The local O' season opener was Sunday (10/10) at Shawnee Mission Park. I don't know how many people were there, but it looked like a normal crowd (50+ ?).

The conditions were fine, but not ideal. Most of the leaves were still up. It was in the 80s and sunny. There were not as many spider webs as I had expected. I guess it is late enough in the season that the webs are not so bad.

My run was nothing special. I began ok, but never found number six (in a gully). After looking for several minutes, I just went on to seven. I slowed down a lot over the last 15 minutes or so. Maybe keeping an eye on Melissa -- while her Dad ran the course -- wore me out! I didn't see any results. My time was 53 minutes.

Any other reports?

-- Michael Eglinski (meglin@juno.com), October 11, 1999

Answers

One note I forgot to add to my report....Lisa, one of the participants from the Women's Outdoor Weekend, was at the SMP meet.

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), October 17, 1999.

The gully at number 6 was on the Gully shown on the map, not on the ditch that parallels the creek. On the master map the ditch seemed to be circled, but the clue was gully and there is a gully shown on the map where the marker was. I ran the course in just over 50 minutes and took splits. I went back out today and ran it again and took splits again and ran it in just under 40 minutes. Today I took almost all trails and creek beds and it was much more pleasant. Also about 10 degrees cooler. I will post both day splits tomorrow.

-- Dan (daniel.meenehan@umb.com), October 11, 1999.

I ran much better than at altitude. It was a runner's course, I think, with the long legs being mostly on trails and the technical legs all quite short. I became wary when one control circle on the master map was centered between two pieces of mapped ruined fence. And the control was there, on the middle of the hillside, in the woods, on a piece of ruined fence. Oh, and I actually spiked the gully. I was working on slowing down when I was unsure. It seemed to help. The one I might disagree with was the 4th, set in the quarry. I believe it was placed closer to the road than the control circle was. I managed a 52+ run and will post my splits later. (Dan, will you be indicating routes on your splits?)

--Fritz

-- Fritz Menninger (fpmenninger@hotmail.com), October 12, 1999.

I was a bit surprised when I found four. It seemed to me that it was a bit closer to the road than expected and further from the small trail.

Fritz, how did you do the leg from three to four?

I took the long/around route. I went through the clearing all the way to the road. Then up the road to the trail, then in to the marker (so, I ran about 2.5 times the distance of the straight route). Under "normal" conditions I wouldn't usually go this far out of the way. But, I was trying to pick routes that would avoid the forest.

-- Spike (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), October 12, 1999.

Here are my splits for the Shawnee Mission Meet. First I will list my time from running the leg on Sunday and second I will list my time from when I re-ran the course on Monday. The I will tell how I ran the legs.

1. 2:57 2:55

To number 1 I ran between the ponds and left of the tree line because I couldn't see a good way through the brush at the end of the spur. I came into the control from the west and believe this was the best way.

2. 1:41 1:37

This was basically straight and cutting across the "wooded section" at the very end. I expected the control to be on the side of the woods I was approaching from, but it was across the clear area from where I expected it to be.

3. 6:33 5:48

I ran along the tree line for 50 meters and then cut through the simi cleared area and out to the road. Down the road then along the tree line to about 100m from the road where I cut through the creek, then along the tree line up to the control. The second time I ran basically the same route except I picked a nicer area a little sooner to cross the creek.

4. 2:36 :58

Day 1 I walked straight through the woods and ended up too far to the right and came at the control from the north. Spent way too long in the woods and headed out the wrong way on the trail. The second time I ran down about 100m to the trail and took the trail up to the control.

5. 8:06 5:49

The first day I ran down the trail that parallels the power line and cut over to the pasture just past the first pole. I ran down the pasture to where the fence with the green on it intersects the other fence. I cut back to the trail and ran down to where the hill ends and cut into the creek bed and to the marker where I caught Raymond. The second day I just took the trail all the way along the power line.

6. 2:37 1:59

I ran down the creek bed to the fence crossing and then cut up to the trail, down the trail to the corner where I started to cut down, but realized I should turn and go down to the creek found the path that cut over to the other path, ran until it crossed the creek and cut in. I was looking for a ditch that paralleled the fence, but saw the marker in the gully to the right.

