Emporia, KS, May 28, 2020 — Life Time, the nation’s premier healthy lifestyle brand which owns and produces the Garmin Dirty Kanza, launches their Garmin Dirty Kanza: Ad Astra Edition weekend, that will kick off today through Sunday, May 31. The Life Time team will bring cycling enthusiasts a virtual weekend “through the stars” highlighted by a virtual expo, which features products, professional athlete videos, family activities and content from Dirty Kanza’s event partners.
The official state motto of Kansas is the Latin phrase “Ad Astra Per Aspera” which translates “To the Stars Through Difficulty.” The motto refers not only to the pioneering spirit of the early settlers, but also is a reference to the seven-year struggle to make the Territory of Kansas a state. Today, the motto comes full circle given the current climate with the COVID-19 pandemic. With that, and through the stars, space (and technology), the team is excited to launch Dirty Kanza: Ad Astra Edition!
“Dirty Kanza has a 15-year history of happening on this weekend. We had hoped to be welcoming all of you this weekend to the Flint Hills and to be inspired by you as you accept the challenge of Dirty Kanza and seek to reach to the stars through difficulty. Or in other words, to realize the impossible of conquering your own personal Dirty Kanza challenge. But our Ad Astra experience is one way we can connect and soften the blow a bit until we can ride in the Flint Hills together again,” says Jim Cummins, Dirty Kanza founder and Chief Gravel Officer at Life Time.
“The interesting silver lining to this time is having the opportunity to reidentify how we engage with our participants and spectators. After seeing great success with our DK Virtual Camp in April, we are excited to evolve into the next phase of “virtual” for our Ad Astra event weekend,” says Michelle Duffy, Director of Off-Road Events Marketing at Life Time. “Providing digital opportunities that still build community, give value to our partner and vendor brands, and create unique experiences for our athletes helps us reach our goals as event promoters for Life Time, and also helps fill a void for our athletes and local community, who should be traversing the gravel roads around Emporia this weekend.”
The weekend includes a full schedule of events, including everything from exciting product launches and valuable training tips to incredible giveaways and exclusive discount codes from participating partners. Below is an overview of the schedule of events:
- Thursday, May 28 – Sunday, May 31: All Things Gravel *Ad Astra* Expo, where users can engage with over 70 unique industry brands, family-friendly activities, and much more!
- Saturday, May 30: #DIYGravel, in partnership with multiple-time DK winner Ted King and his DIYGravel initiative, create a DK experience right outside your front door.
- Sunday, May 31: Klean Kanza! Each year following Dirty Kanza, the team scours the Flint Hills for trash and waste left behind. Let’s all work together to make our backyard playgrounds just a little cleaner.
Additionally, expo participants will be able to access a sneak peek of Dirty Kanza’s new membership site this weekend. This will be an online community platform kicking off in June to help Dirty Kanza participants prepare for the postponed race on September 12th. Content will be offered on a weekly basis, offering tips and advice on gear, nutrition, training and other fun entertainment from sponsors and pro athletes.
Registration for the Expo is free and opened today, Thursday, May 28th. For more information, please visit dirtykanza.com/dirty-kanza-ad-astra-edition/. To register, head to dk-experiences.mykajabi.com/offers/vxFVrbLE.
