 36 M 29 Francisco Arellano 13:12:28 Wichita KS
52 57 M 30 Robert Hall 13:23:10 Kansas City KS
53 35 F 23 Brandy Holey 13:23:10 Napoleon MO
54 33 F 24 Heather Newman 13:24:42 Independence KS

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