Podcasts about emporia kansas

Mark Essex var frá Emporia í Kansas, hafði átt dásamlega góða æsku, lítið fundið fyrir kynþáttahatri og leit á lífið jákvæðum augum.  Þegar hann skráði sig í herinn þá breyttist sýn hans á lífinu, enda varð hann fyrir mikilli mismunun, miklum rasisma og var ekki tekið eins og þeim sem voru hvítir.  Þetta bjó til mikla reiði innra með Mark sem og sorg og tók hann afdrifaríkar ákvarðanir eftir röð atvika.   Þátturinn er í boði Define the Line Sport  Kóðinn "morðskúrinn" veitir 15% afslátt af vörum inn á  www.definethelinesport.com    Komdu í áskrift!  www.pardus.is/mordskurinn 

Here are some of the things I've been doing to get ready for this years UNBOUND XL. Make sure to watch for my Unbound XL Race Report

What a fun time we had with an absolute pioneer of gravel racing, Mr. Pete Stetina. He joins us after just wrapping up Unbound Gravel in Emporia Kansas. He shares with us how he manages his wild schedule while helping raise two twins and what he sees happening at the pointy end of the Lifetime race series. 

Unreal Unbound - This is Gravel EP:911 Back in the Gravel Guru studio this week are Neil Taylor and Matt Fowler to host This is Gravel here on Gravel Guru. They are back after an exciting week of Unbound Gravel taking place here in Emporia Kansas. Tune in and follow along to their weeks and see how it unfolded. All of this and so much more on this episode of This is Gravel here on Gravel Guru.     Do you have any show ideas or questions you want to have answered? Please send them to Producer Matt via email at matt@gravelguru.com   PLEASE Subscribe & Comment any questions you may have!  #thisisgravel #unboundgravel  

I met Kai at the Campground in Emporia Kansas at UNBOUND Gravel 2023. We had tents beside each other. I knew I needed to have Kai on the podcast after we got talking. At a young age, he was diagnosed with a bone cancer called Osteosarcoma. His journey on the bike is pretty amazing.

Ian Boswell, aka Boz, spent several years racing at the highest level in the UCI World Tour with the likes of Bradly Wiggins, Chris Froome and Garaint Thomas on Team Sky. After nearly a decade in Europe, he made the decision to retire from road racing, move to rural Vermont and settle in with his young family. He kept a foot in the door of cycling and started a podcast: Breakfast with Boz as well as working at Wahoo Fitness, representing the company at gravel race expos around the U.S. and at one point, decided to bring his bike and line up in the event - and his legs did not fail him. In 2021 he and Laurens Ten Dam raced into Emporia Kansas at Unbound and Boz found himself standing on the top step of the podium. He now enjoys a balanced life racing in the events he chooses, representing Wahoo, publishing his podcast and enjoying time with his family in Vermont. One of the races he enjoys, and helped grow, is Gravel Locos. Fabian Sarralta, Director of that race, was a guest on Bike Talk with Dave (Episode 57) so I was curious what Boz's connection was with the Hico, Texas race. In this episode we talk about Ian's years at Team Sky and Katusha, his retirement from road racing and transition into the U.S. gravel scene. Follow Ian on Instagram and Facebook and tune into his weekly podcast: Breakfast with Boz. Consider supporting Bike Talk with Dave by rating, reviewing and sharing on your favorite podcast platform. We'd invite you to support the show financially at www.buymeacoffee.com or on Venmo @David-Mable. You'll receive a Bike Talk with Dave sticker! Bikeiowa.com is the online host of Bike Talk with Dave. Get your event listed on the extensive ride and race calendar for free! Create an account and add and edit your event to reach thousands of cyclists. Register for the core4 before Oct. 2 and get a 24% discount, and leave no surface untouched. New distances in 24 include a 20, 40, 60 or 100-mile option. Register at www.core4.bike Follow Bike Talk with Dave on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/biketalkwithdave/ and Facebook so you don't miss any of the fun, and you can now find every episode on your computer at www.biketalk.bike. And now available on YouTube on the Bike Talk with Dave YouTube channel!And if you need any digital media work: Photography, videography and editing, podcast production and editing, look no further than Mable Media. Connect at www.mablemedia.net to help grow your brand and connect with your audience! And remember, if you act fast, you can order your own Bike Talk with Dave stocking cap by sending a DM to Dave on instagram or facebook!

Mechanic Mindset | Meeting Isaac - This is Gravel EP:809 Bringing you another episode this week from Producer Matt's office at Merchant Cycles in downtown Emporia Kansas. Neil and Matt recap their weeks on the bike and they welcome on the show Isaac Cushenbery Service Manager at Merchant Cycles and longtime friend and behind-the-scenes helper of Gravel Guru. Do you have any show ideas or questions you want to have answered? Please send them to Producer Matt via email at matt@gravelguru.com #thisisgravel

New Location & The Same Hosts - This is Gravel EP:808 Neil and Matt are not in the typical studio location today recordng This is Gravel. They are recording from Merchant Cycles in downtwon Emporia Kansas and looking back on 2023 and pointing ahead to 2024. Have any show ideas or questions you want to have answered? Please send them to Producer Matt via email at matt@gravelguru.com #thisisgravel

I had the pleasure of having Canadian Pro Athlete - Rach McBride back on the podcast to talk about competing in the Non-Binary 200mile category. How was the experience at the front of the pak. Check out EP 199. my first interview with Rach. https://podcasts.bcast.fm/e/xn10vjy8-199-first-gender-non-binary-professional-triathlete-going-gravel-rachel-mcbride

Hope you enjoy my Race Report, sharing my gear and the whole story of how it went down, to the point where I missed the time cutoff and didn't finish. After finishing 504km of the XL course, it was the hardest and most physically painful experience, ever. Have a listen.

