Well that was certainly a treat for all involved. The best weather and best trail conditions in the history of the race. And the closest finish!
Los Dos Andrews (McLannan and Palmblade) battled fiercely down the home stretch with a too close to call double breasted lean at the finish in the 4 Mile. Omaha Running Club Pres. Tom Whitaker and I at the finish line unable to pick a winner. I spoke to both athletes and they too were stymied. Only the chip timing provided by Precision Race Results could cipher the microscopic difference with the nod going to McLannan. This is what racing is all about!
The 12K found Brian Wandzilak as our 2015 champion. His Lincoln Running Co. Racing mate Darin Schlake took the runner up position as well as capturing the Masters title. On the women’s side Becky Henning of Kansas City bested Emily Steenson by just 2 seconds for her first Ni-Bthaska-Ke title. Again, this is what racing is all about!
But Ni-Bthaska-Ke is more than just racing. It is the trail running community coming together, from 8 states!, to enjoy one of the most scenic runs of the spring. And most challenging. My mantra for the day was that the party is great, the awards are cool, and the people are quite hip, but what will always remain with the participants is the incredible sense of achievement and accomplishment that they will have for the remainder of their running days. That is what Ni-Bthaska-Ke really is all about!
Complete results at http://onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=15211
Photos popping up on facebook. Paul Nye was in town from Ankeny, IA and caught some great shots at www.panfoto.us
Great big thanks to our sponsors Cabela’s, Omaha Steaks, and Regal Printing. And to our contributors, Zipline Brewing, Upstream Brewing Co., Rotellas, Peak Performance, Precision Race Results, LLC, Subway, and Gretna Family Health.
And to our volunteers! We are fortunate to have support of the Omaha Running Club’s vast resource of people that enjoy helping others get the most out of their race morning!
And most of all to you the participants! Mark your calendars for Saturday April 2, 2016 for our 10th edition of the Toughest Trail Run in the Midwest!
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