Year 4 of the Yippee-Ki-Yay 50K, Half Marathon and 10K Races. Here’s what’s coming for the 2023 Races.

Yippee-Ki-Yay we are closing in on this years races! With just over 2 months and closing our Race Team, Volunteers, Sponsors and supporters are excited and ready to provide you another great race taking place on October 21, 2023!  Once again we are excited to announce year 4 of the races will again be giving back to the Wabash Trace Nature Trail (SWINT) for future projects that are needed along the trail in the coming months. Our race team again has been out helping volunteer with trail workdays working side by side with the great folks that help maintain the Trail throughout the year.    

Register here: https://yippeekiyay.itsyourrace.com/event.aspx?id=13186

We have a few new wrinkles to the 2023 event and we will be sharing even more via on our social media channels. One item that we debuted at the 2022 race was Bonnie’s Country Chicken Noodle Soup that you will only find at the Yippee-Ki-Yay Races. This soup was wildly popular for our finishers last year and so we hope after your race finish that you help yourself to a cup.

The first new change to the races are the that we have retired the 5mile event to make way for a more traditional distance with the 10K race. We have received a lot of support for the new distance and look forward to the new tradition of a fun and fast 10K for our participants.

Second, We have some fun new swag for our runners to make a decision at the time of sign up. Regular registration keeps with our tradition of a very nice long sleeve race t-shirt great for all the cool mornings out on the trails. The other option is to upgrade to our fun new hoodie which is sure to be a stand out post workout or to just wear casually on those cool days. Also if you have selected the T-Shirt option and wanted a Hoodie as well. Please email us prior to 9/30 at the following (info@happytrailzrunning.com for pricing and payment instructions)and for a charge we can get you a hoodie as well. We would have that ready along with all other items at packet pick up for you on 10/20.

Another fun change is that the Yippee-Ki-Yay 50K race is the second leg of the newly created Rawhide Ultra Race series.  The series focus is on a series of Ultra Marathon distances. The first leg of the series was The Double Down Endurance races 100K and 50K races that took place back in June 2023. If you were a finisher of either the 50K or the 100K event you are still eligible to complete the Double this October with a 50K finish at the Yippee-Ki-Yay Races.

Finally, and back by popular demand, If you are a U.S. Military Veteran or Active Duty and are registered to run with us in 2023, by answering our military qualifier question at registration you will be entered into a special drawing that will be taking place race week this October.  A single drawn recipient will receive a loaded special edition Yippee-Ki-Yay race kit pack full of great products!  You WILL NOT want to miss out on that opportunity. 

So Sign up today and come hit the trails with us on October 21, 2023. Registration closes on 10/10/23!

Register here: https://yippeekiyay.itsyourrace.com/event.aspx?id=13186

We’ve kicked off Year 3 of the Yippee-Ki-Yay 50K, Half Marathon and 5mi Races. Here’s what’s coming for the 2022 Races.

Omaha’s Tyler Mann runs down the Wabash Trace Nature Trail on his way to the 2021 Yippee-Ki-Yay Half Marathon Overall Championship

Yippee-Ki-Yay we are underway with registration for the 2022 Races! Our Race team, Volunteers, sponsors and supporters are excited and ready to povide you another great race taking place on October 22, 2022!  First off we are excited to announce year 3 of the races will again be giving back to the Wabash Trace Nature Trail (SWINT) for projects that are needed along the trail throughout year. Our race team again this year will be out helping at select volunteer trail workdays working side by side with the great folks that help maintain the Trail throughout the year.   

We have a few new wrinkles that we will be adding to the 2022 event and we will be sharing many of those items as the race gets closer.  Two we can share at this time are as follows.  First, We have added a Facebook group to give our 2022 runners and almni of the past races the inside track on the latest and connect with others leading up to the 2022 event. There will be special anouncments, extras and more so join today.  Second, If you are a U.S. Military Veteran or Active Duty and are registered to run with us in 2022, by answering our military qualifier question you will be entered into a special drawing that will be taking place race week this October.  A single drawn recipient will receive a loaded special edition Yippee-Ki-Yay race kit pack full of great products!  You WILL NOT want to miss out on that oportunity. 

