Hawk Hundred Post Race Update
Sept. 16, 2021 by Ami "Misfit Hawk" Hyten
Seems like a fever dream after a couple nights’ sleep, doesn’t it?
The trails were glorious and devastating for our HAWK runners this year. The terrain. The temperatures. The bugs. It was a lot.
Your race directors will be reviewing the results to make sure we have the most accurate information on our final results. Once we have this done, we will send out a message through ultrasignup and put a link up on the HAWK Hundred Facebook page. If you aren’t on the page already, here’s the link
Also, White Trail survivors have formed their own support group. This is completely unofficial and cathartic.
Jordan and I want to thank you all again for joining us on this adventure. We saw folks dig really, really deep last weekend. We saw people assess and learn through their struggles. We saw tremendous kindnesses among runners, volunteers, and crews. We saw the generosity of volunteers, from showing up at 4am Saturday, to unloading the truck at 4pm Sunday, to helping folks problem solve, and offering the comfort of food and drink, much of it lovingly home made. We got to look old friends in the eyes, not through a computer screen. We met new friends who we hope to see come back years into the future.
We missed some old friends, like Gary “Story HAWK” Henry, who is in large part to credit with the good parts of the trails; the parts that did not have tree fall on them, were trimmed back, and well maintained. Gary is ultimately the mind behind the HAWK; we are hoping he will be back to help in future years, even if just to regale us with his legendary tall tales and unofficial history of Cactus Ridge.
And we said good-bye to longtime director, Sherrie Klover. Those of you who know Sherrie know that she gives with her whole self, and that whole self has turned the HAWK into an event with a reputation for its care and compassion, and its quality. Jordan and I take very seriously her trust in handing the event over to us as she pursues other priorities.
Check out the photos from Mile90. The highlight of these events, and the gift that keeps on giving, is the race photos they provide. These aren’t race photos. They are art. They are the evidence of the epic shit you did the second weekend in September.
We also had two runners post great videos about the race. Clint Bond ran the marathon, and Justin Smith ran the 100.
And we hope a few lucky folks found the Orange Mud treasures that were randomly slipped into the bags runners picked up Saturday morning. Orange Mud has been an incredible friend to the HAWK and their continued support means the world to us. We are dedicated Orange Mud users ourselves, from our shorts to our hydration packs to our trucker’s caps.
For now, we close with this. Cancelling the 2020 HAWK was the right decision. Coming into the weekend, we were not so sure that pressing forward with the 2021 HAWK was the right decision. We were confident the logistics of the event had been planned out well enough, and based on the best possible information and precautions available. But the usual feeling of excitement and anticipation was definitely mixed in with concern and trepidation this year.
Thank you all for assuring us, through your presence and the way you honored the safety of everyone around you at the event, that we made the right call this time around.
Please look out for upcoming announcements both related to the 2021 HAWK, and as plans roll out for a 2022 event!
Jordan & Ami
