I ran the the all-new Betsy Farris Memorial Biscuit Half Marathon on Saturday, September 30, 2023. This race takes place in Columbia Missouri. We flew in on Thursday, September 28th.
Landing in Kansas City
And I was ready for BBQ! I love BBQ and it seems even though we have BBQ in NJ, we don't have any BBQ that I have tasted in the rest of the country, particularly Tennessee, Texas or Missouri.
No, I did not eat here, but they have BBQ at the airport!
Airport BBQ
So, after landing, getting our bags and the rental car, it was my main mission to find the best BBQ in Kansas City. We quickly found out there is a difference between Kansas City, Mo BBQ and St. Louis, Mo BBQ. The sauces share some similarities, but they’re different enough for people to know the difference when they eat them.
When I think of BBQ sauce, I am more inclined to think of what I got in Kansas City. Kansas City style BBQ is tangy, sweet, thick, a bit spicy, and oh so delicious! It contains many ingredients, but it’s tomato or ketchup-based and brown sugar or molasses are a must as a sweetener. This is the main difference between the St. Louis sauce and the Kansas City sauce. Kansas City is where barbecue was born, which is why this is the traditional barbecue sauce.
The St. Louis barbecue sauce is a bit thinner because it contains vinegar, which also makes the sauce less sweet. This barbecue style is characterized by a sweet-and-sour flavor with a bit of spice.
Well, I searched a few sources on GOOGLE and came up with Q39 in Kansas City. It was the best BBQ I have ever had. And yes, I would travel to Kansas City just to go back, I am that obsessed!
Ron watching me scoff down BBQ at Q39!
Look at Those Burnt Ends! I ate EVERYTHING!
Washed it all down with a beer! So YUMMY!!!
After we ate, we did our normal routine, found the hotel, unpacked and slept!
Columbia, Missouri
The next day, we reviewed the plans for the race and packet pick-up. What? Packet pick-up is at a bar? And the bar is called, the Dive Bar?😆! I love this country! And I love running through each state! These are priceless memories!
Ron and Me at The Dive Bar After Packet Pick Up!
Inside The Dive Bar!
It had a charm all to its own. Great music. Great glasses! We bought a few. Little did the person know that the small juice-like glasses we purchased were going to be used to drink wine from - Sopranos Style! 😛
Outside The Dive Bar
After hanging at the Dive Bar, we made our way back to the hotel and reviewed race day instructions.
Race Day Instructions
Bib Photo Op! Such a Cute Shirt!
The race honors the legacy of Betsy Farris, the Roots N Blues Festival director from 2009-2016. Betsy trained, inspired, and mentored many people on their journeys to get fit and stay healthy.
The race starts on the African American Trail. It seems that after the American Civil War in 1865, Columbia was mostly segregated. So, African Americans started building their own businesses and institutions where they worked, shopped and socialized. The area then changed dramatically in the 1960s after a controversial program known as urban renewal eliminated many black-owned homes and enterprises. The African American Heritage Trail is a tour of this historic area, and the trail includes more than 20 informational markers highlighting people and institutions significant to the city’s history.
After the park area, the race continues on through some pretty tree-lined streets. It is a very flat race.
Sunday was race day! Off we go. After some coffee and my banana bread with Justin's Almond Butter, some stretching and foam rolling, we took off for the race. We stopped at the Broadway Diner for more coffee and a pit stop.
Broadway Diner
On our way into the race area, I saw Competition Barbeque Team! WoW! I wondered if I would join their team if I lived in Missouri - I would likely love a beer and a BBQ after races!
Competition Barbeque Team!
And it is always a must to note EVERY Port-O-John!
Gotta Love the Running Biscuit!
I signed Ron up for the 5K, which started after the half marathon. My race started a little bit on the downhill, and it was pretty shady on the paved trail. The first stretch and the last stretch, you went under ta small footbridge. The race was an out and back.
Shuffling on to the finish!
First Time I Finished Under 2 Hours Since My Knee Surgery!!!
I came in first in may age group too!
The after race party was full of live music and tasty treats!
Let's Hear It For Great Live Music!
This was a great race and great adventure!
Next, we walked along the trail and found this very cool bench!
Next stop, well St Louis, of course. Onto check out St Louis style BBQ and the Gateway Arch, National Park Missouri.
Chuck Berry Statue in St Louis
The Gateway Arch reflects St. Louis' role in the Westward Expansion of the United States during the nineteenth century. The park is a memorial to Thomas Jefferson's role in opening the West, to the pioneers who helped shape its history, and to Dred Scott who sued for his freedom in the Old Courthouse. The arch is HUGE!!!
Ron under the Gateway Arch
We Stayed Under the Arch!
I was ready to suck up my fear of heights and take the gondola ride, up and through the Gateway Arch. I thought, just pray and God will hold you in His hand as you go through this metal arched tube! The person selling the tickets advised that we sit in the small gondola (five feet in diameter) to get the feel for what we would experience. Ron said sitting in the tiny gondola for 4-minutes going up and 3-minutes coming down was too much. And, at that moment, I found out why Ron always likes the window seat on the plane, too. I thought he was just mindful of my bathroom urgency issues all these years! Nope, looks like someone is claustrophobic! No Gateway Arch ride for us. Tickets were returned! But we got some nice pics!
Up to 80 People can go into the top viewing area!
Under the Arch!
Ron Under the Arch
The Arch is designed to sway as much as 18 inches in 150 mile per hour winds and it can withstand an earthquake. YIKES!
The Arch is 630 feet (192 meters) tall; 630 feet is also the distance from leg to leg at ground level.