UNBOUND Gravel Week Wrap-Up - This is Gravel EP:805 With UNBOUND Gravel wrapped up in Emporia Kansas, Neil Taylor, and Matt Fowler recount their week around the event. Then they preview the next event they are headed to, Solstice Gravel Grind. Have any show ideas or questions you want to have answered? Send them to Producer Matt via email at matt@gravelguru.com #thisisgravel

What's The Weather? UNBOUND Gravel 2023 Forecast - This is Gravel EP:804 With UNBOUND Gravel quickly approaching later in the week here in Emporia Kansas one of the most commonly asked questions is "What's the weather gonna be"? On this episode of This is Gravel, Neil Taylor and Matt Fowler chatted with gravel cyclist and meteorologist Frank Waugh.  Have any show ideas or questions you want to have answered? Send them to Producer Matt via email at matt@gravelguru.com #thisisgravel

UNBOUND Gravel Route Info 2023- This is Gravel EP:803 Neil Talyor and Matt Fowler sit down in the studio this week to discuss the recently released routes for the 2023 running of the UNBOUND Gravel events here in Emporia Kansas. Neil is currently training for the UNBOUND Gravel XL 350-mile event so he has put a fair amount of miles down recently on these roads.  Have any show ideas or questions you want to have answered? Send them to Producer Matt via email at matt@gravelguru.com #thisisgravel

If you are a cyclist, you already know what Unbound Gravel is. If not, today, I'm going to take you into the world of cyclists and how Emporia Kansas has created an event that draws people from 45 different countries.  I love to highlight how Kansans make their visions come true. Today's episode is a great example of a small group of people who came together around their passion for cycling in the flint hills.  Fast forward 17 years, and now Unbound Gravel brings in 4,000 riders the weekend after Labor Day. My guests today are Ben Sachs is the Race Director and Kristi Mohn is the Marketing Manager. You'll hear how Kristi has been involved with the event from the beginning and Ben since early on and it is a great conversation to understand how the event got started, and what it has become today. I was really interested to hear what it takes to plan the event, and especially the routes for the races. The other thing that was so interesting to me is how the towns along the way participate.  As Ben says - hope to see you at the Finish Line! Show Notes: Unbound Gravel website Dynamic Discs Episode Volunteer with Unbound Gravel   What You'll Learn in this Episode What is Unbound Gravel? How Unbound Gravel started How Unbound Gravel routes are planned How to volunteer for Unbound Gravel How to Support the Podcast: Tell a friend about us Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app Follow us on Instagram or Facebook Buy a Kansas Travel Journal  Send us a recommendation for an episode  

Venny Alub is an accomplished cyclist, runner, and now business owner at Cantu Wheels! She sits down with us in Emporia Kansas to talk about her experience of the Unbound XL last year and her attempt this year (which by the way she FINISHED) and she finishes the episode with the most creative answer to, "What does the Gravel Family mean to you?"

LIVE FROM EMPORIA, KANSAS, THIS IS...Girls Gone Gravel! This week, we have boots on the ground in Emporia to welcome athletes to the finish chute of Unbound. Kathryn speaks to MANY pro gravel cyclists and gets the run-down on the peanut butter mud and deluge of rain that have defined this year's race. Speaking to Heather Jackson, Rach McBride, Amy Charity, Taneika Duhaney, Ellen Noble, Betsy Welch, and many more, Kathryn hears the ins and outs of this long-distance gravel race. What's on everyone's mind? Getting their bike washed and a beer in hand. **Support the Podcast** Get 20% off at http://insidetracker.com/feisty (http://insidetracker.com/feisty) Subscribe to the https://livefeisty.com/category/podcasts/feisty-womens-performance-podcast/ (Feisty Women's Performance Podcast )to catch our limited Title IX series! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Mitch Phillips and Zach Harrison discuss the 2022 Dynamic Discs Open. Dynamic Discs Open is the fifth stop on the 2022 Disc Golf Pro Tour. Emporia Kansas will be the home of the 2022 PDGA Disc Golf World Championships. Congratulations Ricky Wysocki and Kristin Tattar on their stellar performances. This is episode is sponsored by Idio Sports https://idiosports.com

Did you know that Emporia Kansas is considered to be the disc golf capital of the world? I didn't realize it until I talked with my guests Doug Bjerkaas and Jackie Morris from Dynamic Discs, an Emporia Kansas business that sells discs and other disc golf equipment and operates events for the popular sport disc golf. I like to focus a few episodes each season on Kansas businesses that have a national impact. Kansas has a deep history of businesses that grow beyond the state and, in a lot of cases, become a household name. Ever heard of Garmin? What about White Castle? These are just 2 businesses founded in Kansas that fall into the household name category.  Dynamic Discs also falls into this category. If you know about disc golf, then you know about Dynamic Discs - it is a household name within the sport. I didn't realize that until earlier this year when something quite unexpected happened to me at my day job - you'll hear more about it in the episode.  This episode made me feel so good about the things we have going on in Kansas. The story about how Dynamic Discs grew from a dorm room start-up to an internationally known business is such an interesting story and then you throw in the community support that Dynamic Discs gives to Emporia and the community support that Emporia gives to Dynamic Discs. It's just a great all-round story and I'm sure you will enjoy this episode.  And, if you do, please tell your friends about it. It is the best way you can support the podcast.  As you know, we don't have any ads in the podcast. We are working hard to keep it that way, and hope to be able to cover the cost of the podcast through sales of our Uncovering Kansas Travel Journal. It is available on Amazon if you'd like to buy a copy. I really like being able to look back at what we did this year and remember the things I saw, the people I met, and the experiences we had - as well as some of our favorite places to eat!   Also, you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. And if you are a LinkedIn user, I'd love to connect with you there. You can find me at Rachel Berbiglia and just mention that you are a listener so I don't igore your connection request as spam.   Show Notes Dynamic Discs website Halfway to Everywhere music festival   What You'll Learn in this Episode Why Emporia Kansas is the disc golf capital of the world About Kansas business Dynamic Discs Why About the Halfway to Everywhere music festival   How to Support the Podcast: Tell a friend about us Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app Follow us on Instagram or Facebook Buy a Kansas Travel Journal  Send us a recommendation for an episode