As the races head into their 3rd year the first two years have consistanly produced extreamly fast times out on the trials.  The 50K race, for the second year in a row had the #1 fastest avg. finisher time in the state of Iowa at 5:44:54 and also became one of the quickest 50K races in the midwest region. With a multitude of extremely good runners in the local area it will be exciting to see if the field that comes to race in 2022 will push average finisher times even lower. 

Papillion’s Janene Cobia comes to the 50K Finish line of the 2021 Yippee-Ki-Yay Races

The Yippee-Ki-Yay Races are a awesome choice for not only those who are seeking to run a personal best time but for those who want to try a new running adventure by hitting the trails maybe even for the first time. With a generous 9hr time cut-off this makes the Yippee-Ki-Yay Races a great choice for a first time 50K runner. The trail has a fine crushed limestone surface making it one of the easier trail surfaces to run on. Wear your normal road shoes or Trail shoes. It’s completely up to you. Many of our participants last fall ran the beautiful Wabash Trace and were rewarded with some amazing views on a beautiful day.

 A overwhelming number of our participants over the past 2 years came away inspired by the beauty of the trail and described a extremely positive race experience.  Angela Caldwell from Lincoln, NE let us know the following:

“By Far the most BEAUTIFUL trail I’ve EVER ran!  I HIGHLY recommend this event!”. 

Tom Osterbuhr from Bellevue, NE: “Such a great event and a beautiful trail! Thanks to all the Volunteers..”

The Half Marathon has became a favorite to many with its great heartland views. The Half Marathon has also become one of the fastest trail half marathons in the area. We feel that not only is this a beautiful section on the Wabash Trail but when you combine it with the gentle downhill elevation grade for the last several miles toward the finish line it lends itself to some extremely exciting and enjoyable finishes for not just the seasoned runner but also to new trail runners.  For those just getting started on hitting the trails try the speedy 5mile course it will not disappoint. For those running the 50K and the Half Marathon race they will experience the largest extent of the beautiful fall canopy and great heartland views that only the Wabash Trail can create. Our aim and hope is that everyone enjoys their time out on the trails come race day in 2022!

Check out all the details and Register here for the 2022 races: https://yippeekiyay.itsyourrace.com/event.aspx?id=13186

The 2021 Yippee-Ki-Yay Races Recap and Thank you

What an incredible year two for the Yippee-Ki-Yay Races.  Race day brought more participants to the field along with more states being represented. 18 states in all.  The races once again took place on the Northern most section of the Wabash Trace Nature Trail starting in Council Bluffs, IA and the furthest distance, the 50K race stretching just beyond Silver City, IA. A beautiful sunrise greeted the runners race morning with temps starting in the upper 30’s and reaching upper 50’s at the conclusion of the races. Todd Nott of Plattsmouth, NE would take the overall 50K title with a new course best of 3:59:56.  The 2020 overall 50K winner and defending champion Gretna’s Christy Nielsen was close behind and would take the runner up honors.  Christy took home the women’s championship with a time of 4:12:12. Overall the 50K race finishers were extreamly fast with their finish times.  They were even quicker than the 2020 finishers.  The 2021 race finishers brought it home with an average finisher time of 5:44:54. 

2021 Yippee-Ki-Yay Races 50K Men’s Champion Todd Nott and Women’s Champion Christy Nielsen

The Half Marathon races also saw quick times.  Omaha’s Tyler Mann would set a new course best of 1:28:45 and would take the Overall Half Marathon Championship.  Camryn Klintworth of Gothenburg, NE was not far behind with a finish time of 1:31:42 and took the runner up spot.  First place in the women’s Half Marathon was Michelle Shields of Omaha.   

The 5mile races again would have a new course best take place.  Omaha’s Mark Abrams had a scorching time of 27:25 and took the overall title.  The women’s champion in the 5mile race was Abigail Smith of Omaha with a time of 39:50.

