South Dakota

LEADING LADIES & DAKOTA SPIRIT HALF MARATHON

Spearfish, SD

Bravery in the Black Hills and the Lakota Spirit

Friday, August 15, 2025

"Treat the earth well: It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our children." 

— Crazy Horse, Lakota Warrior, Oglala Band of the Lakota Sioux

“The Great Spirit made us, the Indians, and gave us this land we live in. He gave us the buffalo, the antelope, and the deer for food and clothing. We moved our hunting grounds from the Minnesota to the Platte, and from the Mississippi to the great mountains. No one put bounds on us.” — Chief Red Cloud, Oglala Band of the Lakota Sioux

When I was in elementary school, we began each day reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by singing the National Anthem. Some days, instead of the National Anthem, we would sing America the Beautiful. In the summer of 1893, about 100 years before I started kindergarten, Katharine Lee Bates traveled to Colorado Springs to teach English and went on a trip up to the Rocky Mountains with a group of friends. When they reached the summit of Pikes Peak, Katharine Bates looked out over the prairie grass and wheat fields of neighboring Kansas, and was inspired to write "America the Beautiful."

The song was inspired by Colorado and Kansas, but when I was singing it in kindergarten through fifth grade while growing up in New York and New Jersey, the image that always filled my imagination was what I now recognize to be South Dakota. South Dakota has it all: spacious skies, "amber waves of grain," "purple mountain majesties" of the Black Hills, Native American culture and tradition, historic sites and monuments to include Crazy Horse Memorial, Mount Rushmore and the Geographic Center of the Nation, Midwestern hospitality, waterfalls, rivers, canyons, wildlife, and most importantly for this New Yorker/Jersey Girl, decent pizza and bagels.

During my trip to South Dakota this past August, I had the opportunity to explore Rapid City, Spearfish, Belle Fourche, and Keystone. No offense to North Dakota, but now based on my trips to both Dakotas, South Dakota wins the beauty contest. The main purpose of my visit to South Dakota was to run the Leading Ladies & Dakota Spirit Half Marathon, which would mark South Dakota as State #23 on my quest to run a half marathon in all 50 states. I flew into Rapid City and drove to Spearfish, the location of the race start and finish. I expected Spearfish to be beautiful based on everything I'd researched, and it turns out that weekend I visited a literal gold mine, with a history of both conflict and community.

Crazy Horse

The story of the Lakota, and all Indigenous tribes in North America, are a part of American history, and I felt discussing my trip and the places I visited without sharing the story of the people whose land I walked upon would be disrespectful and a grave disservice to the Sioux Nation, who have overcome centuries of trauma and hardship. As all stories begin when discussing the land we call home, the sacred land in which Spearfish sits, and the surrounding lands of the Black Hills, belong to the Native Americans, primarily the Lakota Sioux.

I use the present tense as a form of acknowledgement that the land does in fact still belong to the eight tribes of the Sioux Nation — the Supreme Court actually ruled in 1980 that the Black Hills had been stolen from the Sioux — and we can't ignore the atrocious acts committed against our Native relatives as a result of colonization. When referring to Indigenous people as "relatives" I do so for two reasons: to honor my continued work in growing my relationship with them, and also to honor my own South American Indigenous ancestry of Northern Brazil with love and reverence. I accept with love and gratitude whenever an Indigenous person calls me "sister" or "cousin."

The Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people have been calling the Black Hills "the heart of everything that is" for centuries, and the territory we now call South Dakota saw the first Lakota Sioux settling in the region in the 1700s. French fur traders began arriving around 1743, and increased European presence led to conflict with the Sioux, especially when France claimed the territory for their own. During the Revolutionary War, the Lakota arrived in the Black Hills after crossing the Missouri River, settling in Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. South Dakota was officially added to the United States in 1803 during the Louisiana Purchase, when the territory was purchased from France for $11,000,000.

Sitting Bull

The Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868, signed by General William Sherman and the Lakota Sioux, guaranteed the Sioux rights to their territory in the Black Hills and established a 35-million acre reservation for the tribes known as the Great Sioux Reservation. Many members of the tribes, most notably Sioux leaders such as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, were outraged by the treaties and rejected the reservation. After the first Fort Laramie Treaty was signed, President Abraham Lincoln signed The Homestead Act during the Civil War, which accelerated colonial settlement in the area.

