Finding races in the Midwest that fit our criteria and are reasonably accessible has been an ongoing challenge.   The Spearfish Canyon Half was located in a small town in South Dakota, close to the Wyoming border, and promised breathtaking vistas and a gradual downhill course.   We put a rather creative travel plan together that involved multiple airports and airlines, and put this race on the map for July.

Two short months after West Virginia, we were on our way to State #31 in South Dakota.  A big crew had signed on for this one which always adds to the fun and adventure.   James, Colleen, and Kathy were coming from Phoenix, Melodie from Oakland, Janille and Sharon were driving from Nevada and Utah, and I was flying out of Seattle.  James had taken on both traveling with an all-female crew and running his first half so this was a brave trip for him.   Our travel plan included meeting in Las Vegas then taking an Allegiant flight from there to Rapid City.   I was the first to land in Vegas and was just settling in to wait for the others when I received a text from Colleen telling me that their flight had been delayed because of weather in Vegas.   Looking out the window, I was a bit perplexed as it was somewhat windy, but nothing out of the ordinary.   However, over the next hour, it became increasingly obvious that the incoming storm was a concern to air traffic controllers, and flights that were not in route were not being allowed to take off.  Melodie’s flight had already been in the air when the storm hit, so it was allowed to land after circling for 30 minutes.   However, the Phoenix contingent was not so lucky.  We feared they were at risk to make the Allegiant connection, and then the news came that their flight was cancelled and everyone was being sent home.  Ugh.  We were all feeling rather disheartened at this point.  However, Melodie, our master flight planner, remembered that Allegiant had a flight from Mesa to Rapid City the following morning.    Kathy and Colleen drove to the Gateway Mesa Airport and negotiated with a compassionate Allegiant agent in person to transfer their flights to the following day.   Melodie and I boarded our flight to Rapid City without the others, rented a car, and drove to Spearfish as planned.   After a rather stressful travel day, we drove into the peaceful little town of Spearfish to be greeted by a glorious sunset.   The AirBnB we had rented was a beautiful home, sparkling clean, and full of creature comforts.  We greeted Janille and Sharon who were already there, took a deep breath, and settled in for the night.

Bright and early the next morning, we climbed in the rental car and headed back to the airport to pick up Kathy, Colleen and James.   We were so relieved they had been able to figure out a way to get there that we didn’t mind the trek back to the airport.   As we drove, we discussed sight seeing plans for the day and discovered that Mt Rushmore was a mere 25 miles from Rapid City Airport.   That was an easy decision as all of us were thrilled to have the opportunity to visit the famous national monument.   We picked up our straggling siblings who had weathered their travel trauma rather well, and stopped at Perkins Family Restaurant for breakfast.

Unfortunately, the food was mediocre at best, but when the company is good and everyone is hungry, you take what you can get.

Next stop, Mt. Rushmore.   What an incredible, awe-inspiring experience!   We stopped at the visitor center first to immerse ourselves in the background and the history of this national monument.   The words of Gutzon Borglum, the creative genius behind the sculpture, are worth repeating.   “Let us place there, carved high, as close to heaven as we can, the words of our leaders, their faces, to show posterity what manner of men they were.   Then breathe a prayer that these records will endure until the wind and the rain alone shall wear them away.”    And from one of the drillers and assistant carver, Otto “Red” Anderson, “More and more we sensed that we were creating a truly great thing, and after a while all of us old hands became truly dedicated to it and determined to stick to it”. The sculpture was started on October 4, 1927 and finished on October 31, 1941.

We shared this experience with hundreds of other people.   3 million people from all over the world visit Mt Rushmore every year.

We took a short hike up to the base of the monument and grabbed a few more photos.   Unfortunately, part of the hike was closed for repairs, so we missed the experience of hiking the 456 stairs.

We opted to leave I-90 for the picturesque drive through the Black Hills on our way back to Spearfish.    We stopped at Pactola Reservoir for a few more photo ops and to enjoy the cold water and the beautiful view.

