Does gravel road riding sound like fun, but 200 miles is just a little too much of a good thing?  Do you have a rider in DK200, and you’re wondering what you can do that morning to fill some time?  The Dirty Kanza Lite may be just for you.  The DK Lite is a gravel road “fun ride”, intended for the recreational/fitness-based rider.  With 20-mile and 50-mile options, you can choose the distance that is right for you.  The DK Lite will start and finish in front of the historic Granada Theater in downtown Emporia, Kansas… just like the DK200.  But unlike the DK200, you can finish your ride and get cleaned up in time for lunch.  Online registration is open now.  You can also register the day of the event, but if you sign-up now, you can also purchase a coveted DK Lite T-Shirt.  Shirts will not be available for purchase the day of the ride.  So go online now and sign up.  We’ll see you Saturday, June 2nd.

Well, registration for DK200 has come and gone.  WOW!!!  Was that quick!!!  We suspect many of you are now trying to determine your hotel options.  Here is a list of Emporia, Kansas area lodging providers who have graciously agreed to offer special pricing for DK200 participants.  These hotels will likely fill up quickly.   So you might want to make your reservations right away.  Be sure to mention Dirty Kanza to receive your discount.

Candlewood Suites, 620-343-7756,  $79.99/night

Best Western, 620-342-7587

Holiday Inn Express, 620-341-9393,  $89.00/night

Fairfield Inn, 620-342-4445,  $99.00/night

Registration for the 2012 Dirty Kanza 200 opened today, Saturday, January 14th at 6:00am ET.  At 8:38 am, DK200 was sold out, and mutiple records were broken.  The competitive field limit of 350 racers is our largest ever.  And the 2 hours and 38 minutes it took to fill shattered the previous record set in 2010 when the field limit was reached in 14 hours.  Our thanks goes out to everyone for the amazing show of support.  Here are a few quick facts on the 2012 Dirty Kanza 200 Registration…

Field Size:  350 racers in our 6 competitive solo and tandem divisions.  Our largest field ever.

31 U.S. states represented.  (Another record.)

(1) rider from Canada…  and (2) from the  United Kingdom.  That’s right… DK200 has gone international.

$2,921.25 raised for the Pablove Shutterbugs program.

Again… thanks to everyone.   Now get to training.  Race day is less than 5 months away.

This is just a quick reminder… participation in Dirty Kanza 200 is by pre-registration only.  And your chance to sign up for the 2012 event opens this Saturday, January 14th at 6:00am (EST).  With only 400 slots available, we expect to sell out in record time.  Here is a link to the registration page on bikereg.com.  Bookmark this site.  Then set your alarm clocks.  Sleep in too late this Saturday, and you just might miss your chance to compete in Dirty Kanza 200.

In 2012, Dirty Kanza 200 is proud to support The Pablove Foundation Shutterbugs program in memory of Adrian Lewis Solano. Born and raised in Emporia, KS, Adrian was a healthy, happy 12 yr old in 7th grade.  He loved his bike, friends, video games, his family and of course… his dog.  Adrian woke up one morning with a bad headache, and that headache changed his life.  He was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Nongerminoma germ cell, which was the same cancer Lance Armstrong had.  Adrian underwent 4 months of chemotherapy and 2 months of radiation, after which the cancer was gone with a 90% survival rate.  Unfortunately, only 1 month into remission, it returned with vengeance.  Adrian fought the next 6 months like a champ, but the cancer had no mercy.  It took Adrian on Feb 18, 2011.

Sandy Solano, Adrian’s Mother: “The cancer and treatment Adrian had to undergo where so freaking cruel, sometimes I want to tell just how horrible it really was.  I think people need to know the truth, the ugly horrible truth of what these kids go through.”

Pablove Shutterbugs is the signature program of The Pablove Foundation.  In an educational setting, the 8-week program allows children living with cancer to express and develop their creative voices through the art of photography.  Each child receives hands-on experience through a mix of one-on-one weekly instruction and group classes.  The students also receive their own camera equipment, which is theirs to keep upon completion of the program.  Once a year we celebrate the students’ photographic achievements and raise awareness of childhood cancer with a Pablove Shutterbugs group show at an art gallery.

The Pablove Shutterbugs program currently reaches children in Los Angeles and New York City, and will expand to other cities throughout the United States and introduce photography workshops and summer camps for kids in 2012 and beyond.

The mission of The Pablove Foundation is to fund pediatric cancer research and advances in treatment, educate and empower cancer families, and improve the quality of life for children living with cancer through hospital play, music and arts programs.  The Pablove Foundation is named after Pablo Thrailkill Castelaz, the son of Jo Ann Thrailkill and Jeff Castelaz and the little brother of Grady Gallagher.  Pablo was six years old when he lost his valiant yearlong battle with bilateral Wilms Tumor, a rare form of childhood cancer.  Imbued with his spirit and inspired by his strength, Pablove is dedicated to the daily, global fight against childhood cancer and the suffering that comes in its wake.

A young, growing foundation, Pablove has begun to make its mark.  Our first childhood cancer research grants in 2011 totaled $150,000 in funding for innovative research projects.  In 2010, The Pablove Foundation held a Wilms Tumor Symposium for patient families and medical professionals, and we hosted a Childhood Cancer Survivorship Symposium this past November.  Our Pablove Shutterbugs program teaches children living with cancer to develop their creative voice through the art of photography and we have contributed to child life programs at children’s hospitals across the country.