We catch up with the "indomitable force" for a quick introduction to the upcoming Fastest Known Time Of the Year award, and more. "This is my favorite time of the year!  We get to discuss all the cool FKTs." But first, we delve into the wonderful world of gravel-bike racing.  Many runners got into SkiMo, which we've discussed here, but now the new cross-training sport is gravel riding.  "I got into cycling after an injury, and now I love it.  It's so fun.  And so easy on your body - you can ride all day, and the next day you feel fine." We discuss the 'super bowl' of gravel racing, Unbound Gravel, in Emporia Kansas. "It was really hot, and windy, and sunny ... it was carnage out there ... riders were flopped out the shade on the side of the road." "There was this guy drafting me, and he wouldn't come around.  He just wouldn't take a pull.  So I started crying. That's what you do, right?  He finally comes around, then doesn't do anything, so he's actually slowing me down.  So I pass him back, and this time pull away, still crying." "That's what endurance sports are.  It's so incredible what the body can do.  And the mind." Rob Krar on the Tonto Rim, "Hole to Hump" in the Grand Canyon, and why there are many FKTs in the UK but few in France ... this is a fun conversation. And lastly:  Buzz propositions Hillary live on air!  What was her response? There was no advertising on this podcast - we rely on YOU.   Please show your support here!  (The Internet is NOT free). Please Review and Rate the Fastest Known Podcast (this helps people find the show).

In episode 28, we bring back Taylor Lideen. Taylor sat down with me just days after winning the 2021  Unbound XL formerly known as the Dirty Kanza. Unbound XL is a 350 mile self-supported ultra endurance gravel race in Emporia Kansas. Taylor was our first guest and then filled in as a cohost for the "Quaranteam series".  In this interview, Taylor talked about adversities he faced prior to the race which includes mental illness, as well as injuries. Taylor also talks about the race, his bike setup, and where this race falls into his race resume. You can look at his Instagram @tlideen and web site www.taylorlideen.com and see some of the photos. Current sponsors:ShimanoPivot Cycles Stan's NoTubes Maxxis TiresRedshift sportsInfinit NutritionAverage Watts Podcast supporters and sponsors:As ALWAYS the AWP is powered by 4iiii Power MetersTifosi Optics, discount code for 15% off: averagewattsAWP kits are provided by Jakroo Custom Apparel

Get the latest information on Spectator Badges here. In episode 3 Bobby explores a few lodging options for the 2021 Dynamic Discs Open. Jackie, the Dynamic Discs Emporia Retail Manager joins the podcast to give you some great ideas on places to eat while in Emporia. Get all the latest information on the event at DynamicDiscsOpen.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/roadtoddo/message

In today's episode of the Chain Clankers disc golf podcast, we bring on team Dynamic Discs young gun Isaiah Esquivel to discuss the work/life balance that comes with playing disc golf. We kick our show off by talking to Isaiah about his journey through disc golf and how he got started. He goes into detail about why he started playing and his ambitions for himself in disc golf. Isaiah goes on to mention how he won his first tournament by 20 plus strokes. After that, we get into a great discussion about disc golf in Emporia Kansas, and why or why not it is called the disc golf capital of the world. We discuss how to find time in the day to practice disc golf and how that time can change your play and truly make you a better disc golfer. Wrapping up the show before we get into the ace round we talk to Isaiah about pay to play disc golf. We discuss why or why not we think it should be a thing and our own experiences with pay to play disc golf. Connect with us! Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChainClankers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chainclankers/ Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/987959378313397 Subscribe to the show! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chain-clankers/id1526131586 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2K3jv0MBful5v6x59CB2oG Google Podcasts: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yYmUwZDA2NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-gWK-zf5fwidWRYSuLHsDQ Music! BAE BOI - A P O L L O: https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/QAI6RX6Fwk --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/chain-clankers/message

This week Kathryn and Kristi are joined by Michelle Duffy to discuss the events that led up to the rebrand of the race formerly known as Dirty Kanza in Emporia Kansas. They discuss the process and challenges associated with rebranding one of the world’s best known gravel cycling races and what the future looks like for the race under its new name: Unbound Gravel. Kristie communicates how they navigated the hate, “experienced grief” and barriers to communication within the gravel community during this period of transition, and how she stayed focused on the positive parts of the experience. Michelle Duffy, Marketing ‘Mastermind’ of Lifetime Off-Road events shares the behind the scenes of the rebranding efforts, joining the Unbound Gravel team and having the hard conversations that elicit empathy, perspective and open mindedness. Read Zhaawani-noodin: There is a South Wind – a Response to the Name “Dirty Kanza” by Alexandera Houchin at https://theradavist.com/2020/06/zhaawani-noodin-there-is-a-south-wind-a-response-to-the-name-dirty-kanza/

