There is no place like home...including Emporia! by Kim Jones

As a native Emporian, it wasn’t a bad place to grow up. The city wasn’t too big or too small. However, as time passed and it was time for college, the yearning to “get out of Dodge” (oops, wrong Kansas town) grew. There were new experiences to be had. Although I would come back to Emporia to visit my parents, it was with a more jaded viewpoint – there was nothing to do here.

A few years ago, as my parents were getting older, I decided to move back to Kansas. It was a good move as I got to spend more in-person time with them before they were gone. Their passing left me here in Emporia, now with a house and things to downsize (many items my own).

I was faced again with “there’s nothing to do in Emporia.” As I’ve had an issue keeping me from running, I decided to buy a bike around a year ago so I could get some cardio in and try to find a community of people like I had with running in Chicago. One thing led to another, and I registered for the Unbound 50 this year.

In previous years, I really hadn’t had much to do with race weekend other than checking out the expo. As a rider this year, things were totally different. I joined the Dirt Squad and had an opportunity to meet other members, attend the Gravel Hall of Fame ceremony, and take a group tour of the expo. Plus, I was exposed to the many other riders coming into town during the week leading up to the races. One thing that struck me from all the people I met – they liked Emporia.

It made me feel good that people really wanted to be here – and they enjoyed it. Participating in Unbound gave me a new perspective on my hometown. It was refreshing to hear good things about Emporia. Maybe there’s no place like home.