Not even 6 years after the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed, it was violated when General George Custer led a military expedition into the Black Hills in 1874, which resulted in the discovery of gold and an onslaught of miners, entrepreneurs, homesteaders, adventurers, and merchants flocking to the area. The resulting gold craze became known as the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1876. Tensions between the United States military and the Lakota Sioux came to a boiling point when General Custer led troops into battle against the Lakota Sioux in what was later called the Black Hills War of 1876. In the biggest victory for the Native Americans during the American-Indian Wars, the Lakota Sioux defeated General Custer and his army at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as "Custer's Last Stand," resulting in General Custer losing his life.

The resilience of the Lakota is a powerful reminder of the importance of honoring and protecting Indigenous cultures all over the world. Lakota culture is still very present today in the Black Hills, and the Oglala Lakota celebrate their heritage and culture through singing, dancing, stories, art, and ceremonies. While the Black Hills Gold Rush and the Black Hills War were taking place, the year 1876 also saw the City of Spearfish (then known as Queen City) founded at the mouth of Spearfish Canyon. Spearfish supplied food and necessities to the mining camps, and as it grew into the community it is today, a significant amount of farming, market gardening, and agriculture are still attributed to the area. In 1888, one year before South Dakota was officially established as a U.S. state and admitted into the Union, Spearfish became incorporated as a city, cementing its history and reputation as being associated with mining and tourism.

About 140 years after Spearfish's incorporation, I touched down in Rapid City, picked up my rental car from Enterprise, and drove to Spearfish, Queen City of the Black Hills. Out of the 22 half marathons I'd completed thus far on my running tour of the 50 states, this was the first trip that I've actually rented a car for. I'd driven my own car to at least 6 states for races, and for the rest, I flew in but have made accommodations where everything was in reasonable walking distance, and Uber and Lyft were convenient and available.

Once I arrived in Spearfish, I checked in to my hotel, Holiday Inn Spearfish-Convention Center, which was the host hotel for the race. My race morning experience would be stress free, knowing the bus to the start would board directly outside the lobby of the hotel. Later that evening, I headed to historic downtown Spearfish and had dinner at Antuñez, which celebrates the flavors of Spain, Mexico, and Latin America through a fusion approach. The restaurant also has a small gift shop in the back, complete with jams, jars of salsa, and small souvenirs. I decided on the Tostada Rota, which was excellent and just what I needed after my full day of traveling. I absolutely wish I could have tried everything on the menu, it lived up to all of the positive reviews!

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Saturday was both a day of exploration and a day of rest before race day. At 6:00 A.M., I visited The Original Spearfish Breakfast House, followed by a hazelnut brown sugar latte from Blackbird Espresso after breakfast. It was overcast and the sky threatened scattered thunderstorms, which were in the forecast. Main Street was deserted and quiet, with the exception of a few people like myself out and about in search of food and coffee. The City of Spearfish promotes itself as a haven for foodies, which I found to be absolutely true. I ordered a short stack of pancakes with a side of eggs and bacon at Spearfish Breakfast House, which were made from scratch and as good as they look in the photo. Being that the Breakfast House is a locally owned family business, they go out of their way to be a source of welcome and comfort for both travelers and locals who stop in.

Wanting to try as many places in Spearfish as I possibly could in such a short weekend, I walked over to Blackbird Espresso from The Spearfish Breakfast House once the café opened. There was already a line almost out the door the second 7:00 A.M. struck and the barista let us all in. I loved the decor inside, a mix of modern farmhouse and industrial — which made my Millennial heart happy — also what my "Xennial" husband would refer to as "hipster" decor, which he frequently makes fun of me for appreciating. The cozy seating areas and multi-colored LED holiday lights strung around the café added an element of hygge, which made me want to hang out for a while after I received my hazelnut brown sugar latte.

I went on a short walking tour down Main Street after my coffee, and took in the sights of the historic buildings (most of which still were the original structures), not much older than South Dakota after it officially joined the Union. Most of the buildings were constructed between the 1890's through the early 1900's, with the original native sandstone still proudly displayed and untouched by weather or human beings. I passed by the Mail Building, the American National Bank, Spearfish City Hall, the Spearfish Filling Station, Billiard Hall, and the Spearfish Visitor Information Center, which actually used to be the Bank of Spearfish in the 1880's before the original structure was torn down and rebuilt. Each building and present day business tells the intricate story of Spearfish from the beginning of its founding, all representative of the tight knit community it is today.

