2015 Amy Thompson 8k Monday, May 25, 2015 @ 8:00am (5k runners start at 8:40am, 2k at 8:50am, and Kiddie Dash at 9:30am) Loose Park Pavillion 5100 Wornall Road Kansas City, Missouri
I love the 8k distance: JUST short enough to really push the pace hard, but JUST long enough to give your endurance engine a workout. For the Kansas City area, there are only really two major 8k runs in the area (both having 5k options): the Cliff Hanger 8k in November, and the Amy Thompson Run 8k, always held on memorial day. This nearly-five-mile run is a popular one, even among the quiver of 5k options available. So it only seems fitting it gets a nice event preview. Onward! Registration (NEW SECTION!) Registration is facilitated via the run's official webpage. Both paper and online registration is available (paper form is on the above top link). Online registration is taken care of via imAthlete (online registration is the above bottom link). Here are the basics...
Here's the pricing break-down... 4/15 and Before
4/16 to 5/15
5/16 to Race Day
Packet Pick-Up Saturday, May 23rd, 10:00am-5:00pm Sunday, May 24th, 12:00-4:00pm Gary Gribble's Running Sports Ward Parkway Shopping Center 8600 Ward Parkway Kansas City, Missouri (also available race day on-site starting at 6:30am) Same as last year, packet pick-up is available the two days prior to race day at Gary Gribble's in Ward Parkway Shopping Center. With two pick-up days, including one that is 7 hours long, along with the plethora of parking available, pick-up is a breeze. The fact that the pick-ups are on weekend days only also helps ease traffic normally associated with lunch-time and after-work rush hour pick-ups (though the noon or 1pm hours typically see increased traffic anyways). Race-day pick-up IS available (alongside race day registration), and runs from 6:30am to about 15 minutes before your respective event. Race Day Parking Ok...this one is a toughie. There are a variety of parking lots that are available on race morning, but they're all small. According to the website... "Please keep in mind that parking is very limited in the Loose Park area. Please carpool and give yourself plenty of time to make your event. Parking is available on nearby side streets, Visitation School, Pembroke Hill School & St. Teresa Academy. Streets on the course are closed beginning at 7:30 a.m." A Google Maps view of the area can be found HERE, or by checking out the map below. Plan accordingly! Honestly, beyond that, that's all the recommendation I can give (each year I've done this run, I've found parking, but it's ALWAYS been in a different place, and ALWAYS in an area I either didn't plan on parking in, or didn't even know was there). Additional Race Day Information (formerly "Race Amenities")
Course Preview with VirtualRun (all images courtesy of Google Earth unless otherwise noted) This section is for the 8k only. A 5k map can be found HERE. The official 8k map can be found HERE. Here are the basics for the 2015 route (same as last year's, by the way)...
Start to 4k (~2.5mi) As previously stated, the run begins at Loose Park. Specifically the start line is located on Wornall Road downhill from Loose Park Pavillion (off the circle drive). Runners head south on Wornall from the start line to 55th Street. Right away, the road begins to climb. About 0.35 miles in to the route, take a right turn heading west on 55th street. By now, runners would've already climbed 30 feet, and continue to climb after the turn up to a total of near 50 feet over the course of 0.6 miles to the next turn. Turn right again, continuing to follow along the outskirts of Loose Park, on to Summit Street, and climbing continues just a few meters further before dropping out, down about 20 feet (before climbing once again!). By the map, mile marker 1 comes in just after the turn from Summit Street to 52nd Terrance, although past experience (and the image above) puts it just before the turn. The short stint along 52nd presents runners with a short-but-steep climb of just under 40 feet. The next mile is spent on Belleview to a split in the road, which is the approximate location of mile marker 2. Stay left of the median at the split, and come the fork in the road, turn left for a brief stint on 61st street back to Summit. The road begins to pitch upwards again at mile marker 2. Stay right to turn back on to Summit, where you'll stay for another quarter mile or so, where it will merge with Valley Road. At the merge, the road climbs again after a short, brief break. A right hand turn off of Valley Road on to W 64th Terrace pretty much spells the end of climbing for the day. The remainder of the route is either flat or downhill (with a few minor bumps on the way, but nothing significant). After a short run westbound on 64th, a right-hand turn will take you on to Ward Parkway, including past the famous Meyer Circle and Mirror Pool Fountains. The run along Ward continues all the way to just past 56th Street. A slight-right off of Ward Parkway and quick right turn and you're headed back the way towards Belleview, and the two-way runner traffic. You'll pass mile marker 4 along the way. Stay on Belleview all the way to 52nd Street (when outbound, you came off of 52nd TERRACE). From here on out, it's all but completely downhill! Here you'll once again skirt the outsides of Loose Park. Just keep up against loose park, all the way to the slight right on to 51st Street. The Loose Park Pavilion and finish line will start to come in to view on the right. Turn right on to Wornall, and then an immediate right in to the circle drive leading up to the Loose Park Pavilion. Remember: you finish in a different place from where you started. The finish is actually uphill for the final 50 meters, but pays off with the well-deserved finish line and medal.
