Riders in the signature Dirty Kanza 200-mile race are reaching the midway point.
Riders in the 200 are between checkpoints at Alma and Council Grove and should hit the neutral water stop in Alta Vista around 12:15 pm.
Meanwhile, riders in the DKXL 350-mile race are getting close, relatively speaking, to the finish line. The lead riders in that race are less than 40 miles away from Emporia. Matt Acker, last year’s champion, passed Jay Petervary shortly after the 250-mile mark and still leads the race.
Regardless of the distance, riders in the 2019 Dirty Kanza have come from far and wide to participate.
Chris Adams and his wife, Michelle, came to Emporia from Memphis, Tennessee. Michelle Adams says the couple’s experience last year brought them back for the DK.
One-time Emporian Doug Tice was back for his seventh Dirty Kanza.
Some have raced the DK many times, but for people like 14-year-old Landon Grimmett, this is a whole new experience. Landon’s family came to Emporia to support him on the 25-mile course, and his younger fans explain what they like most about the DK.
Sydney Tollefson’s favorite part of the Dirty Kanza is the atmosphere the event provides. Tollefson says she’s at the race to support a friend.
Riders in most of the shorter distances have started coming back through the finish line in downtown Emporia. Ashton Lambie of Lincoln, Nebraska, won the DK 100 in a time of 4 hours, 31 minutes, 42 seconds. Aric DeYoung of Wichita was fastest in the DK50 with a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes, 18 seconds. Brandon Walls of Olathe had the fastest DK25 time in 1:30:12. Lucas Stierwalt of Maineville, Ohio, won the high school race in 1:16:01.
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Photos and videos by Chuck Samples & Devon Swartz/KVOE News
{gallery}Dirty Kanza 2019 Race Day{/gallery}