After my leisurely walk around Main Street, I headed to Mount Rushmore. The hour drive from Spearfish consisted of a gradual ascent up the winding and twisting Mount Rushmore Road (Highway 16), which passes from Rapid City through Rockerville, and finally Keystone, which sits at the base of the mountain and has a small touristy shopping district with sights and attractions. I didn't stop in Keystone — because I wanted to get to the Mount Rushmore Visitor Center early enough before it got extremely crowded — however, if you decide to bring your family on a trip to Keystone (or visit solo and have some extra time), I highly recommend stopping and enjoying the shopping district. My choice was also partially because I did not feel completely acclimated to the slight increase in elevation yet, and wanted to conserve my energy for walking around the monument. Mount Rushmore sits at approximately 5,725 feet, which includes the monument itself and the visitor areas at the site.

Visiting Mount Rushmore — the holy mountain the Lakota called “Tunkasila Sakpe”, the Six Grandfathers — has been on my bucket list since I was a child, but knowing what I know now, I couldn't help but wonder how much information tourists are exposed to in the museum exhibits and on the trails about the Native American side of the story. Do tourists learn during their visit that this site is still considered sacred to the Sioux? In addition to the history that honors our Founding Fathers and the influence of the American Presidents carved into the mountain, how much information is included about the Sioux? Spoiler alert: The answer is... not much.

The conclusion I ultimately came to was while I was not completely disappointed with my visit, and I was very grateful for the opportunity to see this incredible feat of architecture dedicated to four of the most influential American Presidents in history — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt — I walked away with mixed feelings. After obtaining my $6 parking pass (which is good for a year by the way), I crossed the street from the parking garage and headed towards the Visitor Center.

The view was spectacular right away, with the majesty of Mount Rushmore dominating the landscape above the Avenue of Flags. In the pavilion area before entering the Avenue of Flags, there is an ice cream shop for visitors, Memorial Team Ice Cream, and a food truck, which was closed during my visit. I walked down the Avenue of Flags, admiring each flag that meant something to me, from my home states growing up, to each state where I was stationed while on active duty, to my current home state. There are a total of 57 flags, which represent not only the 50 states, but also the districts, commonwealths, and U.S. territories.

What I didn't realize until I'd walked down the Avenue of Flags was that I was only on the first level of the visitor grounds, technically standing on the roof of the The Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center. The museum is down a flight of stairs right at the entrance to the Avenue of Flags, and it is estimated that most people miss it entirely and don't realize there is an entire exhibit below. I took my time going through the exhibit, watching the videos of the construction of the monument which played on a continuous loop, and reading each of the placards. The exhibit features original documents and some of the tools and models used to carve the sculptures into the mountain. One part of the exhibit chronicles the history of the birth of our nation beginning with the Revolutionary War, and quotes from the four Presidents are featured on the wall across from it next to the giant case with the Mount Rushmore Dedication Flag.

My favorite panel featured the words of Thomas Jefferson, during the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and I also appreciated the display that explained the meaning of Mount Rushmore and the significance of what each of the four Presidents represented: George Washington, the first President of the United States, signifies the struggle for independence and the birth of the Republic; Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the Declaration of Independence, represents the territorial expansion of the country; Abraham Lincoln, best known for the Emancipation Proclamation that freed over 4 million slaves, symbolizes the permanent Union of the states and equality for all citizens; and Teddy Roosevelt, who carried the United States into the 20th century, championed The Square Deal and established America's national parks.

After walking through the exhibit, I explored part of the physically demanding Presidential Trail, which boasts 422 stairs to get to the top. I noticed there is a "Lakota, Nakota and Dakota Heritage Village" interpretive display along the main trail, however I was disappointed to find that it was closed during my visit. What I read was that it's open and available to the public during certain days of the week at specific times of day, and today did not appear to be one of those days. My hope was that it was not permanently closed, and I saw nothing to indicate that was the case. On the occasions it is open, the exhibit is staffed by Lakota interpreters, storytellers, and musicians, and the fifth-generation grandson of the celebrated Oglala Sioux warrior, Red Cloud, has also been known to participate in educating guests on the Native American side of the story. Like the Sioux, I also believe this is not enough.

The only other indicator of Native American presence within the Mount Rushmore Monument visitor areas could be found within the museum gift shop, where in a corner there are several black and white prints of famous Sioux warriors and leaders. Of course I recognized Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, but I can't say for certain other visitors would. Nothing on the displays bears their names or stories about them, unless it was written on the back of the photographs, which I did not disturb from the display. Given the brief historical context I outlined in my introduction to this blog post, we now arrive at the second part of the Native American side of the story, which is the sculpting of Mount Rushmore.

