The Great Kaw Adventure Race will return at the end of September with a shorter, more user-friendly route and more details to showcase Eudora’s history.
Registration has opened for the race that combines running, biking, boating and challenges throughout. Teams of two can sign up for $175 via the city’s website. It begins at 10 a.m. Sept. 27.
The deadline to sign up is Sept 8., which will then determine if the city has enough participants to move forward.
Rather than about 25 miles total, the event will be shorter this year with less time on the water and more opportunity for participants to see all of Eudora, said Jimmy Kegin, assistant director for the Parks and Rec Department.
The race will start at Village Green with just under 4 miles on foot. In previous years, there has been over 10 miles on the water, but this year it will be about a 2-mile float on the river, Parks and Rec Director Sally Pennington said. The cycling portion will be 10 miles over mixed terrain.
Challenges throughout the race may consist of trivia about Eudora history, sporting tasks, equations or puzzles and will be required in order for participants to retrieve artifacts.
This year, the event is being coordinated by the city for the first time, rather than the Convention and Visitors Bureau and volunteers. The race first started in 2015 and was a race in partnership with De Soto. Friends of the Kaw also supplies boats for racers to use.
Kegin said the event started out of a desire to take advantage of the opportunity the cities had to use the riverfront.
It’s estimated the race itself will take two or three hours for participants, which is about half the time it took in previous years.
On the day of the race, there will be a beer garden, inflatables and live music at Village Green in Nottingham Center. The race will both start and end at the green, another new aspect this year.
The first tailgate challenge to support the Youth Football and Cheer Association will also be ongoing during the race.
With this year’s schedule, Parks and Rec hopes to entertain families and others who may not be participating in the race itself, Pennington said. It will also give racers something to do when the event ends.
Ben Terwilliger, executive director of the Eudora Area Historical Society, plans to educate people on aspects of Eudora related to the race on the day of the event.
For those who considered participating in the past but worried about the length of the race or the difficulty, this is the year to sign up as the course will be significantly shorter, Pennington said. The event is for all ages, and Pennington said it will be accommodated to anyone comfortable on a bike and on the water for a less aggressive paddle on the Kaw.
Teams will be provided with everything they need for the race, but do need to bring their own non-road bikes since the route will contain gravel and other terrain.
The race’s focus on history and inclusivity also ties into the department’s recently approved Master Plan. It’ll also show off the department’s parks and facilities with the new route, Pennington said.
It also helps the city down the line when they want to dedicate resources to redevelopment projects in town, Interim City Manager Zack Daniel said. The hope is that the event brings more attention to Eudora and that the race brings participants from other cities as well, Daniel said.
“I think the boat ramp’s a really great opportunity for us to expand the park system and take advantage of that feature that you’re not going to find in every community,” Daniel said. “The race shines a light on that asset.”