El Dorado State Park marathon takes runners down trails of gravel, dirt and mud

Charles Spelina has run marathons in more than a dozen nations and is halfway through a goal to run a marathon in each state. Saturday morning he was halfway across the country from his New York home, in Kansas, running one of his most enjoyable of all those long runs.

“It was really amazing just how small and rustic it was compared to the big city marathons,” said Spelina, an accent belaying his British upbringing. “When you run the New York marathon, you’re surrounded by a million people all of the time. A lot of the times here we couldn’t see any other runner. It was quiet and absolutely beautiful.”

Spelina was one of about 360 runners, from 13 states, to run at the Storm the Dam Trail Run at El Dorado State Park. Distances at the event were billed to range from a true 26.2-mile full marathon to a 3.1-mile 5K run. Most of those distances were on true trails.

“Trail runs are mostly on natural lands,” said Brandi Lane, director of the event sponsored by Spencer, Wernli and Wilson Advisors, an El Dorado business. “We run some on gravel, but a lot of it is on grass or trails through the trees. Times are going to be slower than a regular run because nature usually won’t let you run in straight lines. There are creek crossings to deal with, and maybe a tree stump in the middle of a trail to get around.”

About 90 participants ran, walked or eventually waddled the 5K trail, which kept them mostly on gravel and grass trails. Those who ran full and half marathons, or 10K distances, got more scenery and topography in their course.

After a long, grassy field, the trail traced the edge of a cornfield, then wound through woods with cottonwoods and hackberry trees pushing 100 feet tall. Ascending a hill, runners ran a meandering mowed path through tall prairie grasses and around cedar thickets.

Single file they then descended a steep, brushy bluff on a narrow trail carved into the landscape by deer hooves. In places, switchbacks were steep and tight enough that some runners grabbed saplings for balance. A mucky creek crossing was knee deep on tall runners.

As per the run’s name, all runners climbed the steep and tall dam of El Dorado Reservoir, then ran long distances with the lake on one side and a 5-mile view across the Walnut River valley on the other.

Marathon winner Kyle Shults, of Wichita, had mud plastered from the knees down when he crossed the finish line, with grass seeds and assorted grit plastered on his chest with sweat. He was still smiling widely 15 minutes after the finish.

“I probably prefer the trail runs for several reasons. One is because it’s actually so much easier on my body,” said Shults. “Since it’s not on pavement, it’s not killing your joints. Out here … the scenery is fantastic compared to running in town. It was such a beautiful day to run, and the course is so pretty.”

Several families stayed together on the shorter 5K run, waiting for those with shortest legs or longest lives to catch up. Jeri Blazek ran the half-marathon mostly by herself, having traveled more than 500 miles from Claremont, Minn. Visiting family in the area was another reason for her trip. She found the trail challenging.

“When most people think of Kansas, they don’t think of it being wet and muddy, and they don’t think of hills,” said Blazek, mud and grime covering much of her running shorts. “It was good. I really enjoyed it.”

For many locals it was their only organized run of the year. For George Myers, of El Dorado, Saturday’s full marathon was a game of hopscotch compared with a 135-mile trail run he’ll try in Death Valley this summer.

“Last year I think it got up to something like 127 degrees out there,” Myers said of the Bad Water run. “They say nobody has ever died on it, and it’s been held since the 1980s. They have a lot of aid stations and staff in case somebody needs help.” He said some runners might need 40 hours to complete the course, though many will drop out early.

While most of the runners on Saturday headed home to rest, eat lunch, and then rest some more, Spelina and his friend and marathon partner Kate Nicewicz began a nine-hour drive to Taos, N.M., so Spelina could run in his 26th state. He left Kansas with good memories.

“If it wasn’t for this run I wouldn’t have ever known about El Dorado or this state park,” he said. “This whole area is really, really beautiful. It’s been a great experience.”

This story was originally published June 4, 2016 at 6:15 PM with the headline "El Dorado State Park marathon takes runners down trails of gravel, dirt and mud."