About this Episode Today we are honored to host Rob Hughes on the show. Rob, a former National Guard member is a “news anchor on KMBC”. Rob struggled in his journalism career and was fired and hired multiple times from different stations, today Rob will talk about his learnings from these failures and his success story. Key Points of Discussion     Rob Hughes’s life story     Struggle in journalism career     Getting into the Army     Lessons learned from career     Success stories of veterans     Media personnel for helping veterans Key Milestones of this Episode [01:32] Rob Hughes’s life story [05:22] Ups and downs in journalism career [09:01] Transition into the Army [17:00] Getting in touch with veteran organizations [23:02] Great lessons learned [30:35] Media for Entrepreneurs [32:09] Success stories [36:59] How to contact Rob [38:25] Bottom line Key Quotes “I hope that I've earned veterans trust.” “People don't always trust the media and especially with veterans.” “Veteran leaders say they utilize social media, but you have two different schools of thought and we'll see a lot of businesses to come to our studio for commercials.” “I would just encourage them to really develop relationships with local media personnel.” “Be comfortable with pitching ideas about their product or service.” “It’s important people know when businesses choose to give back and that's another way to to really think about it.” “Conflict, Character, Controversy, Connection is kind of a framework you can think of to win when you pitch an idea.” About Our Guest  Rob graduated from the University of Southern California and is currently working on his MBA at Emporia State University in Emporia Kansas. He's a professional television broadcaster with the ABC/CW affiliate in Kansas City. Rob is also an infantry officer in the Army National Guard. Rob emcees multiple charity events every year, and serves on several non-profit boards, working as an ambassador and advocate for autism and Veteran/Military causes. Email Twitter Website About Our Sponsors Navy Federal Credit Union is a member-driven credit union with over 8 million members and incredible benefits to support the financial stability of military families. Visit navyfederal.org/veteranmove for more information. Use Fiverr to find freelance talent for your business or project.  Finding the right freelancer can be time consuming, frustrating and expensive.  Where do you go to find the talent? How much will it cost? How can you be certain they will deliver?  Fiverr’s marketplace helps you get more done with less. Fiverr connects businesses with freelancers who offer hundreds of digital services including graphic design, copywriting, web programming, film editing and more.  Find what you are looking for instantly. Check out Fiverr.com and you will get 10% off your first order if you use my code veteran when you check out. Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star rating and review if you enjoyed the show. We would love to hear from you! Download Joe Crane’s Top 7 Paths to Freedom or get it on your mobile device. Text VETERAN to 38470.  Join the Veteran on the Move on Facebook! Check out Veteran on the Move on Facebook to connect with our guests! It’s a great place where you can stay in touch with other veterans who are transitioning to entrepreneurship.  Get updates and free gouge on the people, programs and resources to help you in your transition to entrepreneurship. Veteran On the Move podcast has published over 250 episodes. Our listeners have the opportunity to hear in-depth interviews conducted by host Joe Crane . The podcast features people, programs and resources to assist veterans in their transition to entrepreneurship.  As a result, Veteran On the Move has over 1,000,000 verified downloads through Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, iTunes and RSS Feed Syndication making it one of the most popular M...