At the 2021 event there was a special Finisher award given to the first 50K finisher from the state of Nebraska and the State of Iowa.  Receiving the award was Todd Nott of Plattsmouth, NE and the first Iowa Finisher went to Melinda Slings of Palo, IA. 

Our vendors on site on race day were martin schrage chiropractic, Lewis Township EMS, Keiser Farms Popcorn and Ortho Nebraska. Big thank you out to all our vendors and supporters of the race in 2021.  You all have been tremendous for our participants. 

Ultra marathon runner Melinda Howard from Dubuque, IA comes to finish line of the 50K Race

In closing our race team wants to say humbly and sincerely THANK YOU to those of you who came out to run with us in 2021!  We are extremely thankful for our great volunteers, our sponsors, and supporters!  We are also grateful for the great team that is Run Nebraska who handled timing, photos and more for the event.  Last but certainly not least is the Wabash Trace Nature Trail for hosting the races again in 2021. A portion of each participants entry into the race is donated back to the Wabash Trail (SWINT). The Trail has long been a family favorite of ours but one of our favorite parts in preparing for the race continues to be helping with hours of trail maintenance and working with the communities that are along the trail throughout the year. We have many great things in store for next year and cannot wait to see you all and do it again in 2022!  

Graig 

Yippee-Ki-Yay Races Co-RD  

  

Yippee-Ki-Yay Spring Trail visit and New Sponsor additions to the 2021 races.

In May of 2021 our team headed out to the Yippee-Ki-Yay Race course to check out trail conditions for the entire race course. Yes, All 31.09 miles of our race course. We make many trips to the trail throughout the year to check status. This trail it seems is always changing and its great to see more and more folks out on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail.  This spring we were greeted with many great additions that our runners will notice during 2021.  We can’t wait for our runners to fly down these trails come October.  We are excited to put on another great race for all of our runners this fall!

Sign up here today!

https://yippeekiyay.itsyourrace.com/event.aspx?id=13186

New Shelter at Aid station 2 on the Yippee-Ki-Yay Course.  This popular aid station known by the locals as Margaritaville is located at mile 5.81 on our course and this year it will have a updated look. There is a new shelter in place here and is a great addition to our aid station area.  This will be most helpful for our volunteers and to any runners that may need an extended break for any reason. 

 

New Bridge near aid station number 4!  As our 50K runners come close to reaching their furthest point on the race course they will be traversing over a brand new bridge coming into our Silver City aid station.  The older wooden bridge has been removed in the spring of 2021 to make way for a new concrete surface bridge at mile 13.75 on the course.  Of the 12 bridges on the Yippee-Ki-Yay race course this bridge is now the only concrete bridge and is a very nice one at that. 

Our Newest sponsors for 2021 Races are the incredible folks at Keiser Farms and Tap Dancers Specialty Coffee. Both are located locally and have great products. Keiser Farms is located in Americas Heartland in Ashland, NE. Keiser farms is celebrating it’s pioneer award and is a 5th generation Nebraska Farmer.  Each of our runners will be treated to their delicious popcorn come race weekend. Be sure to visit their Facebook page below and learn how you can get your hands on their delicious popcorn today!

https://m.facebook.com/keiserfarms

Our newest edition is Omaha’s Tap Dancers Specialty Coffee. Not only do they roast delicious coffee they’ve also been awarded Omaha Magazine’s “Best of Omaha” Coffee Roaster of the year for the 7th year in a row in 2021.  We are looking forward to having them be apart of our event this fall as well.  Visit their website to learn how you can get your hands on their delicious coffee today!

https://tapdancerscoffee.com/store/

A BIG THANK YOU to all of our 2021 Yippee-Ki-Yay Race sponsors!

We’ve kicked off Year 2 of the Yippee-Ki-Yay 50K, Half Marathon and 5mi Races. Here’s what’s coming for the 2021 Races.

