[COURSE PREVIEW] Heartland 30k, Part.II: The Plaza 10k

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The event's official site can be found HERE.

NOTE: Sorry for the late post. This event has long been finished.

Race number 2 in the Heartland 30k Series is one of my fav's, likely due to the bias that charitable KidsTLC. Beyond the bias, this is still a fantastic event to take part in. The Country Club Plaza is a Kansas City staple, and a historic landmark at that. The surrounding area is just as much. And this run foots it over all of it. Proceeds to go the not-for-profit children's residential psychiatric treatment facility I work at, KidsTLC.

First, the course...

Course Preview
In it's fourth year, the Plaza 10k holds the same 10k course route as years' previous -- which is totally fine with me.

Here are the basics for the 2014 10k route...
Distance: 6.26mi (by map)
Route Type: Loop
Terrain Type: City Streets (Blacktop, Concrete)
Start Location: Country Club Plaza at Broadway & Ward, Kansas City, MO
Start Elevation: 856ft
# Climbs: 3
Elevation Gain: 252ft

The Plaza 10k route, with the Volker Turnaround climb highlighted. However, the route is relatively flat.

Runners will start on Ward Parkway, between the front rows of shops and Brush Creek. The route heads West on Ward Parkway to Pembroke Hill Academy, and a turnaround back East on Volker. Once back in the Plaza, left and right turns put runners back on to Ward before the left turn North on Jefferson Street, and the first (and steepest, albeit short) climb of the day. From there it's straight East on Emanuel Cleaver II, past the Nelson-Atkins (pretty!), all the way to Hwy 71. Climb 2 comes in at the turnaround back on to Volker Boulevard, this time West. Approaching UMKC, climb 3 comes in, though is relatively short, much like the Jefferson Street climb. Around the backside of the Northern-most edge of UMKC's campus, the route turns South briefly, only to run back North, ending at the finish line on Ward Parkway.

Of the four races in the Heartland 30k Series, this is the flattest, with under 300 feet of total climbing over the entire 6.26-mile route.

Though there is a non-timed fun-run (2 miles), the 10k is the only race option for the Plaza 10k.

Race Report to follow. Until then, keep R/B/S'ing.

-tds

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