Events: Dirty Kanza 200 reserves 200 spots for women

The Dirty Kanza 200 is known as one of the first endurance gravel races in the world. It’s also known as one of the most challenging. Sending competitors out on the rugged, remote and soul-crushing dirt and gravel roads through the Flint Hills region of Kansas, the Dirty Kanza sells out all of its racer entries months in advance. People from all over the world descend upon Emporia, Kansas, to line up in early morning darkness to tackle the course, but organizers of the event want to see more women in the mix.

In a broad and ongoing effort to get more women on bikes, the appropriately-named Dirty Kanza Promotions, organizers of the Dirty Kanza 200, recently announced a campaign to broaden the field of racers to include more women – 200 to be exact.

Through the “200 Women Riding 200 Miles” campaign, Dirty Kanza Promotions aims to have 200 women participating in the Dirty Kanza 200 in 2017. To reach this goal, Dirty Kanza Promotions will reserve 200 entry spots for women. Additionally, organizers will partner with sponsors to provide educational clinics, seminars and trainings to encourage and empower more women to reach beyond their comfort zone – especially to prepare them to ride 200 miles through the treacherous Kansas countryside.

Jim Cummins, founder of the Dirty Kanza 200 and its promotion company, explains how rewarding participation in such an event can be, “Pushing one’s limits over the course of 200 rugged, remote, and absolutely beautiful miles can be life changing. We believe there is no reason why more women shouldn’t be experiencing that famed Dirty Kanza finish line for themselves.”

The entire Dirty Kanza community welcomes everyone to encourage more women to participate, set the bar high and to “Find Your Limit.” You are welcome to share your own stories of preparation, success, lessons learned and more by tagging your posts and stories with #200women200miles and #findyourlimit.

For more information about #200women200miles campaign, and to register, head over to the official Dirty Kanza 200 web site.

Have you raced the Dirty Kanza 200? Let’s hear some of your stories in the comments below!