7. 3:41 2:48

Raymond punched 6 just ahead of me and he went straight and climbed a little. I contoured and couldn't really tell what was going on with the tree line or exactly where the marker should be. I crossed the creek and the marker was to my right about 50 meters. Raymond was punching in.

8. 3:45 3:00

Day 1 I ran basically straight but stayed in the "clear area" which was really chest high growth that I walked through. I got to the path and looked to the left and didn't see anything so I looked to the right and saw the marker. On day 2 I ran straight south out of 7 to the bike path and took that to the trail and took the trail in.

9. 6:29 5:11

On day 1 I took the trail to the south out and then when it hit the road ran up the test loop trail. On day 2 I ran the road all the way up to the creek bed and then up the creek bed to the control.

10. 8:50 7:13

Day 1 I climbed a little and came out just below the tennis courts and out to the road. On dayy 2 I took the creek bed out to the road. I ran the road all the way and came into the control from the south on the trail to the creek bed to the control.

F. 3:09 2:09

Back down the creek bed to the trail and over by the building to the finish.

I really died and was unmotivated on day 1. I didn't like being in the woods and number 4 made it seem like I was in the woods for a long time. On day 2 I tried to run steady but was still tired. It was about 7 degrees cooler on day 2 and this made a big difference.

-- Dan (daniel.meenehan@umb.com), October 12, 1999.

Here are my splits: 1. 3.46.84

Same route as Dan. Remember the poor footing running through the playground. May have gone a little too far left and had to correct.

2. 2.01.73 Same as Dan, except went to the right of the linear woods, near the fenced area. Control was easily visible from the end of the wooded area.

3. 7.26.53

Followed the open area to the west, then angled to the road through what became a semi-open area (but is mapped as open). Along the road, spooking two horses on the way, even thought I gave warning. Though about cutting the corner at the road bend, but the woods looked awful. Though about cutting across the ditch, but couldn't bring myself to do that either, so all the way down to the road to cross the ditch. Lost a little time by not running straight to it as it was not hung as visibly as the two previous, so wasn't sure it was there and 'red-lighted' into it.

4. 3.55.63

Same as Dan, day 1. Though I took a bearing, and practially crawled through the woods, stumbling on at least three jumbles of large rocks, I arrived at a nice clearing which the trail ran through. I only hoped that they would be kind and place the marker near the trail, so I just took the trail west and happened on it. I guess I veered north from my bearing...

5. 6.59.02

Out to the road, then along the powerline, counting powerline poles. Cut into the woods just before the fifth one, and was too soon. Followed the creek from there. Yellow light after going into the woods and along the creek.

6. 2.47.23

Creek out (went under the fence there). Powerline path to North/south path, right at the east/west path (past a couple of SUV's), then red light as I angled into the woods from the creek trail junction. Spiked it.

7. 3.51.57

Half contoured, half straight. (Climbed to where the erosion prevention bumps were.) Also could not tell where along the tree line to enter. Ended up coming in from the right by about 20 meters.

8. 4.50.93

Like Dan, I ended up running through the chest high rough open. But my route was a little sillier than just straight as I got confused by the trails to the west. I ended up nest to the pond. When I reached the trail, I did not have the sense to start looking, but climbed the slope. At the second, upper, trail, I took a look at my map and decided to look downslope. I had passed it maybe 20m on my left. Sigh, back downhill.

9. 6.30.19

Back to the upper trail, then along the test loop. A moment of insanity when the test loop heads north when I thought I was on the parallel trail to the east, so I dashed off the trail... After some time, I came to my senses and headed north to intersect the trail again. Went up the creek from the trail creek junction.

10. 8.54.21

Back to the test loop, then thought I'd same myself some time by cutting the corner. Not sure if I did or not, but I did the climb. Sigh. Followed the road,cutting the corner of the open,then after crossing the second ditch to the west on the road, angled in through the rough open. Spent a moment in the creek bed (past the creek junction) then jogged along the trail that goes every direction but straight. Finally it came into view.

F. 1.45.81

Out to open, then to the left of the building and across the dam.

-- Fritz Menninger (fpmenninger@hotmail.com), October 13, 1999.