Due to the sacred nature of the Black Hills and all the lands it encompasses, the Lakota Sioux considered the carving of the four American Presidents into the mountain to be a desecration. Before construction on the mountain began in 1927, the Sioux called it The Six Grandfathers (Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe), named by Lakota medicine man Nicolas Black Elk. One day, Nicolas Black Elk had a vision, which inspired him to name the mountain after the six sacred directions representative of kindness, wisdom, and love: west, east, north, south, above, and below. The connection to the sacred directions is as meaningful to the Lakota as cherishing the wisdom of six human grandfathers, and thus Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe became the identity of the mountain.

Credit: National Park Service

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who himself was not without serious controversy in his background, was commissioned in 1927 to sculpt the presidents into the mountain after South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson saw an opportunity to increase tourism in the state. Borglum decided he would accomplish this monumental feat with a nationally significant attraction, one that would honor U.S. presidents with notable historical influence, and be associated with patriotism and democracy. It took 14 years from the inception of the project to its completion, with each year that passed further solidifying the devastating final act of conquest and colonization for the Sioux. Adding insult to injury, the monument was built on the land the government stole from them.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the 1980 case United States v. Sioux Nation that the land was stolen from the Sioux, the court offered to financially compensate the tribes for the land in the amount of $2 million. The Sioux rejected the offer, and still to this day will not accept the money, on the grounds that they insist the Black Hills are not for sale. In 1941, Congress cut off funding for the completion of Mount Rushmore as the nation entered World War II, and sculptor Gutzon Borglum died on March 6, 1941, before he could see the project finished. Korczak Ziolkowski, who had been hired as Borglum's assistant on the Mount Rushmore project, was approached by Lakota Sioux Chief Henry Standing Bear, who invited him to sculpt a memorial for the Native Americans in the Black Hills.

"My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes, too," Standing Bear wrote, offering 900 acres of his land in exchange for a monument celebrating Native American resilience and culture. Thus the sculpting of the Crazy Horse Memorial began 75 years ago, and to this day still remains unfinished. Enough time has passed that Korczak Ziolkowski's children and grandchildren have now taken over the project, which is expected to be the largest monument in the world at the time of its completion. The monument commemorates and celebrates Crazy Horse, who is the maternal cousin of Chief Standing Bear, and arguably one of the most recognized Native American figures in history, second only to Sitting Bull.

According to the National Park Service, Crazy Horse led 1,200 warriors to victory in the Battle of the Rosebud in 1876, defeating General George Crook, and then later defeated General Custer and the 7th Cavalry during the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Funding for the Crazy Horse Memorial project is provided through the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) educational and humanitarian non-profit organization, which was formed after Ziolkowski promised no U.S. government funding would ever be used for the project.

Completion of the project may be a decade or more away, and in the meantime, I plan to return to South Dakota for a longer trip to devote an entire day or two visiting the expansive site belonging to the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, which currently consists of not only the sculpture in progress, but also the Indian Museum of North America®, and the Native American Educational and Cultural Center®. Being as passionate about history as I am, I could easily spend 8 hours visiting each attraction, celebrating the legacy of the greatest Native American heroes. Unfortunately, my time in the Black Hills was not long enough this trip, so for now, I am sharing what I wish I'd seen some exhibits dedicated to at Mount Rushmore.

My next order of business was lunch after descending down from the mountain. I stopped in Rapid City to try Kathmandu Bistro, another locally owned small business with amazing reviews, situated within a renovated historic building. I am a huge fan of Indian, Nepalese and Tibetan food, so stopping here was definitely on my list when I was planning this trip. The restaurant was not very busy when I first sat down, but as the lunch hour went on, locals started filing in and nearly every table was occupied. The atmosphere was very warm and inviting and the decor was traditional Indian and Nepalese, and under the glass on my table was a beautiful map of Nepal.

I ordered the vegetable samosa for my appetizer, and the chicken biryani with a side of naan bread. It was all incredible and the portions were extremely generous. Personally, I enjoy spicy food and have a pretty decent tolerance — on a scale of 1 to molten lava, my "mild" seems to be closer to Carolina Reaper pepper if you ask my husband — but if you are someone who prefers mild or no spice, I would recommend specifically asking for that at Kathmandu Bistro since their dishes come by default as what I would classify as "medium" spicy. For me, it was just the perfect amount of spicy and flavorful. After lunch, while I was still in the area, I swung by Black Hills Bagels to pick up my breakfast to pack for race morning the next day, which was a plain bagel with whipped cream cheese. I knew I would thank myself later on the 5:00 A.M. bus ride to the start.

