Wildfire Causes Chaos at Mid-South

Image courtesy of Jarrod Bunk's Instagram

 The Mid=South events kicked off Friday with an expo and a running event. This amid an oncoming storm of such magnitude that it was, and still is on Saturday, affecting a large part of the nation with high winds, severe weather, and tornadoes. 

But of all the things you might consider as being a natural deterrent to going ahead with your event's plans, wildfires probably are not high on the list of concerns. But that is exactly what happened in Stillwater, Oklahoma on Friday. 

High winds above 50mph most of the afternoon whipped up several wildfires in central and Northeastern Oklahoma during the afternoon hours. A weather You Tube personality I watch was showing how the fire's smoke plume was showing up on radar. Then the fire Southwest of Stillwater popped up. I knew this was a big deal.

Last year at Mid-South I observed a lot of dried up vegetation and how the winds could, and did then, blast over the plains.  It was obvious, because of my previous observations, that Stillwater, and Mid-South, were at risk of being affected negatively. And unfortunately this is exactly what happened. 

There was a voluntary evacuation order at first for the West side of the city, and a shelter in place order followed quickly after this. Then a full on mandatory evacuation of the West side of Stillwater was announced. Meanwhile, all Friday activities were cancelled by late in the afternoon. The expo was shut down early, and the runners were pulled from the course. 

Some cycling sites and personalities online were chirping about Mid-South probably being cancelled. But I know Bobby Wintle, just a little bit, and he had been through something similar in 2020, just five years ago. I knew he wasn't about to give up easily. 

And I was right. See this announcement posted at 7:00pm on Friday evening.

UPDATE: Unfortunately Bobby's and his teams determination to continue just was not going to be the right thing to do. In another heartfelt message posted on the Mid South website late Friday evening, he announced the cancellation of Mid-South 2025.

According to the message, wildfires were destroying homes and property on the West side of Stillwater. This required the full attention of all city and county resources forcing Bobby to realize that it would not be possible to put thousands of people out on country backroads  without the assistance and backing of the local authorities.  

Comments: As a former promoter who has been stuck in an event trying to decide whether to continue onward in the face of natural forces which presented clear and present dangers, I can sympathize with Bobby Wintle and his team a little bit, I think. However; another race director who messaged me Friday evening brought up a salient point. The point being how Bobby has thousands of people to consider who have invested thousands of dollars, sponsors, who have put in tens of thousands of dollars, a community banking on the event to produce profits, and a reputation for success in all of that. 

That is a heavy, heavy load to bear. So, I - like the RD who contacted me - am thankful I am not under that massive weight. I hope Bobby and his team get the support and rest they need to recover from this, but right now, that all is probably far from their minds. 

What a tragedy. Hopefully no one looses their life or is injured making sure everyone is safe and sound during this wildfire event. Bobby did mention that there would be a way to donate to support relief efforts for Stillwater. Link to Stillwater Relief Fund

People Of 2024: Bobby Wintle

 In my travels and life during the year, I have been blessed to be supported, befriended, and on occasion visited by some pretty awesome folks. Sometimes I visited them. (Hopefully they were equally blessed!) I wanted to take some extra space to recognize and celebrate these people at the end of the year. I hope you gain some insight and appreciation for what these people mean to me this year and beyond. 

Bobby Wintle (back to camera) and Rhett Shull playing guitar the night after Mid-South was done.

Mid-South was a highlight of 2024 for me for many reasons, but maybe the "cherry on top" was seeing Bobby Wintle and being able to hang out with him for a bit the day after Mid-South was over. 

This might seem silly to some of you out there, but I often feel like the outsider in groups and when it comes to other people's events I often feel like I really am more of a bother than a "guest". Never mind that maybe some see me as a "big deal" in the gravel community. I just often feel like a third wheel and that I don't fit in. So, when I was drug along with the Northfield Crew to this rented house in Stillwater to witness those Northfield guys cook up a special supper for Bobby, his close crew members, and special guests, I was left sitting and wondering what the heck was I even doing there. 

Now I will add that Bobby had made it plain that he was "so glad I was there", and he said so several times. But being me, that did not register at the time. Anyway, when Bobby had shown up at this special gathering, he took a bit of time to drag me away. We walked a few blocks over to his house, and Bobby showed me around. We chatted a bit, mostly small talk, and then we returned to the party. 

Well, that finally registered with me. I don't know exactly why Bobby did that for me, but I knew that meant a lot to him, and he wasn't kidding around when he said he was stoked to have me there. 

And that really made the trip super special for me. Not that it wouldn't have been so without this experience, but yeah.... It was one of those small things I'll remember for a long time that made me feel really good. Definitely a highlight of 2024 for me. 

Shout out to Rhett Shull here as well. I had a chance to speak with him, he of the guitar You Tube community, and seeing a guy I've watched online for a long time that is a stellar guitar player was fun. Definitely another highlight of 2024.