A conversation with Kristi Mohn (marketing manager) and Lelan Dains (Events Manager) from the Dirty Kanza team introducing Big Sugar Gravel in Bentonville, AR.   Registration opens November 15th, 2019. Big Sugar Gravel Website Big Sugar Gravel Instagram  Craig : 00:00 Welcome everyone to this week's Gravel Ride podcast. We are podcasting today from a basement in Bentonville, Arkansas. And I've actually got a couple of guests on the podcast today, who I'm going to ask to introduce themselves because it's a little bit of a surprise. And we'll talk about why we're here in a few minutes. Kristi: 00:18 Oh, ladies first? Craig : 00:20 Of course, always. Kristi: 00:21 I'm Kristi Mohn. I'm with the Lifetime and Dirty Kanza. What do you want to know about me? I'm from Emporia Kansas, home of Dirty Kanza. Craig : 00:30 And you've been working on Dirty Kanza since the beginning, right? Kristi: 00:33 Yeah, pretty much. I officially joined Jim and Joel at the time after the 2009 event. So Dirty Kanza started in 2006. Was the first race. Craig : 00:45 And was Emporia your hometown? Kristi: 00:46 Yeah, Emporia is my hometown. Craig : 00:48 Were you a cyclist? Kristi: 00:50 Yeah, I was a cyclist. I'd mostly been a runner, but had been graduating or transitioning to cycling more, so was a cyclist. Craig : 00:59 And when we were talking offline, you told me you saw it as just this big opportunity for a rural community, to have an event that everybody could get behind. Kristi: 01:09 Yeah, that it really that's kind of what it was. Is after the first year, I thought this event could be something really cool. You could take your kids to the checkpoints. We had two young kids at the time, twins that were, I think they were four or five when it started. And just really looking for a way to be a family and participate in an event like that. Because Tim would go to mountain bike races and it wasn't as conducive to having kids at mountain bike races. And the gravel scene really allowed that. Craig : 01:39 What kind of friction did you experience with the town? Did everybody say, "Oh, this sounds like a great idea"? Or they- Kristi: 01:44 Well, no, they thought it was crazy. You want to do what? And I'm like, "We're going to have this bike race downtown Emporia and have 200 people. Or people ride 200 miles on gravel in one day. And they're just like, "Nobody's going to come and do that." And it turned out not to be the case, luckily. Craig : 02:04 Did it take a while for people to start coming? Kristi: 02:06 To start coming to the event? Craig : 02:08 Yeah. Kristi: 02:08 I mean, we'd gotten to where it was at least regionally, it was fairly known. When we moved it downtown, we really wanted people to come and celebrate the cyclists finishing that distance. And so the finish line party and our finish line atmosphere, which our local Main Street helps us with that finish line party, you'll have 10 to 12,000 people down there to greet riders coming in, after riding 200 miles. And I think it really celebrates the average, everyday athlete. And I love that about it. And Emporians love watching these people cross the finish line. Craig : 02:43 Yeah. It's so amazing from a community perspective to just bring that kind of weekend traffic into a town. And have people recognize that, as someone who's not a cyclist, there's some hassles involved. But the benefit to the community is so huge. It sounds like everybody just runs with it at this point. Kristi: 03:02 Well, it's referred to as our Christmas, our downtown merchants called. It's their Christmas weekend is Dirty Kanza week, because people are there, and it's an exciting time. And people are spending money and making cash registers ring. It's an economic boom for Emporia, Kansas for sure. Craig : 03:21 Yeah, no doubt. Lelan, I want to invite you into the conversation. Can you talk about your role? Lelan: 03:25 Yeah. My name is Lelan Danes. I'm the race director for Dirty Kanza now. I'm a native Emporian as well, despite my repeated attempts to get away, I felt pulled back at various times. And for the last and what I think was final time, I think I'm stuck in Emporia for the better, for the remainder of my days. I came back about seven years ago, left Carmichael Training Systems to join Jim and Kristy and Tim on this Dirty Kanza venture. Lelan: 03:53 At that time DK was at a point where it was a jump on board or abandoned ship. Meaning that they had all been operating this in their spare time, in their free hours, on evenings and weekends. And it was at a stage where it needed full time help. And so Jim and I made that commitment. We left our careers, and came back to make that happen. Lelan: 04:16 And that was another one of those crucial turning points in DK. It had already moved downtown, the year or two prior. And it was gaining steam, and it needed full time attention. And so I was really fortunate to be able to come back home. It's kind of one of those coming of age deals where when you're 18 and graduating high school, you can think of nothing but getting out of there. And then as I matured a little bit, realized how wonderful Emporia was, and that there was an opportunity in my hometown to do what I love doing, which was bikes. It was just a no brainer. Craig : 04:49 So you came in and it sounds like around the time where it started to be, if you don't register for DK, the moment the registration goes up, you're not getting in. Kristi: 04:58 Yeah, I mean we were getting to our registration was filling very quickly. Yeah. Craig : 05:02 And opening up new course distances, I'm sure, made it even more popular to try to get in. Kristi: 05:08 Yeah, and we added the 25 mile mount distance fairly early on. And then added a 50. And then eventually, I think we added the 50 at the same time we moved. The 100 had been a relay at one point, so it was 200 miles but by two people. And then we eventually turned that into just its own 100 mile distance. Craig : 05:29 Can we talk a little bit about the course? Kristi: 05:31 The Dirty Kanza course? Craig : 05:32 Yeah. Lelan: 05:34 Yeah, of course. Well, for those that haven't been to DK, they've probably likely heard the stories of the flats. And the way I like to tell people is DK is not one knockout punch. It's death by a thousand cuts. And that comes from a variety of things. I'm not literally just talking about the Flint rock that will cut your tires. I'm talking about the literal thousand hills, the endless wind, the exposure to the sun. You just feel like nick after nick after nick, this thing's beating you up. And the gravel itself is amongst the roughest and toughest in the country. Lelan: 06:09 And that's one of those things that maybe we had an idea how special it was, but maybe didn't fully understand what we had in the Flint Hills. But it's just one of those rare landscapes that it has remained untouched because it's so rugged. There's one thing you can do on that land, and that's graze cattle. You can't farm it, you can't plow it. You can't do anything because it is rock. And it's sharp, sharp rock. So that's what that course is like, and it's pretty relentless. Craig : 06:37 I haven't been on it myself, so when you're riding it, is the type of rock that is shifting the wheel around underneath your body? Lelan: 06:45 Yeah, you're going to get a variety. And depending on the time and the situation, if the graders come through or not, you might have a stretch where there's some pretty clear double track, and you're humming along and it feels pretty smooth and fast. But those sections are far and few between. The vast majority of what you're going to get on, is what you'd described. It's not a solid rock base. It's not a solid surface. It's shifting rock, and its fist size. We're not talking crushed limestone gravel. We're certainly not talking pea gravel that you find on a bike path. We're talking fist size chunks of rock that they didn't bother to take the time to break down. They just dumped it on the road and said, here you go. Kristi: 07:23 And the rock was used to make arrowheads and... Lelan: 07:26 Axes. Kristi: 07:27 Axes, and so it serves that purpose on your tires. And [inaudible 00:07:31], sidewall protection are key. Craig : 07:35 Yeah, I can imagine some of the pack riding that happens. There's obviously the benefit of riding in the pack, but the detriment of not seeing your line. Lelan: 07:43 Well this is a conversation that with the World Tour pros that came, people asked me repeatedly, this was talked about publicly on forums and such. It was, what is this gravels just to become road racing? Well, that can't happen at Dirty Kanza. It physically can't because you can't actual on across the road in a crosswind. You can't follow a wheel sometimes. It's more like mountain biking in a sense that you have to ride your own line, you have to ride your own race. And you're not going to get a huge benefit from the draft, because you can't physically stay where you want to stay or choose where you want to be, based on where the wind's coming and so. Lelan: 08:20 And we saw that. What did we see at 2019 DK? Non world pro, World Tour pro Collins Strickland rode away at mile 100 basically, and solo the rest of the way, because no one behind him could organize, or had the strength to even bring him back in. Craig : 08:36 Yeah. Now I love that about the race because I'm definitely one that I think Jeremiah Bishop said it best to me. He said, let's keep gravel weird. And regardless of what the terrain looks like, I do want those parts of it to require a full bag of tricks. Kristi: 08:57 Well and that, your comment there is interesting to me because a lot of times we hear that, I think of gravel as being super inclusive. And I stand by that. And people say, "They're going to ruin gravel." I'm like, "They're not going to ruin gravel because we're not going to let them." Gravel is just