So, KC 2017 joins Philadelphia 2016 in the No Finishers Club. I'm not as disappointed because KC didn't have any of my favorites, but like everyone else, I would have liked to see someone finish. I had a sneaking suspicion when they gave Maggi Thorne the POM Wonderful Run of the Night no one would finish. The first disappointment was Ethan Swanson. He was one of the runners I was most looking forward to, and it was a huge shocker to see him out on the balance obstacle. It seemed that in this City there were a lot less people to reach the 8th obstacle, or even the back half. A lot of people seemed to have gone out on the Qualifying part. Last week in Cleveland, over 20 of the 30 runners made it up the Warped Wall. This week, only 2 passed the 8th obstacle (which wasn't unusual), but only a few reached the Salmon Ladder and/or the Floating Monkey Bars. Crank it Up still took out a couple people, and the Bar Hop worked its magic just like in Qualifying. However, the Broken Pipes were devastating. It was mostly due to 3 of its victims: Swanson and both of the Towers of Power. Out of the 4 Chicago athletes, 3 were taken out on the same obstacle; it was also one they all passed the previous night in Qualifying. It really must have gotten in people's head since 3 of the best in the city hit water on the Broken Pipes. I thought Swanson would have done well on the Floating Monkey Bars because he is so controlled and calm and the Floating Monkey Bars require control and precision, but unfortunately, he didn't even make it there. Luckily, Tyler Yamauchi made it over the Pipes. Another disappointment of the night was seeing him get wet, too. I definitely think he would have finished just like he thought. I did think the Iron Maiden dismount was odd. It did seem hard because the bottom half of the last board was so low. Tyler couldn't completely make it because he didn't get his right arm on the last peg so he wasn't low enough which really sucks. I was also surprised Lance Pekus didn't pass the Floating Monkey Bars. Everyone thought he would pull a Daniel Gil and Drew Drechsel in which he is the last runner and he becomes the only finisher. Yet another disappointment was a drop for Pekus on only the 8th obstacle.
At the beginning, I personally thought this course looked easier than the other cities. I realize that the Bar Hop isn't easy, and I could never do it, but compared to the I-Beam Gap in Cleveland and the Railway Runner in Denver and Rolling Thunder in Daytona, the Bar Hop just reminded me of a basic obstacle, something someone would build for basic training. The hardest part of the obstacle seemed to be keeping the bar in the cradle, but when people were deliberate with their movements, there wasn't a problem. One persona, I can't remember who, when reaching for the second bar grabbed it so he was pulling it towards him, and I thought it was good strategy. I also didn't think the Floating Monkey Bars were super comparable to The Cubes in Daytona or the Nail Clipper in Cleveland. The Floating Monkey Bars again seemed like a general training obstacle, not ANW material. Obviously, the course overall was really hard, but I feel like if Drew or Daniel or Joe were to run this course, they would have been able to finish, especially considering they finished their own City Finals. Take that as you will, but I do feel on some level, the athletes were not the strongest here in KC. People like Pekus, The Towers of Power and Swanson are popular in their specific city, but when it comes to placing everyone in one big group, these people definitely get trumped by bigger/better names. So, yes, overall, I do think this course was a little easier. I did notice that Daytona's back half were more grip intensive whereas KC was more upper body focused. The Floating Monkey Bars and the Iron Maiden were upper body and the Giant Cubes, especially, and Circuit Board required more finger, grip strength. If you were to give a difficulty rating on each obstacle and then add it up, I still feel like KC would be easier, but what do I know, I couldn't' do any of this.
Anyway, there were quite some shocks aside from the Broken Pipes, Pekus' fall, and Yamauchi's missed dismount. First, Mitch Vedepo. I thought they said this was his 3rd year competing, and he had the best run of the night. It makes things worse when they're mere feet from finishing. It's different when they're only halfway, but when they're 5 feet away, it's more disappointing. However, he did have the best and farthest run, so props to him. I will be looking out for him in Vegas.
I also noticed Hunter Guerard completed the Bar Hop which he fell on the previous night. He was put over commercial break, but I'm assuming he did not use the same technique in Finals as he did in Qualifying. He reached the Floating Monkey Bars which was impressive. He is another rookie I'll look for in Vegas; however, he probably won't be shown.
I'll also be looking for walk-on rookie Jelani Allen. He had a good run in Qualifying, but he was yet another victim to the commercial break in Finals. He also reached the Floating Monkey Bars, and I think he will not be shown in Vegas. Hopefully, him and Guerard will do well, but I can easily see them slipping up on the Jumping Spider with them being rookies, and all.
The women weren't my favorite. I don't think they were as strong of a group. None of them passed Crank it Up the first night, and only Thorne completed it the next night. I didn't mind Thorne receiving the Run of the Night. I actually think she did really well. I've seen her on the Spartan race along side Kevin Bull and Lance Pekus, so I know she is strong. However, ANW has never seemed to be her thing. I would have thought she would do well because Spartan races are pretty gruesome and intense, but it must be more of a different animal than I thought. Maybe ANW is more upper body taxing with less rest in-between or something, and the Spartan races are more full body. The other women Sara Heeson and Sarah Schoback I didn't have too much faith in, not to sound horrible and mean. I did like that they were friends and training partners, but also weren't afraid to push the other out for a ticket to Vegas. Schoback said she would have liked to have gone with her friend, but I like that she was still ready to bump her out. As I've probably said before, this new Women's Rule definitely causes actual competition between women. It makes it more bitter-sweet because some women won't get to go with their friends, or other women are pushing others out.
Jeremiah Morgan was also in KC and made it to Vegas. I remember him because 2 years ago, he was one of the only finisher in Texas. The other being Sam Sann. He has also made it to Stage 3 before, but I think it was a different year. He didn't even get a shoutout, which I don't understand. They usually still mention the runners who go over commercial break, but I know they didn't talk about Morgan because I only saw him on the final list.
Then there's the Professional Arm Wrestler, Brad Spine. His run was well done. I do think he will have trouble in Vegas being a rookie. His failure came from a lack of technique and ANW knowledge on the Salmon Ladder, so that will probably translate in Vegas particularly on the Salmon Ladder. If he does manage to pass Stage 1, the Salmon Ladder in Stage 2 will drop him, unless he has practiced in between city and Vegas course. However, the Stage 2 Salmon Ladder Variation will still cause trouble I'm sure.
As I've said before, this city wasn't my favorite, but it still didn't fail to shock and amaze. For one, there were no finishers. Again, I don't know if it's the runners or the course. Frankly, I feel like it was more of the people, but it's just my opinion. It was mostly full of disappointments and water, so I think Thorne's run was the most uplifting.
Next week should be more exciting. I'm really looking forward to the Wolf Pack and what crazy obstacles they'll put in Denver.
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