2019 Moonbow Ultra ReCap

2019 MOONBOW ULTRA SHOUTOUTS

Before we get into the race recap itself, as usual there are so many people to thank that put so much sweat, energy, and passion into making this event happen in the first place.

• Doug T. - This event is at a point now where it absolutely needs it’s own Assistant RD. Could not have done it without you Doug.

• Doug, Laurette, Scott, Carla, Donald - Our parents are still EXTREMELY supportive which truly helps us out so much.

• Mayur, Nikhil, and Sahil - All 3 of you keep me sane and laughing all weekend long!

• John’s Run Walk Shop - too many names to list that have been very supportive and play such a vital part within our running community here in Central Kentucky.

• West Sixth Brewing - (Way too many people to list) You all know we love all of you.

• Scott B. - Donating the SWORD for all our runners and being very supportive from the beginning.

• Molly C. and Kyle - Thank you Molly and Kyle for all of your assistance with shirts.

• Pam G. - Thank you for all the wisdom on the trails. This event could not happen without you and the other trail gnomes.

• Dania and Papa Smurf - You all have become my home away on the weekends. Thank you all for everything.

• Bill R. and Laurie S. - Our state needs more Forest Service Rangers like them. They are very knowledgable of the land and truly care for it.

• Diane B. - We realize none of this could happen without you. Thank you for your passion for our parks and support for us.

• Joe M. - You and your entire staff are top notch. Thank you for everything.

• David K. - CFSRP is so fortunate to have you. Thank you for all of your assistance on race weekend.

• Casey T. - Thank you for capturing such amazing footage.

• Kyle and Jansen. - You all are the best to have hanging with us at the finish line.

• Linda and Joe - Thank you for your water donation every year. Our runners and us are very grateful every year.

• Summer W. - Thank you for holding down the fort while I’m always out running around.

• Megan K. - Megan, love you so much. Couldn’t do it without you.

• Mike W. - Made some absolutely incredible awards for the event.

• Whitley County EMS - Tabitha and team were excellent to work with.

• Whitley County Search and Rescue - Rick Four and team were flawless.

• JR P. and Luke T. - All traffic control needs were met and very helpful.

• 2019 Moonbow Ultra Volunteers (Austin E, Mary G, Neal G, Kasey C, Megan T, Joel T, Andrew N, Crystal C, Tamara F, Janet C, Jeff S) - So many behind the scene logistics are going on during race weekend and this event would not be nearly as smooth without the help from all of these hard working volunteers.

• 2019 Moonbow Ultra Participants - Thank you to all of you runners reading this! We couldn’t do what we love to do if we didn’t have all of our wonderful participants supporting us and our passion!

• Riah and EJ - The two most important ones in my life. Thank you both for letting me put so much time into this passion of mine. I love you girls so much.

What a wonderful trail run in one of our most sacred Kentucky State Parks!

Weather
Saturday September 28th 2019 - Warm summer morning for the start with a little fog along the Cumberland River. By noon we were pushing the low 90’s with strong heat. Overall a great day for a trail run because….it’s trail running and you learn to adapt to whatever Mother Nature gives us.

Trail Conditions
We had nice dry trail conditions for race day with no creek crossings because of the little precipitation we received in September. Very rare to have 0 creek crossings along this thick forest course.

The Course
We had very little injuries this year with only one incident report, which to me is a very successful day with as hot as temperatures reached. A handful of DNF and DNS’s this year, but overall we had a lot of runners accomplish a very tough course.

The Race
If any participants would like to contribute a personal race recap to display, please email me over at ejadventuresky@gmail.com.

Conclusion
With every EJ Adventures event, I hope to bring more awareness to our public lands of Kentucky. I also look to gain something personally even though it usually takes me months later to realize what exactly that is. Organizing an ultra marathon is quite the challenge! It takes up a lot of weekends away from my close family and friends leading up to the event. Luckily, the Moonbow Ultra team has grown over the last 3 years relieving some of the workload, but it is still a very exhausting 6 month process. Nearly one month after the event, I am still contemplating why so much work is invested into this one race.

I believe we Kentuckians are very fortunate to have some of the most majestic places right here in our backyard. As someone who passionately craves these wild and scenic places, I feel responsible to also somehow bring awareness of how special these lands are to me and my family and to not take them for granted. The Moonbow Ultra was created with a specific mission to help leverage our spectacular Cumberland Falls State Resort Park.

This event has raised a few thousand dollars to invest back into our State Park’s trail system since it’s inception. On the grand scheme of things, the raised funds may seem pretty insignificant, but it’s become much more exciting to see the sentimental values and not just looking at the monetary value gained from the Moonbow Ultra event. Maintaining a wild and overgrown trail so someone else can actually experience the beauty of this canyon system is something I have found to be one of the most rewarding experiences in organizing this event. We also do not feel like our public lands are nearly as important to our current US Federal and State Administration as they are to our family, so we would like to at least try and contribute the best we can.

We feel like the last small percentage of our public lands can offer so much including economic benefits, clean air and water, protected sacred lands, climate adaptive landscapes, wildlife, and ample recreation opportunities. When you see how some leaders in our Congress are simply focused on drilling and mining above all else, it is easy to see that these benefits are not guaranteed to last forever. If people want to retain all the benefits of these lands, it’s become increasingly important to extend protection to these areas and the first place to start is with education.

I hope the Moonbow Ultra gave everyone a unique personal lifetime experience. But even more so, I hope everyone came away with a whole new appreciation of one of the last few wild and scenic locations in our State. A very sincere ‘thank you’ to each and every single one of you for your support in us and our passion. We hope to continue to bring awareness, education, and access to others and show them the benefits of our wonderful Kentucky public lands. Please share these locations with others and help us spread the word of how important these lands are to you so we can pass these places on to our next generation.

With Love,

-Daniel, Riah, and EJ