Saturday September 19 2020
South Dakota always polls top in the tables I research online regarding ‘States with the fewest COVID restrictions’. Nevertheless, bizarrely, Vacation Races cancelled their Mount Rushmore half marathon event for 2021, very early, concerns over not making enough money probably weighing heavy on the organisers… Luckily, on the same weekend, I found a replacement race in Deadwood – The Blackhills Veteran Marathon & March. I entered the ‘Mini March’ event – 16 miles on the George S Mickelson Trail – and I’m very glad I did. What a great event, and a fantastic weekend.
Keeping with our original travel plans (plus pushing our return later after Delta tried to move it forward), we left Charlotte early Friday, changed planes in Minneapolis and were rental car keys-in-hand by 1100. Via a genuinely lovely dive bar lunch in the infamous town of Wall, we headed straight to Badlands National Park – an amazing place to visit, with an alien landscape as a former sea bed, and North American wildlife aplenty. We saw the big five (variously sized five) – Bison (‘American Buffalo’), Prairie Dogs, Longhorn Sheep, Pronghorn & Deer.
After Badlands, we went to the Crazy Horse rock carving – very impressive but without a conclusion in sight; and Mount Rushmore – simply impressive.
We checked in at our rustic motel in Keystone and had a nice dinner at the neighbouring Nepalese restaurant!
Saturday morning, we left early for Deadwood (a quaint western town belonging in Red Dead Redemption), and though we arrived in good time, the start line busses left five minutes early and I wasn’t on one. We drove up to the trail head and the race started. First two miles were a gradual uphill. I went out steady, overtook the young kid soon enough, and gradually reeled in the high-cadence military sunglasses guy in the luminous yellow tee, whilst still going uphill, and I was on the lead. We plateaud then started to head down hill. We went through the first checkpoint shortly after two miles, I was still leading and the volunteers were cheery, helpful and supportive. Each checkpoint also served as a team march relay handover station, so all of them were very lively and active places. I pressed on at a good trail running pace, mile after mile, music on, overtaking marathoners and team marchers as I went, still in first place. There was a tough section at mile 8, an unexpected uphill, but I didn’t stop running. My left leg, which had hurt for the first few miles – still not recovered from Mahoosuc – was starting to loosen, my lungs and heart felt good, it was just heavy upper legs that were holding me back from speeding up much more.
I pushed through to the 16 mile finish, with no one left ahead of me to overtake; came down through Deadwood and crossed the line in the Rodeo Grounds, to a military handshake and my commemorative coin. First place overall!
I was covered in flies from the trail, so we headed back to the motel, via a quick day light stop at Mount Rushmore so Becca could get her National Park Services Passport stamp.
I showered, had a quick lunch in the room and we headed back out. We drove to visit Jewel cave then drive the scenic loop in Custer State Park – where we saw Bison, Deer, Prairie Dogs, Pronghorn, wild Donkeys and a Coyote. We had a big dinner in Keystone’s finest restaurant, Powder House Lodge, and retired to bed.
Sunday morning I did a recovery six miles around Keystone, seeing plenty of deer as I explored the old town and hillside cemetery with a view of Mount Rushmore. We drove to Hot Springs to visit the quite fascinating Mammoth Museum – a current paleontological site – then headed to Rapid City for a nice lunch and a trip to Prairie Trading Company, where we purchased a couple of pieces created by local Native American artists.
We flew to Minneapolis but missed our connection due to flight delay, so Delta put us up at the Crowne Plaza hotel overnight, where we ate dinner. I ran six miles Monday morning in the Minnesota Valley national wildlife preserve, before heading back to Charlotte.
31 states down, what a great trip.
Racing Americana 