When I arrived back in Spearfish, I headed to the Pavilion in Spearfish City Park to pick up my race packet. The race expo was fairly small, but there were a few exhibitors and small businesses present selling race gear and other merchandise. Included with our race packets was a drawstring bag, and the official gray moisture wicking T-shirt for the event, courtesy of Black Hills Running Company. It was an added benefit that we also had the opportunity to connect with our pacers from Elevated Running and Pacing which added to the excitement of the race and made the experience feel much more welcoming and personal.

Going to Nonna's Kitchen for my pre-race dinner was a no-brainer, and I was able to get my fix of carbs and protein with a giant bowl of Bolognese. Nonna's is cherished by locals and situated on Main Street in downtown Spearfish, housed within one of Main Street's many historic buildings built in 1895. The inside of the building has been fully renovated without the sacrifice of its historic charm, with seating areas on the ground floor and additional seating upstairs. As with most of the businesses on Main Street, the restaurant is locally owned and operated and every single dish is made from scratch. Unfortunately I had zero room for dessert after my amazing dinner.

Leading Ladies & Dakota Spirit Half Marathon: A Meditation

Race Day: Sunday, August 17, 2025

The Leading Ladies Marathon began 20 years ago in the heart of scenic and serene Spearfish, South Dakota, home to the legendary Spearfish Canyon, and Black Hills State University. "Our theme is 'empowered women empower women,'" Elaine Doll-Dunn, our fabulous event founder and organizer, shared with the Black Hills Pioneer in 2018. What started as an all-women's marathon grew to a multi-faceted event, eventually welcoming men to the marathon distance, and now includes the Dakota Spirit Half Marathon, relay, 10K, and 5K. "But let's face it," the event website states playfully, "The women, in my opinion, are still in charge!" The lore of the Leading Ladies continues through the tradition of the Women's Full Marathon beginning 15 minutes prior to the Men's Full Marathon, with women leading the way down the canyon. While the full marathon distance has separate start times for men and women, the Dakota Spirit Half Marathon welcomes men and women to start the race together.

The Dakota Spirit Half Marathon would mark my 23rd half marathon on my quest to run a half marathon in all 50 states. Race morning began at 4:00 A.M., and I gave myself a full hour prior to heading downstairs for our 5:00 A.M. bus departure. For one of the smaller races I've run thus far, this was by a landslide one of the most organized. Staying at the Holiday Inn was convenient for ensuring I made it to the start, however, navigating getting back to the hotel from the finish at Spearfish City Park was something I had not really given much thought until that day. I carefully slathered my bagel from Black Hills Bagels with amazing fluffy whipped cream cheese, packed it back up into its paper bag, and headed down to the lobby. Seated on the couches and strolling around the lobby were a handful of us participants, and our official pacers from Elevated Running and Pacing.

I was surprised to see so few runners waiting to board the bus, there couldn't have been more than thirty of us. I assumed the rest of the participants were getting rides to or driving themselves to the start, and a percentage of them likely were also running the 10K or full marathon and were departing on the other bus. While we waited to board, I began eating my bagel, to the good-spirited comments of others encouraging my foresight to pack a breakfast with me. When we stepped outside, I was relieved that it seemed like we would have the perfect racing weather. At 5:00 A.M., it was 61°F with no wind, and I was optimistic that the current humidity of 89% wouldn't stick around and would hopefully dissipate as we got going.

Based on my assessment of the elevation chart and course maps, I went into this race believing I wouldn't be worrying about the Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Heat, Hills, and Humidity. The temperature was already perfect, and it looked as if it wouldn't warm up until long after we'd crossed the finish line. This course is advertised as not just net downhill, but a true downhill course. I called Mike Albin, the co-race director, to verify this, and asked if it was actually downhill, or a race director's definition of "gently rolling hills."

Mike laughed, and gave me tons of reassurance that I would love this course, and not only is it drop dead gorgeous, it offers the opportunity to PR for many. "Oh... and you'll want to train quads and hamstrings," was the parting advice I was given before boarding a plane to take on the Black Hills. This would be my first true downhill course for the entire race distance, which I had never done before. I had also never began a race at nearly mile high elevation (4,931 feet), and coasted down at a 1,790-foot elevation drop. We wouldn't be spending a lot of time at elevation, but I made sure to hydrate adequately. I did have the advantage of having raced at elevation for the entire duration of a half marathon exactly 3 years earlier, in Colorado, which was my official Personal Worst. It couldn't possibly get any worse than that!

All of my previous half marathon and full marathon experience thus far involved "gently rolling hills," flat courses, net downhill with plenty of monster hills, and even some net uphill courses. My fabulous nutrition and strength coach, Emily, devised a solid training plan with me that included plenty of strength training for those muscles that would be engaged for 13.1 miles of downhill running. I felt more than ready. You are probably asking yourself why all this build-up before I describe the actual course. Well... things did not go exactly 100% according to expectations or plans, but the positive news is I did meet my goal.