Climbing Up The Stairs to the "Gateway to the West"
There are lots more to do in the park too. You can take a helicopter ride around the area.
Helicopter Pad!
You can take a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi River too!
Whatever you do, especially if you are from New Jersey, don't believe anyone from Wyoming when they say the race is mostly flat!
Grand Teton Course Elevation
I know, I know, it looks mostly flat, but there were these small climbs that felt horrific to me - someone who lives close to sea level. Well, it starts out flat along the Teton Pass Highway at about 6,000 feet but then the incline starts - just before the 5 mile mark. Then there is a slow-and-steady climb that stretches over the next several miles. Even though they say it is a very gradual climb, the second half of the race is when the elevation rises from about 6,100 feet above sea level to about 6,350 feet by the time you reach the finish line.
The race starts just outside Jackson, Wyoming, in the small town of Wilson, at Beckley Park Way. From there, you follow a point-to-point climb through Wyoming’s Jackson Hole area with views of the Teton Mountains off in the distance. You run quite a bit of the race along the Teton Pass Highway - on awesome paved trails - and you cross over Snake River, twice. The race finishes along the edge of Grand Teton National Park with the majestic Teton Mountain range off in the distance. It is a beautiful course!
Again, for someone who grew up and lives at about sea level - the Grand Tetons will bring tears to your eyes. They are magnificent! We took some excursions in the Grand teton National Park. The air smells so clean and fresh.
Ron's 5k race was on Friday night and the half marathon race was Saturday morning, June 3, 2023, so we flew in on Thursday, June 1st and checked into The Wyoming Inn of Jackson Hole - it is a gorgeous hotel.
The Wyoming Inn of Jackson Hole
We had lunch in Jackson Hole the next day. It was so very beautiful. We were surprised when our waitress told us that she lives in Idaho. We drove from Jackson Hole into Idaho and I just can't believe that she makes that treck to and from home in the winter. The roads have no street lights, they are winding - beautiful - but lots of curves on roads that I would not want to drive on in the wintertime - especially late at night!
Jackson Hole
We picked up our packets on Friday. I was so excited to run . . . State #44. Woo-Hoo!
Ron ran the 5K. I think I should have run with him. I think I would have had a better idea of how hard it was to run at that altitude. Walking around Jackson Hole, I knew I was going to have a rough time. I always get nauseous, dizzy, and I feel I have to make up the oxygen deficit with what I call, "catch up breathes." These are short little breaths that I do at altitude when I can't catch my breath. I also always get a bloody nose when I am at this altitude. Even though it looks as if you can touch the clouds, it is super dry!
So they had a DJ that got everyone pumped for the 5K. It was cute.
It was also good in a way that I didn't run because I got a taste of what it is like for Ron, after the race proceeds and you see the person you love go forward to run a race. Ron always jokes that he is going to write a coffee table book, "After the Gun Goes Off." It was a little sad. I didn't know anyone. I was in the middle of Wyoming - which is so very different from where I grew up and live. I mean - Manhattan is 12 miles east from where I live. I have been going into the city since I was a little girl. And even though I looked around and saw the most beautiful landscape, it was sad to see Ron go off on his run alone. Coach always says, "It's a lonely life, the life of an endurance runner."
Waiting for Ron, but Enjoying the Views
Very Big Sky!
I looked around, trying to count all my blessings, but I know what got me here and I was sad. And even as I write this, I hear the Foo Fighters song in my head, Under You. https://youtu.be/ms6b2w9U_Kg?si=x3pVsGcNEhlbHw3p. I always change the beginning of the song to, "I woke up and ran a million miles for you . . . " And some wonder why I am behind in writing some posts. . . .
I really don't think I could bare to stand waiting after another 5k. I will definitely run with Ron if the 5K is the day or night before! In the meanwhile, I looked up, prayed A LOT, and waited for Ron to come through the finish line! Of course, when he did, I was screaming - Jersey Style - like he just finished an Ultra. LOL!
Don't let the smile fool you, he hates running!
We drove back to the hotel and planned for a nice dinner before getting to bed early and awaking at 4am. Over the years, I have developed a routine. I awake, dress in my running outfit, roll out. Yes, I bring a foam roller. I stretch. Do some core work. Then eat. I hope to get everything moving out of me before I take a prescription Immodium. I cannot take any chances with my Crohn's. Then I drink lots of water and stretch some more. Before you know it, I was lined up for state #44!
Hobbling along after 13 miles!
State #44 is in the Books!
Here's to Wyoming!
Speed has Slowed Since the Knee Surgery! My results were Meh!
I Gave It My All!
My Watch Shows 1,087 Feet Climb!
My goal was to shoot for closer to 2 hours, but I have had such a hard time with speed since I had my miniscus repaired. I wish I could say it's all about the climb, and I love that song, but I do train hard to get my time down. I am grateful that I can still run! Off to explore the Grand Tetons. . .
Grand Teton National Park
Yes We Saw Moose!
Yes, You Can Smell The Pines!
And Yes, The Water was Clean, Clear, and COLD!
Jenny Lake, Grand Tetons
We went to early dinner at the Liberty Burger in Jackson. Walked on wooden sidewalks, stopped in a few stores. Then went to The Roadhouse Brewing Company, which had an amazing Belgium White! And of course, no trip to Jackson Wyoming would be complete without going to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar! the saddle seats were a killer though because you cannot adjust the straps to the stirrups! But, I was a good sport, sat at the bar and watched some people play pool.
Bar Seat Saddles are Fun!
Another successful trip and half marathon completed! Time to head home and place my new medal in its rightful place!
