The Dust Bowl, also known as the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the US and Canadian prairies during the 1930s; severe drought and a failure to apply dryland farming methods to prevent wind erosion caused the phenomenon. The drought came in three waves, 1934, 1936, and 1939–40, but some regions of the high plains experienced drought conditions for as many as eight years.
prevailing winds blew away [dust] in huge clouds that sometimes blackened the sky. These choking billows of dust – named “black blizzards” or “black rollers” – traveled cross country…
The drought and erosion of the Dust Bowl affected 100,000,000 acres that centered on the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma and touched adjacent sections of New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas.
Set a lotta new running goals in 2016 – first ultra distance, first trail race…and this weekend, my first marathon Double.
Boulder⇨ Louisville⇨ Westminster⇨ Englewood. Work, home, dog drop-off, commuter Park N Ride. Picked up Dave [a fellow 50 Stater] Friday nite 7pm & highway’d west. Hour-half to Limon (KS border), 2 hours south to Lamar – a super small town on the Plains (population 7,776), more reminiscent of Kansas than Colorado.
Tomorrow’s marathon would be my 2nd Colorado ‘training run’. [Already selected the Colorado Marathon on May 1st to complete my 50 States Quest.] January ran Cause & Effect Marathon in Brighton (Achilles Int’l charity race); registered tomorrow’s run as a FREE entry thru Mainly Marathons, part of their 5-day Dust Bowl Series. Well…kinda free. Week later signed up for Sunday’s 26.2 in Clayton, New Mexico. LOL>
Good training for next month – when I run State 49 Saturday in Illinois, hop on a plane, then finish State 50 the following morning in Fort Collins 🙂
Hoteled 6 hours at the Cow Palace (yep, completely serious) – then landed 10 minutes away in Lamar’s Willow Creek Park. Bib pick-up & blueberry pancakes. Game on!
Mainly Marathons trademark – FOOD. You’ll never go hungry on one of their runs!
Today’s course: 14 laps on urban trail (dirt & gravel…but this ain’t Moab – no mid-race rock climb required 🙂 ). Have never run so many laps in my life – tough to stay focused repetitive looping. Today we’d collect rubber bands – 13 bands, then one last loop to the Finish. Simple brilliant idea. I proudly collectedly 7 on one arm, 6 on the other.
Felt STRONG this cold day, went out fast. Held third, then slipped to 4th a lap later. Been running desert 5 weeks straight. I’m a cold weather runner, today my kinda day.
Temps dropped, wind blew & my pace slowed. Four laps remaining, tagged a steady runner – Dan from Iowa. Proudly declared ‘Victory Lap’ as I slipped on band 13, downed a handful of salty chips & hit trail, one last loop.
1.87 miles more. Mentally STRONG – FINISHED marathon/ultra #58.
2016 Dust Bowl Series Day 4 – Full Marathon – March 26, 2016 – Lamar, CO
KR Haga Louisville CO 05:00:39
Quick shower at the Cow Palace. SNOW blowing, 2 hour drive ‘cross the Oklahoma Panhandle, diner dinner in New Mexico.
One down, one to go. first marathon DOUBLE in sight – definitely gonna happen tomorrow!
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- population 7776
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- hoteled like a King…at the Cow Palace
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- chilly Colorado sunrise
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- my brief moment in 3rd place
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- race ya to to the top 🙂
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- one down, one to go — next marathon stop, Clayton NM
the Dust Bowl, 1930’s America
330am – woke early, left early, arrived early. No civilian processing delays this day (better safe than sorry). Parked, kicked the front seat back & caught extra zzz’s. Looking left & right of me, appeared many others had the same idea 🙂
Somber, inspired remembrance before today’s March. Taps & roll call – only 3 lasting survivors returned a response. National Anthem, a Black Hawk flyover followed. Proud I chose this race, marching with our Armed Forces – proud to be an American.
Beautiful weather ALL day, temps never topped mid-70’s. Shed my double layer early.
Only 2 weeks ago, I trail ran in nearby Las Cruces – same desert, same scenic Organ Mountains. LOVE LOVE this landscape.
No 50K trail adventure today; this Sunday we marched. Marched with my Maniac buddy, Stacy & two Lincoln, Nebraska-natives, Laura & Dennis. Laura’s uncle helped design the course; Dennis is active (full-time) Air National Guard. AMAZING inspiring people – I’m better in life, having spent 8 hours with these three.
Med tents, military ambulance, helicopter flyover, Jeeps…and a whole lotta camo. Not coming from military, snapped lotta pics – kinda felt I was on the set of M.A.S.H.
Surprise Highlight: Mile 15 mess hall. $5 bought a hamburger, hot dog, chips & Coke. No sub-4 finish today, LOL> SAT & ATE – during a MARATHON. Bataan’s set the bar HIGH for all future races. Burgers & dogs grilled to order – YUM!
Memorable End: Shook the hand of a Bataan survivor at mile 25.