that. And it's about what we want to make it. And I think the one thing that's special about Dirty Kanza in my mind is that we celebrate every person that comes across that finish line. We stay out there until 3:00 AM. And so yeah, it's exciting when a pro crushes it in under 10 hours. But we shake Collins Strickland's hand, and move him through the line, and are waiting there for the next person because it's just about celebrating those people, those journeyman athletes that are stepping up and trying something outside of their comfort zone. Craig : 09:47 Yeah. It gives me goosebumps to think about it. I love, it's arguably harder for someone to do it in 15 hours than it is- Kristi: 09:55 Yes, 100%. Craig : 09:56 And probably they're digging deeper, they're certainly doing it for longer. And it's a huge accomplishment for those athletes who just suck it up and get through that day. Kristi: 10:05 And we do not lose sight of that in our event. Any critic that wants to say that about us, they're just wrong. Craig : 10:15 Yeah. Kristi: 10:17 We're passionate about what we're doing for people and changing their lives, so. Craig : 10:21 Yeah, well I think the reports of the event always say that exact same thing. It's celebrating no matter where you're finishing, and finishing is the big deal. Kristi: 10:31 Yeah. Craig : 10:32 One last question on DK. How did the 200 miles come about originally? It's a heck of a distance. Lelan: 10:38 Well, Jim Cummins who isn't joining us here on this, he's one of the original two co-founders of the event. They got the idea by actually going to other gravel events, that were much longer. And Jim will tell you, as he's told us many times, that they settled on 200 because they didn't want to go any further than that. Lelan: 11:01 They thought that it was far enough. They knew 100 wasn't enough. They wanted a challenge, a very hard challenge. But one that most people could grasp is achievable. And 200 seem to be the right number. Craig : 11:12 Yeah. Yeah it's fascinating to me because I think on the West coast we don't see events of those distances. And I think it's probably because you end up with elevation gains that happen more quickly. So you're doing 1000 feet per 10 miles. So it's just not really feasible to have people out doing 200 mile events. So I sort of look in awe and reverence to the athletes that crossed the DK 200 finish lines. Kristi: 11:38 It's an incredible finish line to cross. Craig : 11:40 Yeah. So we're in Bentonville, Arkansas, and not in Emporia. Lelan: 11:45 We are not. Craig : 11:46 And you guys just announced something very special that I think my listeners are going to be keen to hear about. So you guys can Roshambo for who gets to talk about it first. Let's talk about why we're in Bentonville. Kristi: 11:59 Oh, you want to go? Lelan: 12:00 Yeah of course. Well it has been a long time conversation for Jim Christy and myself around the DK office. We knew that there was gravel beyond the Flint Hills. Even as gravel has gone into its probably adolescents, is that where we're at? Kristi: 12:17 Probably. Lelan: 12:18 Yeah, reaching maturity in adulthood yeah. But there's events popping up everywhere, and they're popping up in iconic locations. And there are events who have been going in decades strong. And have fantastic events. But we've still known all along that there are other locations that are ripe for a gravel event, and for a number of reasons. There's great people all across the United States. There's a great geography. And Bentonville is one of those places. Most people are probably recognizing it as a mountain bike Mecca, a cycling destination for single track trail. There's over a hundred miles of single track, all accessible from downtown Bentonville. There's great roads to ride. There'll be hosting the Cyclo-cross World Championships coming up in a few years. But no one was talking about gravel in the NWA, Northwest Arkansas. Lelan: 13:07 And Kristi and I had been in this area before. We have friends down here, not name you Ross. And just came up that gravel needs to happen here. And through our trips, we agreed. And as we scouted this stuff out and spent more time in this community, we were feeling at home. And so all the things were in place to say, let's go forward and let's create an event. And that's what we've got. Craig : 13:31 All right. So what is the event? And when is it? Kristi: 13:36 It's a new event called the Big Sugar. And we've got two distances. The Big Sugar, which is about 107 miles. And then we have the Little Sugar, which is about 50 miles. And there's some significant elevation and lots of hills and hollows, highs and hollows, right? That's what they call them. So we're really excited. It goes through some absolutely beautiful scenery, some amazing roads. We're really excited about the time of year, because the leaves will be in full color, change mode. And it's just a beautiful course. Kristi: 14:09 So, I think we've put together what I think is just a five-star course. So we're really excited about that. Craig : 14:17 Now coming from your wealth of experience in Emporia, what were you looking for as far as the terrain goes here in Bentonville? Kristi: 14:27 I think we wanted it to be challenging but achievable. We wanted some climbing. We wanted some rough roads. Dirty Kanza-ish, so to speak. But also really celebrating the personality of the community is also important when you're putting together a good course. And I think we've nailed it with this course. Craig : 14:48 So I touched on a few gravel roads today, and I'll do a bunch more tomorrow. In fact on the course. In your opinion, what are the roads like? I know what my sense was of the 20 odd miles I rode today. Lelan: 15:03 Well, listen, guys, gals at home listeners, if you have not been to Bentonville and rid some of these gravel roads, it is far more akin to mountain biking than it is even gravel riding in Kansas and around Emporia in the Flint Hills. These are proper climbs. This is not a death by a thousand cuts like DK is. A DK, a typical hill will be a quarter mile, short but punchy. And just one after another. Lelan: 15:31 But at Kanza you've got your periods of flat stretches where you can recover and lock it in a gear and go. You don't have that here. For one, the surface is just about as gnarly as at DK. Kristi and I were just talking, it's firmly category three gravel. If you're familiar with Neil Shirley's scale, which means it's pretty rough. It's big rock. It's gravel, it's proper gravel. And the climbs are big. They are anywhere from one to two and a half miles in length, and that means you get a corresponding descent to follow. Lelan: 16:01 And I think this course, of any of the gravel events I've been on, this could be an equalizer for the more mountain bike crowd that does the gravel. And we were talking about that inclusivity. It's one of the amazing things about gravel is you've got roadies, you've got mountain bikers, you've got triathletes. You've got people who have only gotten into the sport of cycling through gravel, and they're only gravel riders. And they're all coming together out there. And there's different courses all across the United States that have their different flavors. Some are a little bit hard pack and faster. This Bentonville course is definitely a little bit chunkier up and down and gnarly. Craig : 16:39 Yeah, I was surprised, even the 20 miles I rode today. It really was a lot chunkier than I thought it was. My listeners know, I'm typically riding 650 B's, 47, 50 millimeter tires, but I specifically grabbed a 700 C wheel set thinking, I'm coming to a more mellow place, where we were just going to be rolling on dirt roads. And that was not the case whatsoever. Lelan: 17:04 No. Craig : 17:04 So how much climbing does it add up to in the 170 miles? Lelan: 17:07 Well that's always debatable, isn't it? Depending on what program you use and what device you're using. But I think firmly... Well, I don't think we've mentioned the distance. It's right about 108 miles in length for the Big Sugar distance. Right around 50 for our Little Sugar, half distance. And in that Big Sugar distance, it just over 100 miles, you're going to approach 10,000 feet elevation, anywhere from nine to 10,000 feet, depending on the device a person is using. Craig : 17:32 You're going to feel it. Lelan: 17:33 You're going to feel that. That's a lot for a hondo. You're going to be hard pressed to find that elevation, especially throughout the South or Midwest in 100 miles. Craig : 17:42 Do you have a sense of what a pro would ride that distance in, and the range that you might be expecting for athletes? Lelan: 17:50 Well, we had some folks riding this past weekend, and Ted King, Paisan, McElveen, Ali Tetrick were out here. Uri Haswall of course. And I know Payson and Ted were jabbing each other, making claims of six and a half. But it's going to be tough, and it's going to be interesting to see in an actual race setting how fast the front of the pack goes. And what those back in the packers are going to complete it in. Craig : 18:20 Yeah, I think it's going to be, tire choice and wheel choice is going to be important. Kristi: 18:26 Oh yeah. Craig : 18:26 And how hard you're going to be willing to take those descents, given what's going to be in front of you. Lelan: 18:30 Well, and I'll tell everyone this. This will not be the easiest hondo that you do. It's simply won't. This'll be one of the more challenging 100 mile distance on gravel. Kristi: 18:37 Well we even talked about that with the 50. We like to have those tier steps to get into the event, but at the same time, this 50 is going to be a tougher 50. It's not going to be a cake walk. Craig : 18:51 Yeah, it doesn't seem like anything around here would be a cake walk. So that's exciting. So the date was October when? Kristi: 19:00 October 24th, 