Route: 5 States Run (CO, KS, OK, NM, TX)

Submitted by blmadsen on Tue, 12/15/2020 - 06:42am
Location
Oklahoma, US
Distance
73.28 mi
Vertical Gain
1,522 ft
Description

The route is truly unique because you step foot in 5 different states in one day during this run.  The run starts at the Tri-State Marker (Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma) and then heads diagonally across the Oklahoma panhandle on Hwy 412 to the Texas/New Mexico marker.   Boise City, OK is the mid point of the run.   It's flat and consistent.   The elevation range of the run is 3500 to 5000 Ft,  with a gradual climb on the run that you don't notice (or you could run the other direction for a gradual elevation loss).   The people in the this desolate part of the country are very friendly.  I did nearly step on a rattlesnake during the run.   As far as wildlife, I saw Antelope and listened to Coyotes howl.   The view of the sky is so impressive at night because there are no city lights and it is so remote.  I highly recommend this adventure.  As far as I know,  I'm the only person to do this 5 State run.      

Comments

Did I miss where the time is listed?

The attached gpx file starts at 2020-10-31T05:35:49Z and ends at 2020-10-31T23:16:15Z, for a time-to-beat of 17h40m26s. There's some extra distance logged at the beginning and end, so I'm sure it was a bit faster.

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17 hr 40min is correct.  I started shortly after mid-night and completed before 6pm.  The goal was to complete the 5 state run in one calendar day.    This is an attainable time to beat for a conditioned ultra runner.