Dirty Kanza, today announced plans for a virtual training camp set to take place starting tomorrow April 2 – 5 as the endurance sports community recognizes social distancing due to COVID-19. The Dirty Kanza Virtual Training Camp will be a uniquely immersive digital experience hosted via online portal and the Dirty Kanza Facebook and Instagram accounts. Organizers of the epic race, dubbed the ‘World’s Premier Gravel Race’ and ‘World Series of Gravel’, were originally scheduled to host two in-person camps March 26 – 29 and April 2 – 5 in Emporia, Kansas with more than 100 scheduled to attend.
For the price of a fancy latte and a scone, you can attend this 4-day virtual training camp.
All camp programming, including the hours of rides along Emporia’s finest flint, will be made virtual. The inventive four-day programming immerses campers in online sessions featuring motivational, instructional and educational video content, online ride challenges, on-course video tours and live streams with cameo appearances by sponsors and previous race winners Yuri Hauswald, Colin Strickland, Amanda Naumann and Alison Tetrick among others. To begin the experience, campers will head to the home of Dirty Kanza founder Jim Cummins for an online kick-off dinner party, where they will “Cook Dinner with Jim” and will be joined by Life Time Foundation board member Emily Akradi. Concluding the weekend, participants will have access to bonus content and b-roll outtakes.
Dirty Kanza Virtual Training Camp Rough Agenda
Day 1:
Day 1 will kick off with a greeting from your Dirty Kanza family, followed by a welcome dinner featuring our own Jim Cummins cooking dinner for all of us virtually, and close with a happy hour with Ali Tetrick, among more!
Day 2:
Heading into day 2…saddle up, we’re riding! Your morning will kick off with a training ride, with on-course footage to follow. We’ll continue with a live coaches chat, conversations about tire choice, and a live mechanics Q&A! We’ll complete the day showcasing our Emporia community and doing fun activities with your DK team.
Day 3:
Day 3 will start off with another training ride and on-course footage, then continue with discussions about injury prevention, body care, technique, and a DK packing list. It wouldn’t be a Dirty Kanza camp without a little drunk trivia to end the day.
Day 4:
Day 4 will include a final training ride and on-course footage, followed by live chats regarding body care and comfort, hydration tips, and tire pressure. The day will conclude with final words of encouragement from your DK team.
“We are all in the same boat right now. The gravel racing season that brings us all together has been halted in real life, but fortunately, coming together as a community and being resilient are two things that come natural for Dirty Kanza participants,” said Kristi Mohn, Marketing Manager for Dirty Kanza at Life Time. “Our team is working hard and fast to show up for them. We want to provide a place for us to gather around to provide motivation and levity right now. We want to deliver a valuable experience for our family and this will be a great way to spend a few days with them.”
Those who planned to attend one of the two in-person camps will have free entry to the virtual camp, with entry for the public set at $10.00 with a portion of the fee directly impacting local businesses in Emporia. Live sessions of the virtual camp will be available to anyone via the Dirty Kanza Facebook page.
Mohn added, “People are at home and looking for uplifting and positive experiences. One of the best advantages to going online is that our capacity, for athletes and partners alike, is pretty much unlimited. Even though this is new to our team, we promise it will be entertaining and educational, and help keep us all motivated as we work to the finish line of this pandemic.”
For more Dirty Kanza Virtual Training Camp details or to register, visit dirtykanza.com/2020-dirty-kanza-virtual-camp.