After a day marching, felt I still had a lotta gas left in the tank. Dennis & I said goodbye to the ladies & sprinted the remaining distance – clocking a 7:30 finish pace. Awesome end to an amazing day.
Snapped finish pics (& ate again – LOL>) Today we finished 4 STRONG.
Bataan Memorial Death March
White Sands Missile Range, NM
CIVILIAN Male
K R HAGA (Bib 2203)
from Louisville, Colorado
Finish
08:34:42.8
The Bataan Memorial Death March is a challenging march through the high desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range, conducted in honor of the heroic service members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II, sacrificing their freedom, health and, in many cases, their very lives.
The race is open to all members of the public, though a significant portion of the participants are members of military units of the U.S. and foreign armed forces and their families. Several surviving Bataan prisoners usually await the competitors to congratulate them on completing the grueling march. Many injured veterans including some amputees attend to march as well.
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- civilian coral start
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- roll call, taps, somber remembrance of Bataan troop (3 remaining survivors)
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- desert sunrise
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- not just another 26.2
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- strange but true: Gemsboks (Oryx) released in White Sands (WSMR) have become an invasive species
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- today’s WOW shot — desert landscape enveloped by the region’s Organ Mountains
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- yucca
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- once a year, spring POPPIES
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- US Marshals (Border Patrol)
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- devil’s claw
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- Mile 15 bargain
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- FAAANNNTASTIC!
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- feeling STRONG at Mile 17
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- funky trail mix & a cookie – nice idea but not so tasty
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- 4 STRONG — AWESOME friend-share day!
Bataan 2016 Start
March 2016 Maniac Newsletter
Come TRASH those trail legs at this exciting and challenging race series! The race starts at the beautiful Hidden Falls Park and continues onto the Amargosa and Sloan Canyon trail systems.
Many of the trails in this race will be raced on for the first time!
2nd flight to Vegas in 3 weeks, 5th consecutive weekend marathoning – all but one on trail. Scenically MUCH more interesting than road. Gonna get STRONG…trail running won’t break me. Hydration & nutrition – KEY to success [it’s a journey, change is hard].
Randy, a marathoner I met last May in Fargo, reached out & offered a place to stay – his daughter’s home, 5 miles from McCarran International. FAAANNNTASTIC – super appreciative! Only the Half for Randy tomorrow, already registered for a 100 MILE race next week. Seriously hard core – a TRUE ultra runner. (again many thanks, man)
#dirtyflyer
Up early, easy 20 minute drive to Sloan Canyon in Henderson. Thus far, everything trail has taken 8 hours+ to finish. Today’s goal: 6 Not because I was feeling super competitive – had already bought a 3pm return ticket, months before I discovered trail racing would be so humbling. Yikes!
Pop-up tent by a trailhead, another small grassroots event. Super low key, LOVE LOVED it! Most of today’s elevation climb happened early, first 4.4 miles. Stayed hyper alert. Switchbacks & steep hill grades followed by quarter-mile speed descents over rock & trail sand.
Entered Sloan Canyon couple miles further. Rolling high desert – similar to last Saturday’s Las Cruces trek. Split from Halfers at the third Aid Station (mile 12). Not another human for an hour twenty. Lost trail, climbed a canyon wall, wandered thru the desert – then in the distance, a dog. Half mile later, BRIGHT PINK: Kim from Kentucky. Back on track 🙂
Training lesson learned – eat & eat often. *FRITOS* (don’t be a hater — the salt tastes great)
Again, no humans for 45 minutes. Rebecca, a Kiwi attempting her first 50 miler, came up from behind. We chatted, ran together thru the next Aid stop, Mile 24. She looped back into the desert; I exited Sloan Canyon, escaping the shin-deep shifting sand (past 4 miles, big trail negative).
Hot, caked in salt & sand – FINISH LINE SUCCESS, marathon/ultra #56 – just over 30 miles, just under 6 ½ hours. Best trail finish yet. Maybe I should schedule afternoon flights more often? LOL> Slice of post-race pizza, located my car, autobahn’d to rental return.
1:20 finish, 3pm flight. Cut this one close…but the gods were a smilin’. Sailed thru security, gate-arrived just as my plane was boarding. Shower’s gonna feel mighty nice when I get home 🙂
2016 Trail Trashed Ultra
Hidden Falls Park Henderson, NV
March 12, 2016Men’s Marathon
K R Haga Louisville CO 6:20:38.8
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- 5th consecutive weekend marathoning
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- desert sunrise
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- pop-up tent & a trailhead — LOVE these small grassroots events!
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- canyon hike UP, a QUAD killer
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- 3 miles off trail – LOST!
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- wandered the desert ’til I found my way
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- Teddybear Cholla Cactus
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- all smiles, only 2 miles to go
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- best trail finish yet — maybe I should schedule afternoon flights more often
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- Home, Sweet Colorado Home
March 2016 Maniac Newsletter