Gretna’s Christy Nielsen runs down the Wabash Trace Nature Trail on her way to the 2020 Yippee-Ki-Yay 50K Championship

Yippee-Ki-Yay we are underway with our registration for the 2021 Races.  Our Race team, Volunteers, sponsors and supporters are excited and ready to give you another great race in 2021!  First off we are excited to announce that just like last year the races will be giving back to the Wabash Trace Nature trail and our race team again this year will be out helping at select volunteer trail work days working side by side with the great folks that help maintain the Trail throughout the year.   

We also have a few new wrinkles that we will be adding to the 2021 event.  We will be sharing many of those items as the race gets closer but here’s just one example to share right now with the 50K race.   In the 2020 debut race last year, the 50K course, with an average finisher time of 5:44:59 became one of the fastest 50K races in the state of Iowa. This year with the 50K race we will have a special award going to the first Iowa Finisher and the First Nebraska Finisher. Our overall 2020 winner of the 50K event was Gretna’s Christy Nielsen.  Christy’s no stranger to the local running community being a Omaha Running Club Hall of Famer. With a multitude of extremely good runners in the local area it will be exciting to see who will walk away with bragging rights and awards this fall!

The Yippee-Ki-Yay Races are a awesome choice for not only those who are seeking to run a personal best time but for those who want to try a new running adventure by hitting the trails maybe even for the first time. With a generous 9hr time cut-off this makes the Yippee-Ki-Yay Races a great choice for a first time 50K runner. The trail has a fine crushed limestone surface making it one of the easier trail surfaces to run on. Wear your normal road shoes or Trail shoes. It’s completely up to you. Many of our participants last fall ran the beautiful Wabash Trace and were rewarded with some amazing views.

  A overwhelming number of our participants came away inspired by the beauty of the trail and described a extremely positive race experience.  Angela Caldwell from Lincoln, NE let us know the following:

“By Far the most BEAUTIFUL trail I’ve EVER ran!  I HIGHLY recommend this event!”. 

The Half Marathon also became a fast favorite to many with its great heartland views.  We feel that not only is this a beautiful section on the Wabash Trail but when you combine it with the gentle downhill elevation grade for the last several miles toward the finish line it lends itself to some very exciting and enjoyable finishes for not just the seasoned runner but also to new trail runners.  For those running the 50K and the Half Marathon race they will experience the largest extent of the beautiful fall canopy and great heartland views that only the Wabash Trail can create.  Our aim and hope is that everyone enjoys their time out on the trails come race day!

Check out all the details here for the 2021 races: https://yippeekiyay.itsyourrace.com/event.aspx?id=13186

Yippee-Ki-Yay Inaugural Event and the Happy Trailz Running Turkey Trot

As we approach the Thanksgiving week, we are thankful for many, many things including a great first year of the Yippee-Ki-Yay races.  Our race team wants to say humbly and sincerely THANK YOU to those who came out to run with us at the 2020 inaugural event!  We are extremely thankful for our great volunteers, our sponsors, and supporters!  We appreciate each one of you. We are also thankful for the great team that is Run Nebraska.  They did a great job for us on timing, photos and more.  Last but certainly not least is the Wabash Trace Nature Trail for hosting the race.  The trail has long been a favorite of ours but one of our favorite parts in preparing for our race has been helping with hours of trail maintenance and working with the communities that are along the trail.  We cannot wait to see you all and do it again in 2021! 

 

Ashland Turkey Trot 2020

Our Happy Trailz Running group is hosting the Ashland 5K, 1mile Fun Run/Walk on Thanksgiving Day in Ashland, NE.  There are no fees for the Turkey Trot but just like last year we do ask that you bring at least 1 can good of food. The collected goods will be donated to the Ashland Kids Cupboard program. We hope to see you there on Thanksgiving Morning for a great cause!