The bus ride was a 30-minute ascent uphill, which felt gradual enough, but I could still feel my ears popping as we climbed to our starting elevation. It was still pitch dark out, so I couldn't see anything outside of the windows, but felt every twist and turn of the road of Spearfish Canyon Highway (U.S. Highway 14A). Our start line was approximately 1/4 of a mile north of Savoy, and we would run all the way down the canyon, staying on Spearfish Canyon Highway the entire race until we reached Spearfish City Park. The bus came to a stop at Spearfish Canyon Lodge, and we disembarked. The inside of the lodge looked welcoming and cozy, and some runners debated running inside for a bathroom break but decided against it and instead waited until we got to the start.

We kept active to stay warm, since it felt chillier at the pinnacle of the race course. Some of us milled about eating snacks and drinking water and Gatorade, some of us did warm-up exercises, some jogged back and forth, and the rest of us were taking pictures of each other against the backdrop of the beautiful scenery surrounding us as the sun broke over the horizon. Our small participant field meant extremely short lines for the bank of Porta-Potties positioned along the starting line. During the hour we had before the official start, I had the opportunity to meet other 50 Staters, including my new friend Janice from Indiana, who was on round 2 of 50 states and would be completing her 48th state in this second round. I love the running community for all of the amazing people I have gotten to connect with so far on this journey.

After lining up with our pace groups, we listened to the playing of the National Anthem. It was a bit surreal listening to the words of the National Anthem echo and reverberate against the hills, watching the dissipating mist roll over the tops of the ponderosa pine trees like wave tops. I felt the rest of the world drop away, and at that moment, it was only us runners, and nature. Cellular service was non-existent, so for the very short time we had together in the canyon at the top of the race course, we were the only people on earth who knew where we were. I was reminded of my trip to the Smoky Mountains for the Great Smoky Mountain Half in more ways than one. The race kicked off precisely at 6:30 A.M., and I started out extremely strong. The first 7 miles were truly an absolute joy to race, and I couldn't help but feel this wasn't a race at all, but a meditation.

Kimmie was our pacer for our pace group, and I absolutely loved spending the first half of the race with her. We did a walk-run pace, and not only did she keep us on track, she kept our spirits up — the total embodiment of both a Leading Lady, and the Dakota Spirit. I was flying the first 7 miles, and at one point, I looked down at my watch and saw I had to pull back a little, since my speed was a bit too fast for me too early on in the race. With the rush of Spearfish Creek on our right, and the beautiful shale and limestone canyon walls on our left, this was by far one of the most gorgeous courses I've experienced. While winding through the canyon, the cool canyon walls and towering pine trees provided us with shade, until we got to the latter half of the course.

There were aid stations every 2 miles with encouraging volunteers, and along the way we passed the historic 1912 hydro plant, and Bridal Veil Falls. Bridal Veil Falls appeared around mile 7, and everyone stopped to take photos and videos. Several feet from the waterfall, a photographer was positioned, and she let us pose for photos and assured me she didn't get a photo of me with my phone in front of my face gawking at the waterfall. I did end up having my phone in my hand in my official race photo.

Not only did I slow down for the waterfall, I also slowed down for deer — dead and alive. The one live deer I saw was a beautiful doe who peeked out of her hiding spot in the woods, and seeing no passing cars, decided not to catapult herself in the middle of the road. Her companion was not as fortunate, and as we came up on Mile 5, we were greeted by a decimated deer torso lying on its side with an almost still fully in tact head, with its one visible eye looking up at us as we passed, permanently frozen in surprise. The smell trailed us for what seemed like a quarter of a mile, and we seemed to be down wind of it for way longer than I cared for.

For all of the beauty this course offered, it also presented some challenges from my perspective. In some stretches of the scenic byway where the road curved, the banking of the road was rather steep, and put a bit of stress on my left knee for several miles. I have chronic tendinitis in my left knee, which has been a pre-existing issue of mine for more than 15 years, so I don't blame the course, however, the banking of the roads did fan the flames of my existing injury. This lasted maybe 4 miles and then my discomfort subsided completely. I couldn't help but be reminded of the steep banking of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and what it was like running on the race track during the Indy Mini this past May. That was an incredible experience, just not so much for my knee.

