Create a race you’d like to run.
What we discussed:
Gary – Story Hawk – Henry is one of the founding members of the Trail Hawks running group in Lawrence, KS.
Since Lawrence Kansas is home to the University of Kansas Jayhawks, the Hawk theme for the group was obvious.
Other trail-running groups give “trail names” to their members. But it is a casual and imprecise process.
The Trail Hawks have a three-step process for achieving your “Hawk Name” as part of the group.
A member’s Hawk Name requires the presence of several Hawk members and either alcohol and conversation or a trail run in which the secret words are uttered to tattoo the name to the member’s soul.
Gary started the Hawk 100 race after crewing a friend in Western States 100.
He wanted to run Western States but decided that it would be just as fun to run a 100 mile trail race closer to home.
He reasoned that a good part of a 100-mile race is run in the dark. And in the light of a headlamp, a trail in California looks just like a trail in Kansas.
He organized the race but then asked a friend to manage it on race day so he could run the race himself.
His friend took on the role of Race Director for the following years.
Gary got the idea of a race that incorporated a mix of trails and created The Snake.
He remained Race Director until 2023 when Eric Deeter (yours truly) took over as RD.
Connect with Gary:
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