Californians Amanda Nauman and Ted King took to the heartland and came out on top at the 2016 Dirty Kanza 200 in Emporia, Kansas. Viewed by many as the toughest race there is, the Dirty Kanza is a 200 mile gravel grinder through the Flint Hills of Central Kansas. 2016 marked the grassroots race’s 10th anniversary.
In the women’s race, Nauman was a repeat winner, defending her 2015 title. Nauman finished in 13:11 ahead of Carla Williams who was 17 minutes back and April Morgan who was over an hour behind the winner.
King won his first Dirty Kanza title while the defending 2015 men’s champ Yuri Hauswald was derailed by mechanical issues and did not finish. King’s winning time was just under 12 hours at 11:50. Second place Michael Sencenbaugh was 42 minutes in arrears to King while men’s third place finish Mike Easter was just 12 seconds behind the silver medalist.
For those looking to keep things “easy” there was also the Dirty Kanza 100, also known as “DKlite.” The top two overall finishers in that event were both women, with Jill Cedarholm finishing in 6:51 ahead of MTB legend Rebecca Rusch, who had a time of 7:17. Guy Alvarez was third in 7:22 in the 100 mile race. After the race, Rusch took to Instagram and commented that “Nuthin lite about it–ya get yer full value with #mud, #wind and getting lost but #allgood.”
Other big names were in attendance as well, including Lyne Bessett and Tim Johnson. Johnson’s day ended with cramping legs, but not before he got a selfie with eventual winner King at about the race’s halfway point.
If you have designs on the 2017 race, it takes place each year on the first Saturday after Memorial Day. Registration typically opens in January and sells out in just hours.