There were some flat sections on the course and a few gentle inclines throughout, and it was mostly downhill, as expected. Unfortunately, Mile 9 was a gradual uphill, which I was actually not expecting, and I began to slow down quite a bit as the incline of Mile 9 corresponded with an increase in temperature. By the time we got to the lower elevation later in the morning, it was a balmy 77°F, which was kind of brutal. There was also no shade the last few miles, and I began to struggle a bit. I went from being certain in the beginning of the race that I wouldn't run into the Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse, to experiencing all three within the span of a few miles.

It felt like the temperature had changed in the time it took for me to blink, which should have come as no shock, considering Spearfish actually holds the world record for the fastest recorded temperature change, and historically can experience a wide range of temperatures in a single day throughout the year. On January 22, 1943, Spearfish set the world record within a two minute period that has still yet to be beaten: at about 7:30 A.M. MST, the temperature in Spearfish was −4 °F (−20 °C). When the wind suddenly picked up, two minutes later, the temperature rose to 45 °F (7 °C). By 9:00 A.M. that morning, the temperature continued to climb, and reached 54 °F (12 °C). Just as quickly as the temperature had risen, within a 27 minute span, the wind suddenly died down and the temperature plummeted back down to −4 °F (−20 °C). Windows cracked, and windshields instantly frosted over.

I could have really used some of that Spearfish world record temperature magic those last few miles... a sudden temperature drop would have been wonderful. Alas, it did not happen, and I crossed the finish line at Spearfish City Park drenched in sweat and happy to be done. We were bestowed with our medals, and cheered on by our fabulous pacers on the other side of the timing mat, who had finished alongside us and ushered us in for the big finish. Volunteers under a tent passed out water, Gatorade, chips, bananas, and a few other snacks. After taking a few celebratory finish photos, I took a banana and Gatorade and parked on one of the benches.

Seated on the bench beside me was Tyler from Philadelphia, 10th place overall finisher, who kindly offered to give me a ride back to my hotel from City Park after he retrieved his awards. Tyler saw me looking in the direction of a tall, blonde, beautiful woman in her mid-80's, wearing cowboy boots and a black jacket emblazoned with "Leading Lady" on the back. "Is that... the Leading Lady?" I asked, and Tyler confirmed that the woman with her back towards us, watching the last few finishers cross, was in fact the Leading Lady, Dr. Elaine Doll-Dunn, founder of the race. After the last finisher crossed, Elaine smiled in silent approval and gracefully departed from the finish festivities. Not knowing anything about her at the time, I now regret not stopping to chat with this incredible woman.

I feel honored to share a common goal with Elaine, who is currently also working on running a half marathon in all 50 states and Washington. She has so far completed 125 full marathons, a total of over 50,000 miles across all 50 states. Elaine started running at the age of 40, and among her most notable accomplishments are, in her words on her LinkedIn profile, "conquering Devil's Tower, Mt. Kilimanjaro, 60 miles of Panama, 3 husbands, and cancer."

Photo credit: nettyejohnson.com

When she was not busy climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro at 58 years old and winning a marathon the day after she climbed down, running from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean for a total of 60 miles across Panama in one day to celebrate her 60th birthday, or being crowned Mrs. South Dakota at age 61, she was raising 7 children and spending time with 20 grandchildren. In her 80's, Elaine now travels around the world as a motivational speaker, spreading her message of courage and motivation, has written four books and earned her PhD in Philosophy.

Reading about Elaine's story of incredible perseverance after the fact solidified for me that if she can accomplish everything she sets out to do, no matter how crazy the goal seems at the time, then maybe I shouldn't limit myself either and believe anything is possible. Inspiration does not even begin to cover it. I truly hope some day soon, I can return to South Dakota for another visit and run into her again... I have so many questions! Being as I am still a few years away from 40, Elaine made me realize I still have so much time to do all of the things I can dream of doing, at any age, and I have more time to do those things than I've given myself permission to believe. I have been in a rush my entire life, and Elaine says I don't need to be.

After a quick stop at the hotel, I headed down to The Farmhouse Bistro for my post-race brunch. The Farmhouse Bistro is next door to Sawyer Brewing Co., where I decided I'd have dinner later that evening. When I arrived, I knew The Farmhouse Bistro would be completely packed, based on all of the positive reviews I'd read about the restaurant's locally famous Sunday brunch. I was fortunate to get seated immediately, as there was one available table left on their patio. Even though it shaped up to be relatively warm, the heat wasn't too bad under the shade of the umbrella at my table. The restaurant itself, both inside and the surrounding property outside were gorgeous, a perfect blend of cozy and country chic. I ordered the chocolate chip short stack with a side of fruit, and was ready for a nap after.