Ashland Turkey Trot Fun Run/walk

• Date: Thanksgiving Morning
• Distances: 5K, 1 mile
• Can Good Drop off:  8:10-8:30am
• Start time:  8:30am
• Location: Brick House Fitness Center
• 105 N 15ths St. Ashland, NE 68003
• (Start/Finish)

The Journey to the Homestead FKT (Nebraska Homestead Trail)

The FKT for the Homestead Trail from South Lincoln, NE to Beatrice, NE was a part of a 2020 Goal that I set for myself wanting to create more FKT routes for runners in Nebraska.  By the end of 2020 my hope is to create or run 5 of them in Nebraska.  I enjoy challenging myself to running hard, charting each route in the hopes that others will try each route.  I’m painting the bulleye so to speak for others.

The Homestead trail starts in South Lincoln starts at the Jamica/Homestead trail head and finishes in the town of Beatrice Nebraska.  The trail runs from North to South and is a crushed limestone surface.  The Homestead Trail winds through acres of farmland and skirts the tiny villages of Roca and Princeton. The trail then runs through the city of Cortland. The 9 mile section from Cortland to Pickrell winds through dense tree cover and crosses over many restored railroad trestles. The Homestead Trail ends in downtown Beatrice. The Gage County Historical Society and Museum is located at the Beatrice trailhead in the restored Burlington Railroad Depot Passenger Station originally built in 1906.

The goal was to get out as soon as I could see due to the predicted 90 degree temps that were to hit the area.  I started right around 5:50am. I got off to a good start and the first several miles are a gradual uphill that you can’t feel right away.  I clicked off the miles trying to stay in a 7:30- 9:30pace.  That was the goal on a hot day.  On a fall day I’m sure the pace could improve.  This course is a perfect 50K distance so I would think this would be a good FKT route for many years to come.  At the halfway point the going was much more difficult and I was trying to catch shade when the trail permitted.  This course is nice and flat and really it’s a come and get it kind of course. I finished with a time just under 5hrs and right next to the old Burlington Trail station in Beatrice. The humidity was oppressive all day and this one was a hard fought finish. I’m looking forward to seeing fast times on this Trail in the near future!

The Journey of my FKT (Nebraska Oak Creek Trail)

I wanted to give the FKT (fastest Known Time) a try.  I’m not fast by any means, at best I might be an elite jogger.  I figured what the heck why don’t I give it a try.  I also wanted to try and add more FKT routes in Nebraska and so I thought I would try and put this one out there, have it charted and documented for others to attempt as well.  More and more folks are coming out to this Trail each season.

I Ran from the trailhead in Brainard, Ne to Valparaiso, Ne trail head sign. The route covers 12.98 miles. My run started out well first 2 miles seemed to go by quick. The trail early on is fairly open with some great prairie views. A few twist and turns prior to reaching the village of Loma, Ne about 5.60 miles in. From there I made my way about a half mile up the trail and had a skunk pop out and was traveling towards me. Sorry, No selfie. He stopped me in my tracks however. He took a sharp turn into the brush. I gave him a little bit of time before I thought I was clear.

I didn’t waist any time after that and ran past the area as fast as I could. Crisis averted! From there little to no issues the rest of the way as the sun poped out. This trail has some great views along the way and has some fun bridges to cross over as well. As you reach the town of Valparaiso towards the end of the run you crossover a bridge with old railroad trusses.

It’s a pretty cool deal to finish up with. From there less than a half mile to the trail head sign.  Finish time was 1:29:43. About 6:55 per mile.  I was pleased with the effort especially running a 100KM the week before.  I’m looking forward to some more adventures on this trail and it will be fun to see more fast times for this trail for years to come as it gains popularity.

 

For now Happy Trailz!

-Graig

 

Our Happy Trailz Running year in review, Turkey Trot recap, 3rd 100mile Finish/Buckle

Happy New Year to you all!  It was a good year for HTR in 2019. We are incredibly proud of our 2019 athletes and we look forward to a great 2020 with them and others!  In 2019 We expanded and developed our services in our first full year, had 2 more athletes take on our training services, 20 race finishes by our athletes and we successfully produced our very first event with a 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day!  We want to thank the  Ashland Community, participants and contributors to the 2019 Turkey Trot event.  We had 25 people participate at the 5K fun run/walk on Thanksgiving day! We had more than 80 items of food donated to the Turkey trot that went to the Ashland Kids Cupboard and it is our full intention to have the event again in 2020!

