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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 our 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 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 kind of course. I finished with a time just under 5hrs and right next to the old Burlington Train 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!