That's all I got here! Go forth and conquer! -tds ~~__o _-/<,_ @/ @
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2014 Cliff Hanger 8k -- Sunday, November 2nd, 9:00am A 5k option is also offered, and begins at 8:00am This event's official webpage can be found HERE. Another autumn run race means another gorgeous route. One of the prettiest (I believe) is the Cliff Hanger 8k & 5k, a 5-ish-mile (unless you're a 5k-er) trek along Cliff Drive north of downtown Kansas City. Let there be no doubt: this one is worth doing for the scenery alone. However, on this course preview, you won't notice too many on-course (Virtual Run) photos -- most all of the route is...well...Cliff Drive. If you've been there before, you know what I mean. If not, you'll soon see for yourself. Packet Pick-Up For this race, packet pick-up IS ALLOWED on race day, although, like most races, organizers encourage packet pick-up beforehand (this opens up the volunteers to focus on more race-day-oriented tasks). Ahead of race day, there is one packet pick-up time, on Saturday (November 1st) from 12:00pm (noon) to 5:00pm at Gary Gribble's Running Sports in the Ward Parkway Mall. Like always, packet pick-up is always busiest at the start and end of the times offered, so plan accordingly if you're expecting a quick-in-quick-out. Race-Day Parking Given the location of the race itself, parking is a bit sketchy. Much of the parking is done along the roadways in the surrounding area, although there are two lots that are offered up for participant/spectator parking. The Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences is a sponsor of this event, and just so happens to live next door to the start line. On race day, a couple of their lots are the two mentioned previous, right off Highland Avenue. But do note: they are small. So early arrival is recommended. Course Preview (with Virtual Run) Intro If you are familiar with the 2013 route, I would assume nothing has changed. The event's website never posts the race route maps for either the 5k or 8k, so I'm left relying on my GPS information from last year. However, it's fairly straight-forward: 4k down Cliff Drive, turn around, 4k back. So really, it's only the start/finish line that would presumably change. Route Basics/Metrics Here are the basics for the 2014 route...
Climbs Only one climb on-route here. Here's what that one looks like...
Virtual Run (all image credited to Google Earth Street View) Cliff Drive is actually The Paseo past Lexington Avenue (just north of Hwy-24/Independence Avenue). At the intersection of The Paseo and Lexington, gates mark the start of Cliff Drive. The Start/Finish line is right beyond these gates. Not even a quarter-mile in to the race, the road will seemingly split. To the right lay Lookout Point Drive, a gorgeous yet quick drive up the side of the cliff back towards Lexington. For the race, the route will stay left, dropping a bit on to the lower Cliff Drive. After about an additional quarter-mile drop (steep in spots, shallow in others), you land on to Cliff Drive. The lure of Cliff Drive comes due to its scenic overlooks to the right, looking over the river and in to North Kansas City, and its large limestone wall cliffs to the right. This time of year, beautiful fall foliage also covers the route directly overhead. Along with it being a closed course for this event, you couldn't ask for a better run. There is one opening that comes about a mile in (or a mile from the finish). Just to the South of Cliff Drive there is a small lake. This opening offers some side-of-the-road parking for the trail that runs around the lake. No, runners don't get to run around the lake. Beyond the opening, scenery returns to normal. Really, a 5-mile(-ish) run is the perfect distance for Cliff Drive, as nearing the end of Cliff Drive is about 2.5 miles. At the race route turn-around, the exit gate is clearly visible ahead only 250 meters or so. The, back to business-as-usual for 2.5 miles. If you're aim is competition for this one, you may reach a point where your psyche starts to mess with you, as everything looks the same (no matter how gorgeous it may be). For me, last year, I kept looking for that opening at 1 mile that told me it was 1 mile to go -- and it felt like forever for me to reach it. Eventually, you hit it, followed quickly by the only significant climb on-route, with about a half of a mile to go. Once you reach the top of the climb, you'll notice the "split" in the road from the beginning of the race -- where Scenic Overlook Drive comes back in to contact with Cliff Drive. At this point, it's only a quarter-mile to go! Nearing the finish, you'll likely notice the finish line banner rather than the Cliff Drive gates. Congrats on your finish!
Strategy In my humble opinion, runners versed in the 5k can get away with a 4-mile run -- just barely. It seems to me that right at 5 miles (for an 8k) is when a little extra training is needed if you intend to run competitively. One of my favorite training runs for 5k's is perfect tor training for an 8k: 1 mile warm-up, followed by 3x1-mile intervals at 5k-or-above effort, with a half-mile rest/jog between (So 1mi+1mi+.5mi+1mi+.5mi+1mi = 5mi). That, and of course, it's probably a good idea to test out an all-out 5mi effort. If you've trained for a recent 10k, you should be good to go. On-route, competitive runners will be nearly flat-out the whole way. With a relatively flat course, the opening down-hill half-mile acts as a nice spring-board in to race-pace. Just watch out for that final climb! With only a quarter-mile to go, if you're battling with others, this is the perfect place to attack -- and attacks will only be successful for the adequately-trained. Race report to follow. Keep R/B/S-ing. -tds ~~__o _-/<,_ @/ @ |
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