100mile Race Recap from Tunnel Hill, IL

On 11/9 I was able to finish my third 100mile race with my family right there to see me close with a personal best time of 19hr 50min 34sec.  Honestly, I sometimes shake my head over it all. I never would have thought when I started out on my running adventures so long ago now that I would have three 100mile buckles to date and have a 100mi race finish under 20hrs.  I’m so humbled by the tremendous support and opportunities that so many of you have given me along the way.  Thank you! I’m not done yet with this long distance running thing.  The Western States Endurance Run 100mi race is my end goal, and though I was not selected in the lottery for the 2020 race I’m still very motivated with my running and also just as excited to share the information to better coach and prepare our athletes for their future goals that they might be currently shaking their heads at.  You never know where your first mile just might end up taking you.  For now Happy Trailz!

 

 

100 Mile race prep, Marathon Coaching, Old runner award part two

Well as a Husband, Father, Coach and Athlete it’s been a busy Summer and Fall in 2019. Soon my crew and I will be heading to Southern Illinois for the Tunnel Hill 100.  It’s my third attempt to be selected into the Western States Endurance Run 100mile race next June via WSER lottery.  I’ll be in the lottery drawing for the 2020 race however chances of getting selected even with 2 tickets are slim.  The actual lottery takes place on 12/7 for the 2020 race.  If I’m selected then AWESOME!  Anything beyond that is why again I’m returning to Tunnel Hill.  In order to stay in the hat (so to speak) I will have to complete a qualifying race each year till I’m selected.  This year’s completion would keep me eligible for the lottery for the 2021 race if not selected for the 2020 race.  As I write this I’m feeling under the weather and so I’ve tempered my race goals and I’m just looking to find a way to finish.  We will see how it all plays out but I’m going to give it my best effort for my crew, my family, my friends and my supporters who have been tremendous with their time and efforts to put me in a position to race this week.

Coaching in 2019

Coaching isn’t something we do, it’s something we LOVE to do! Our athletes have come to us with many different goals this year and we’ve had a lot fun working with to put them in position to hit those goals.  We’ve enjoyed the journey with each of them! This time of year is our busiest due to the rigors of family life, fall race schedule, coaching and school. It really challenges our time management skills quite a bit.  Challenging yes, Rewarding, also a YES!!! Our most recent coaching assignment started back in July when one of our athletes came to us and told us he wanted to try giving the Marathon distance a go once again. His last Marathon finish was the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon. We had a shorter training window but absolutely knew we could get him in a position to have him hit this goal and were excited for the opportunity.  We hit a lot of good training runs in the process and had him race ready by the time Race day came around.  The day of the race went well and after a 7 year absence our HTR Athlete Mike was able to bring home another Marathon finish!  Congratulations Mike on your latest Marathon finish and here’s to many more!

 

It’s official I’m an Old Runner.

Every year, the USA Track & Field (USATF) association provides an opportunity for gold, silver and bronze awards for “Masters” runners (those over 40) who complete a certain number of races. You accumulate points for each race finish and the race course must be USATF certified. This year I reached the “Bronze” level USATF Phidippides Award.  I may try for another again in future but it was fun to reach this level of award this year with the USATF.  P.S.A little history (taken from the USATF website) about Phidippides – He was a Greek man who “ran to Sparta when Athenians were threatened by Persians landing at Marathon. The trip was 150 miles which he ran in 2 days. He then fought a battle with the rest of the Athenians routing the Persians. The Persians retreated to their ships and set sail for Athens, which caused the Athenians to send Phidippides from the battlefield shores of Marathon to Athens, a distance of 26 miles” (the modern marathon!).

Until next time Happy Trailz!