Around 2 years ago I packed up and moved back to Kansas City to work on my Masters with the idea of being there for just 2 years. After being in KC for 2 years I had basically decided that I was happy to spend the rest of my life in the Midwest, a thought that had been completely foreign when moving back from Alaska. But here I am now writing a blog post from the Central Cordillera Mountains of the Dominican Republic.
While I was in KC I managed to get in the loop with KC Track Club and from there the Trail Nerds. I ran trails in Alaska, but I never loved it like I did in Kansas City. Thursday night BAR runs, Lake Perry Races, and any event at WYCO that incorporated terrible things like Fall Down Hill were all things I looked forward too. After taking advantage of the KC trails as much as I could I was worried that I would not have any trails to get dirty on here in Jarabacoa. My worries were unnecessary although the idea of a trail is not quite the same thing here as it is in KC. The mountains that surround me now are a wonderful outlet to nature, but you learn to get a little gnarly here. My first trail run with a friend here ended up 2750 feet higher than it started and only took 4 miles to get there. On the trails up the mountain you see sweeping views, frogs, barbed wire fences, flowers, cow crap, and many others things. Sometimes you realize that you aren’t really running on a trail and that it is actually just a mudslide or a creek, other times you realize that the idea of running is more of an idea than a realistic possibility. As a trail runner I think that stepping into other worlds is something that we hope will happen every time we hit the trail, being here and entering the mountains really does open my eyes to something new every time.
I’m thankful for my time spent running with all the wonderful people of KCTC and KC Trail Nerds. Now I am here and I am ready to fall in love with a whole new outdoor world that is waiting to be explored, one footstep at a time.
David Bean was an ambassador for the Kansas City Track club before trekking off to his new location! He will be missed by the club. Good luck in your endeavors and thanks for all your help around the club!