We arrived back in Spearfish in time to pick up our race packets and grab a late lunch.  Steerfish Steak and Smoke was a unique small town restaurant and showcased the personality of this little South Dakota town.

Our group included some die-hard ice cream fans, so we stopped at an ice cream shop before taking our weary Phoenix travelers back to our Spearfish home.   The rest of the evening was spent in settling in, relaxing, hot tubbing, walking, and getting ready for tomorrow’s race.   Weather forecasts were predicting a much warmer day than usual.    We’d already experienced extreme cold (Chicago) and heavy rains (West Virginia), so blistering heat seemed right in line.   Unusual weather seems to travel with us.

Race morning dawned bright and early, but everyone was up in plenty of time for a relaxed morning.  The half marathoners had to catch a shuttle at Spearfish City Park by 6:00 am, but we were grateful for the early start and a chance to beat some of the heat.  Colleen and Sharon were running the 5K and left a little later.    Race start was in Savoy, a little town at the top of the canyon, elevation 4,963 ft.

Such a fun crew!

Shoes.  Brooks and one Altra.

Sibling Selfie

Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day….

Some of us get a little crazy at race time.

And once again, we were off.   Early miles were cool, fast, and relatively easy.  Thanks to Melodie and Janille who are willing to stop and smell the roses, we have some great pictures of the course.

5K Course

Heading down the mountain

We ran on the road the whole way.   Lots of banked curves and camber.

Selfie at mile 6

As we came out of the canyon around mile 10, the heat started to become oppressive.   Temperatures climbed to the 90’s and we were fully exposed to the sun.   Needless to say, we slowed way down and drank copious amounts of water at the stops.   We all made it over the finish line, but there were muscle cramps and some serious dehydration involved. (Sorry, I don’t have finish line pictures of the 5Kers.   Both of them had a good race.)

Yours truly

Melodie

Janille

James

Kathy

James took 3rd place in his age group.   Awesome job, James!

The race organizers did a great job providing the right dietary options for finishers.   Chocolate milk, vitamin water, and bananas went a long way to restoring electrolytes, and the foam rollers tortured our muscles into a more bearable state.   It wasn’t long before we were able to acknowledge that it had been a beautiful race and well worth the time and effort.

Colleen and Sharon (5Kers)

Two of my favs

The Halfers.   Exhausted, but not so much that we stopped talking.

After a session with the hot tub, we headed out to a small pizza place recommended by some of the locals at the race.   It did not disappoint and proved to be the perfect post race food.   After eating, we headed to the park in search of a cold creek.   We did find one, and treated our knees and feet to some cold therapy.

The home where we stayed was truly in an beautiful, albeit isolated spot.   We had no WiFi and very little cell phone reception, but we had each other and an abundance of beauty to enjoy.

As we prepared to say goodbye to Janille and Sharon the next morning, we lined up for a group picture via the iPhone timed feature.   The end result may not have been professional, but it was a highly amusing exercise.

Since our return flight was late in the day, we had time for a bit more sight seeing.   On Janille and Sharon’s recommendation, we headed over the border to Devils Tower in Wyoming.   The tower is a laccolithic butte composed of igneous rock in the Bear Lodge Mountains above the Belle Fourche River.   It rises dramatically 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, standing 867 feet from summit to base.  We opted to do a 3 mile hike around the base of the monument in the hopes it would loosen up some tight, sore muscles and while it may not have accomplished that for everyone, the views were worth the effort.

After the hike, we headed back to Spearfish for a bite to eat, and then on to Rapid City for the first leg of our flight home.   It had been a running trip full of unexpected twists and turns, but it did not disappoint.    We endured some heat and sore muscles, but were rewarded with beautiful wide open spaces, rugged mountains, and the opportunity to visit two memorable national monuments.

Fortunately, all our return flights were on time and connections were made without incident.   Another trip in the books, and more memories to treasure.   We are so fortunate to have each other and the continued opportunity to travel, run, and experience beauty in new places.

Goodbye until next time.

Next up, Tulsa, Oklahoma.