2020. Craig : 19:02 Okay. And registration? Kristi: 19:04 Yeah. Registration, November 15. Craig : 19:05 Okay. November 15th everyone. This is opening up. And is there a hard cap on the number of riders that course can allow at the time? Lelan: 19:13 Yep. We're aiming for 750 to start. Craig : 19:16 Okay. Lelan: 19:17 For the first year. Looking forward to welcoming that many people to town. Kristi: 19:22 What's our website? Big sugar gravel.com yeah. Craig : 19:24 Okay. Kristi: 19:25 Yeah. Craig : 19:26 And DK allows how many athletes at this point? Lelan: 19:29 Well in 2020, we're looking to register 3,000 riders, across six different distances. And of course that ranges from the 350 mile XL, down to 200, 100, 50, 25, and then our high school distance. And the DK has just grown and grown. And so when we talk about it, most people recognize the 200, which is the feature distance. But we have all those different places for people to have their journey and their adventure. And Big Sugar will be the same. This is called Big Sugar, but you'll have the Little Sugar that you can participate in. And then there'll also be a 20 mile introductory level, more of a familial ride, a beginner ride type of opportunity. So you'll still be able to get out of town on gravel. That's another great thing about Bentonville, is a mile and a half to two miles, and you're out on gravel. Bentonville is not this big metropolis. It's still has a small town vibe, a small town feel. And it's very easy to get around. Craig : 20:25 Yeah. I think that's going to be the fun thing for families and kids to come in and support the athletes. Husbands supporting wives who are out there riding and vice versa. And you've got this beautiful community that I'm seeing for the first time this weekend. And it's a great little town. Kristi: 20:40 It's great, isn't it? It's a cool little town. Craig : 20:41 Yeah. And I've been hearing about the mountain biking progressively over the last few years, but it's no surprise looking at a topographic map that there'll be a gravel ride- Kristi: 20:50 That's why we picked the weekend we picked. It's out-a-bike weekend. Craig : 20:54 Oh it is? Okay. Kristi: 20:54 In Bentonville. And we're synergizing with them a bit. So you can come down for a weekend and buy a demo pass for the out-a-bike, and test out their awesome trails that are here. And then hop on your bike and do a gravel race, and then come back and check out some more trails on Sunday. So it's a full weekend of cycling. And then to top that off, the activities that are here for families in Bentonville alone are great. So it really lends itself to it being a family affair weekend. Craig : 21:28 Yeah. I mean that must be comforting to you guys to know that there's a town infrastructure to accommodate all these people coming in. Kristi: 21:35 Yeah, it's great. Craig : 21:36 Yeah. And do they have similarly sized events that go on in the community already? Kristi: 21:43 To this event? Craig : 21:43 In Bentonville? Yeah. Lelan: 21:44 Yeah. Oz Epic just took place a couple of weeks ago. And that was in its third or fourth running here in Bentonville. They've been out a few years. And I want to say that's around 750 mountain bikers on single track. And so we're starting out at 750, but gravel has the ability to grow a little bit larger in numbers just because of the road is wider. You can get more people out there. Single strap is a little tougher in that respect. Lelan: 22:07 But Bentonville is no stranger to events. And I mentioned at the top of the podcast, they'll be hosting those Cyclo-cross World Championships in a few years. There's an event related to cycling probably every other weekend in this community? Yeah, whether it be just a group ride or an organization pulling people together. People for Bikes just had a big summit down here about a month ago or so. So there was always some type of activity related to cycling. And I think you're really going to see that increase. Craig : 22:39 How were you thinking about the event differently? So Bentonville, different town, different terrain. Are you trying to create something that obviously has the same kernels as DK, but its own unique channel? Kristi: 22:53 Well, I think that's part of the reason why we A, chose Bentonville, and B, are partnering or teaming up a little bit out-a-bike on that, from that perspective. Is that we think it's going to lend really to the flavor of the community. We're also really, I'm really excited about our race directors that we've got coming onboard. We've got Ned Ross who's a hall of fame mountain biker. And really stoked that he's joining us. And then we have Gaby Adams, which formerly Gabby Shelton, is a DK 200 single-speed champion. She's just a badass on the bike, and it's so fun to have a female, another female joining as a race director. Kristi: 23:34 And she's really worked the course hard. Lelan and I- Lelan: 23:38 This is her course. Kristi: 23:39 Yeah, it's her course. Like Lelan and I came down and had given her some tips and some ideas of what we were looking for, and had scouted some roads and taken her with us. And then she put together the route. And it's awesome. To me, being an advocate for women in cycling, I'm really proud that we've got Gaby on our team. Craig : 24:01 Yeah. And is it typically on county dirt and gravel roads? Or are we going into back country trails at all with the event? Lelan: 24:11 No, they're all public access county roads. Although you might be questioning that at times based on the low maintenance [crosstalk 00:24:19] some of them. But so similar to DK in that sense, it's all public roads. There'll be slightly more pavement here, only out of necessity, than what you'd probably find in DK. But to be honest, I think you'll be relieved to have a mile of recovery every now and again. And again, it's 80, it's probably 90% gravel. Kristi: 24:42 Oh yeah. Lelan: 24:43 It's only a handful of miles that you'll be on pavement. And that's only to connect you to the next sweet ribbon of gravel. Craig : 24:49 Yeah. And like you said, I do think it will be this welcome reprieve for people's bodies, to just soft pedal on some pavement for a few minutes. Kristi: 24:56 Yep, 100%. Craig : 24:58 Amazing. Well it's super exciting. It must be thrilling for you both to finally realize this part of the vision that you had at DK, to explore a new community and start something again. And I'm really excited for you guys to take that journey from inception to creating yet another great event on the calendar. Kristi: 25:17 Well and I think that definitely has, like Lelan said, that's been a goal of ours. And then the acquisition of Lifetime, or Dirty Kanza being acquired by Lifetime, was really, that's been what's given us the ability to do this. And that to me is one of the things that's the most exciting about this, is that they're trusting what Dirty Kanza has done, and letting us lead this charge into some additional events. Craig : 25:47 Yeah. Do you imagine that each event will stay in its own lane? Or is there a possibility that they might be linked together in some type of series in the future? Lelan: 25:57 That's a great question. I'm glad you asked, because we haven't really touched on this. Our big picture vision is, as I talked about earlier, there's a lot of great places for gravels still in the US. And we certainly want to create a little family of events. And we are staying completely away from words like series and qualifiers, because that's not what this is. That's not what these events are. So they are a grouping, a family of like-minded events. It's still the DK team leading this and directing it. Working with amazing people who share our vision, and passion for celebrating all these individual achievements. Lelan: 26:36 But there will be a connection, and there will be opportunities at these events. So at Big Sugar for example, any finisher who completes the course within the time cutoff, their allotment of time, if they so desire, they can drop a ticket into a bucket, and we will have some DK entry opportunities. But it is not a, how fast can you go and get on a podium and get an entry, not to receive that golden ticket. It is every finisher is qualified, and has an opportunity. If DK has something they want to try and want an extra helping hand beyond the lottery, because the demand is so high there, there will be opportunities like that. Craig: 27:12 Yeah. Amazing. Kristi: 27:14 Yeah, I think it'll be really cool. Craig: 27:15 Anything else you guys would like to add about the event or the community? Kristi: 27:18 Just make sure you go to Big Sugar gravel.com, and get signed up, so that you are in the know for when we dropped... When the registration opens. Craig: 27:27 Okay. Lelan: 27:27 This is an open registration, which is how DK used to be. Of course, DK is now a lottery. And I just want to reiterate what Kristi just said is, 750 maybe it sounds like a lot of people, but that's going to go fast. And we want you here. We want you to be on it, and be a part of it. So if this sounds like something that gets your goat, then get signed up and come join us. Craig : 27:49 Yeah, I think, everybody put it on your calendar. So I'll put it in the show notes, so everybody has the link. Kristi: 27:54 Awesome. Craig : 27:54 Getting prepared. We'll get this out quickly. I want to share the news to everybody. And I'll give my feelings on social media about Bentonville, which has been great so far. So you guys, it's really been a pleasure talking to you guys. I've wanted to talk to the DK team for a long time, ever since I started this thing 18 months ago. So yeah, thank you. And thanks for everything you're doing for the sport. Kristi: 28:16 Yeah, thanks for coming. Lelan: 28:18 [crosstalk 00:28:18] take you to Bentonville to catch us. Craig : 28:21 Right on. Thanks guys. Kristi: 28:22 Thank you.