Of course, there was no time for napping — I was only 15 minutes away from the Geographic Center of the Nation. I thought I'd take advantage of this rare opportunity to stand in the literal geographic center of the 50 states, and of course capture my Medal Monday photo. While the actual center of the United States is located on private property, the Geographic Center of the Nation Monument is located in Belle Fourche in western South Dakota. Not to be confused with the Geographic Center of the United States in Lebanon, Kansas — which is representative of the contiguous lower 48 states. When Alaska and Hawaii were admitted to the Union in 1959, their landmass — added to the landmass of the continental United States — shifted the geographic center of the 50 states to latitude 44°, 58’N, longitude 103° 46’W.

My arrival in Belle Fourche unfortunately was too late to visit the Tri-State Museum Visitor Center, it was already closed. I missed out on exploring the little gift shop plus a few mini-exhibits, which include Adventures in Archeology, a History of EMS, and more. The monument itself was beautiful, and there were several out-of-town families visiting while I was there, also taking advantage of a good photo op. Also included on the property are Korean War and Vietnam War memorial monuments, which were beautiful acknowledgements of the sacrifices made by our veterans.

From Belle Fourche, I plugged the Tower of the Black Hills into Google Maps, wanting to visit one more landmark before dinner. Unfortunately for me, the GPS took me 20 minutes out of my way into a field on private property, and I knew something was amiss when the driver of a tractor swung out into the intersection and gave me a puzzled look. His facial expression told me my pristinely clean little 2025 Ford Escape with Minnesota plates absolutely did not belong in his field. With a smile and neighborly wave at the tractor driver, channeling the "Minnesota nice" vibes of my rental car, I backed out of the field and abandoned the mission to head back to civilization. After my tourist activities were completed for the day, I went back to the plaza shared by The Farmhouse Bistro and Sawyer Brewing Co. around 5:30 P.M., finding that Sawyer was not that busy for that time of the early evening.

If you've been keeping up with my blog for a while now, you already know that in addition to running a half marathon in all 50 states, I have a parallel goal of trying pizza in each state that I visit. This secondary goal is inspired by the legendary Dave Portnoy, founder and owner of Barstool Sports. Dave's One Bite Pizza Reviews channel is dedicated to his goal of reviewing one pizza place a day until he tries them all. I first discovered Dave's pizza reviews after having lunch at Goodfellas Pizzeria at the James E. Pepper Distillery during my trip to Lexington, Kentucky, and since then, I've been looking up each prospective restaurant I plan to visit to see if it has been blessed off by Dave as a worthy contender for my visit. Today I learned Dave has a website and app for this exact purpose, and restaurant guests from all over the country can leave their own "One Bite" score for each restaurant on the site.

Sawyer Brewing Co. appears to have not yet been reviewed by Dave, and has a One Bite Community score of 7.6 out of 10, which is an average of all guest reviews. I ordered the Hawaiian pizza, which came with pineapple, Canadian bacon, and an amazing woodfired crust. I would give this particular pizza an 8.9 One Bite score. I couldn't give it a 9.0 or above, since that tier of One Bite prestige is reserved for New York and New Jersey pizza. South Dakota pizza definitely sets the bar pretty high, though. It became apparent that I had to commit to eating as much of the entire pizza as I possibly can, because it was too delicious to waste, and I couldn't take it home with me the following day.

Monday, August 18, 2025 was another early morning. I packed up and departed Spearfish for Rapid City at 5:45 A.M., determined to get a second shot at breakfast at Black Hills Bagels before my airport departure. After the 45 minute drive and topping up my rental with gas, I sat down for breakfast. Black Hills Bagels was fairly busy with commuters visiting for pick-up orders before heading to work. There were also quite a few locals dining in, a mix of retirees and families with kids eating a leisurely breakfast.

I understood why this was a popular place the second I took a sip of my coffee and tried my bagel sandwich. After having to make a really tough choice, I went with the Hogs 'n' Chicks breakfast sandwich. This particular sandwich is listed as a fan favorite on the menu, consisting of bacon, egg, cheddar cheese, and onion and chive cream cheese on an asiago bagel. I really wanted to try the Sunset Sizzler, but I'll add it to my list of reasons to come back and visit South Dakota. Of course, chief among my reasons for coming back will be Crazy Horse. Is that an Easter egg hinting at me signing up for the Run Crazy Horse Half Marathon? Maybe.

LODGING:

Holiday Inn Spearfish-Convention Center

305 N 27th St

Spearfish, SD 57783

🗿🦌⛺️🌽

Happy running and safe travels,

Stefanie