September 2023 Board Meeting Minutes
Sept. 29, 2023 by None
**September 2023 Lawrence Trail Hawk Board Meeting Minutes
From: Jordan Shrack, secretary
Meeting called to order by Todd “BAR Hawk” Chandler, president, on the anniversary of his grandfather’s birth.
Members in attendance: Cara “Color Hawk” Combs, Jordan “Oops Hawk” Shrack, Todd “BAR Hawk” Chandler, Megan “Ad Hawk” Moriarty, Mary Ann “Squeaky Hawk” Frevert, Shari “Border Hawk” Hicks, John “Mjolner Hawk” Knepper, Josh “Freestate Hawk” McVey, Mike “Smoky Hills Hawk” Miley, Gary “Story Hawk” Henry, and Eric “Yet to be named Hawk” Deeter.
Snake review: 42 runners enjoyed The Snake this year. The main goal was to have fun, and that was achieved! No one got lost, and there was one injury. Good feedback on using Bob Wooten for timing.
Birthday Fatass: deemed a great success, even though it was a miserable, hot day. $125 raised for the KS Trail Council. Dates this year conflicted with a Team Sparkle event, will try to coordinate dates better next year.
Hawk: For the 100 mile distance, there were 21 starters with 9 finishers, making a 43% finisher rate. The weather was on the hotter side with no rain. Runners liked the Unfinished Business coins that were given out, and ideas were shared on how those can be redeemed at future events. Using Mark Kramer as medical support went smoothly. Dates have been picked for the 2024 event with the cabin and campgrounds already reserved and on Timer Guy’s schedule. It was suggested that there be a prize for those who complete both the Night Hawk and The Hawk in the same year.
Disc N Dash: Being held on Sept 30th. There are currently 13 teams signed up, with 2 more in progress. $20 registration, with an additional $20 if you want to purchase a t-shirt. Will need a few volunteers to help out the day of. The proceeds of the event will go towards The Friends of Clinton State Park,
Shoreline Shuffle: Taking place on Oct 7th. Registration opened up a little later than planned due to a delay in securing permits. Currently have 14 runners registered, hoping for 50 total across the two distances being offered. Will be dog friendly, and proceeds are going towards the Lawrence Community Shelter.
Sanders Saunter: Being held on Nov 4th. Currently have 53 runners, with the 50K distance having the highest registration. 55% of runners are repeat runners! Packet pickup this year will be on the Friday night before at Lawrence Beer Co. Volunteer signup will be opening up soon.
Cactus Roulette: Registration is open, 20 people have signed up so far. Working to get power to use at the main aid station to help keep runners and volunteers warm.
Group Run: Shari reported that she has had 2 new runners join in based off her Strava posts and encourages others to utilize this more.
New Race Proposal: Gary Henry put forth to the board a new race idea named “The Hidden Monster” that he is hoping to introduce for October 2024. This race would be a heavy half-marathon, using the north shore trails and staircases. Discussion was held about conflicts with existing races/fun runs. Also under consideration is Gary would only want to lead the race the first year if enough runners are interested but cannot commit to long-term RDing. He also proposed that with the level of difficulty of the course, the race be advertised towards advanced runners that have completed an ultramarathon previously. John Knepper then proposed that the LTH consider putting together a Backyard Ultra, as these are growing in popularity.
RD Con: February 17th was decided for the date of the RD Conference. Agenda was discussed, want to discuss how to proceed with race proposals like the above, how to support new RDs. Also discussed was RD certification and if LTH can teach courses to other RDs in the future.
Walk ons: Todd first had to clarify to Cara and Jordan what this topic meant. Miscellaneous for those of you who weren’t aware. Mary Ann is working on the next LTH merch pop up and collected ideas. RDs discussed nonbinary awards and how this needs to be promoted more so runners are aware of this category..
The current balance is $33,842.45. LTH is an official charity partner through PayPal/Venmo which eliminated additional charges. We also now have a credit card reader (and instructions) in the cashbox so people can purchase swag at events with easier accessibility.
Meeting was then adjourned by Todd Chandler, president, so he could celebrate W.E. Chandler’s birth. **
Hawks Ridgeline aid station Heartland100