Pastor Erik talks with Pastor Jason and Abigail Palmer of Emporia Kansas about Family Devotions. 

In this edition of Trilogy Talk, we are back to a post produced show. We discuss what i have been up to the last few weeks, the History of the Trespass, The Disc Golf Pro Tours decision to host the Tour Championship in Emporia Kansas and how do you prepare for an event. www.youtube.com/trilogytalk www.patreon.com/trilogytalk   #DynamicDiscs, #Latitude64, #WestsideDiscs, #PDGA, #Trilogy, #bedynamic, #DiscGolf

Gravel Guru producer Matt Fowler is joined by three people heavily involved in the DKXL. First up he talks to Race Promoter Jim Cummins about the creation of this first year event held on Dirty Kanza weekend in Emporia Kansas. Following that interview Matt Acker race winner joins Producer Matt in studio by phone to talk about his experience riding 350 miles in the remote Flint Hills on East central Kansas. As if the event was not challenging enough he wraps up the show with Gabbi Shelton of Stillwater Oklahoma interviewing her about the experience all while cranking out the miles on her single speed bike.    If you have an questions/input reach out to Producer Matt at: matt@gravelguru.com   Music Credit: Open Those Bright Eyes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Join us Jim and Lelan walk us through the the history, challenges, changes, growth and craziness of the Dirty Kanza 200 gravel grinder race. This is one of the most iconic gravel grinder races across the US with 2200 athletes in total races across the various distances offered. Emporia Kansas may not be known as having the best singletrack, but it has some amazing gravel roads and is quickly becoming one of the primary destinations for endurance mountain biking across the US. Learn more at: http://dirtykanza.com --- About: Dirty Kanza Promotions was founded in 2006 by Jim Cummins, with the assistance of fellow cycling enthusiast Joel Dyke. At that time, gravel grinding was just beginning to catch the interest of the endurance cycling community. However, Jim had grown up in the Flint Hills of east central Kansas and had been riding gravel for decades. Inspired by some of the early gravel grinder events… and convinced the Flint Hills had the best gravel to be found anywhere in the world, Jim and Joel decided to create Dirty Kanza 200. Initially, these two gravel aficionados had no idea the extent to which this whole gravel grinding thing would grow, nor did they give it any real thought. That wasn’t what motivated them. They both simply felt their lives had been enriched through cycling. And DK200 was their attempt to give back to the cycling community. Since then, the popularity of gravel grinding has exploded and is now the fastest growing genre in the cycling industry. The popularity of DK200 has grown too, from 34 participants in 2006, to an anticipated 2,200 riders in 2017. And while that growth has brought with it a few changes to our format and the way we have to manage certain aspects of the event, one thing has remained constant… DK200 is a grass-roots event, organized and managed by folks who are passionate about cycling, and done so for the primary purpose of providing life-enriching cycling experiences for our event participants.

Ginger Lewman is Director of the Face-to-Face program at the Turning Point Learning Center charter school in Emporia, Kansas. She talks to the Lunch Time Leaders about preparing students for the 21st Century, the challenges of starting a charter school, and what sparked her passion to become a progressive educator.