You may not see it when the rescheduled Dirty Kanza happens this fall, but you can expect a name change for the event possibly by the end of this calendar year.
During KVOE’s 8:05 am newscast Tuesday, operations manager LeLan Dains said race organizers are “committed” to a name change. Dains’ comments follow criticism earlier this year from some Native Americans saying the name was a slur against the Kaw Nation. Race organizers have stressed there was no slur intended and tribe leaders have also issued a statement saying they would not challenge the race name as it currently stands.
Dains says it’s the “kind” thing to do to change the event name. He asked for patience as race organizers pick the new name. He also said a name change will not translate to an event change.
Dains’ appearance on KVOE’s airwaves was the latest in a tumultuous past few days for the DK after founder Jim Cummins parted ways with Life Time Fitness, the event’s owner since September 2018, on Saturday as part of a mutual decision, according to Dains. Cummins, who helped to develop the race in 2006 and stayed in a lead role after selling the event to Life Time, got into trouble for a comparison of two arrest incidents elsewhere. The most recent was the death of Rayshard Brooks at the hand of Atlanta law enforcement after he failed a field sobriety test, resisted arrest, grabbed an officer’s taser and fired it at least twice before he was shot three times in the back. Cummins used that incident as a reference point to a video two years ago involving a man named Daniel Clary, who resisted arrest and shot an officer before escaping. Cummins told people to watch the video and unfriend him if they felt the shooting of Brooks was not justified. He has since apologized, saying the “only proper course” was for him to end his time with Life Time and related events. Dirty Kanza leaders offered a separate apology Sunday.
Dains says current DK leadership, including himself, Kristi Mohn and Treva Worrell, are committed to moving the event forward.
Dains says no additional personnel changes are planned, although the conversation really hasn’t started yet. He also says Life Time has no plans to move the DK out of Emporia, countering ongoing concerns about that possibility that have resurfaced since Cummins’ departure.
We encourage you to take part in KVOE News’ latest poll asking whether you support a name change for Dirty Kanza. You can find the poll on the KVOE.com news page. Voting ends at 5 pm Friday.
