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Ellison completes 50K race at Clinton Lake

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Louisburg junior Truman Ellison completed the Night Hawk 50K race at Clinton Lake in late June.

Truman Ellison has never been one to back down from challenge, and running is has certainly been one of those.


Ellison, who will be a junior at Louisburg, made big strides last season with the Wildcat cross country team. He became one of the team’s top runners and earned a spot at the state meet.

He went up against the state’s best last October in Wamego and Ellison battled rainy and muddy conditions to finish 52nd overall.

It was a challenge, to be sure, but Ellison was ready for something a little bit bigger – ok – a lot bigger.

Ellison signed up to compete at the Night Hawk 50K at Clinton Lake near Lawrence in late June. It was a 3-lap race around the lake that totaled 31 miles.  It was the type of competition that was not for the faint of heart.

“The thing that made me do it was I wanted to see if I could finish the race,” Ellison said. “I thought it would be a fun adventure and really see what I am capable of. The farthest I had run prior to the race was 18 miles.”

With the sun out prior to the race, Ellison took off on his adventure – one that ended in the dark and rain. Still, he met the challenge head on as completed the race in 8 hours, 6 minutes and 29 seconds.

Prime Accounting
Truman Ellison poses by the finish line after completing the 31 mile race at Clinton Lake.

He was just one of 26 competitors to finish the race in what was a grueling course around Clinton Lake.

“The race went great for me,” Ellison said. “I started out the first lap with high spirits and strong legs. The second lap the back of my ankles started bleeding, and I started feeling tired. Lap 3 went well but my whole body was tired and hurting. Between every lap I took a 10 to 15 minute break and stretched and ate.”

If that wasn’t enough, Ellison also took part in the Miola Madness around Miola Lake in Paola on July 12. It was an ultra-marathon where he crossed the finish line at 1 a.m. the next morning as he completed 24.25 miles.

It is these types of races that Ellison hopes will help him prepare for the upcoming cross country season this fall.

“I feel like this boosted my endurance and ability to push through sore legs and hard races,” Ellison said. “I absolutely love doing this.”

“One of the biggest things I learned during the race is how important it is to stay present. When you start thinking about how many miles are left, it gets overwhelming. But if you focus on the next hill or aid station, you can just keep moving forward.”