Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ provides plain-language answers to common questions about the Kansas Ultrarunning Historical Foundation’s scope, methodology, evidence standards, qualifying performances, submissions, corrections, historical media, governance, and related policies.
Want the complete technical framework?
The FAQ is designed for quick access to specific questions. The full Manual & Methodology provides the complete policy framework, definitions, standards, examples, and technical detail. Where this FAQ summarizes a policy, the current Manual & Methodology is the controlling reference.
The archive is designed to show what is documented, what supports it, what remains uncertain, and what changes when better evidence is found. It is a historical archive, not a race calendar, promotional site, personal memoir, or open-edit database.
1. About the Foundation and the Archive
1. What is the Kansas Ultrarunning Historical Foundation?
The Kansas Ultrarunning Historical Foundation is an independent historical organization dedicated to preserving, documenting, verifying, organizing, contextualizing, and making accessible the history of ultrarunning in Kansas.
2. Is the Foundation a nonprofit organization?
Yes. The Foundation is recognized as a federal 501(c)(3) public charity.
3. What does the Foundation preserve?
The archive may document races, runners, race directors, organizations, performances, results, photographs, documents, publications, firsthand accounts, historical milestones, and other material that helps explain the development of ultrarunning in Kansas.
4. Is this a race calendar, registration platform, coaching site, or commercial race-promotion site?
No. The Foundation exists to preserve history, not to register runners, promote upcoming races, provide coaching, or market a commercial brand.
5. Is this a personal history of the Foundation’s founder?
No. The founder and affiliated organizations may appear where historically relevant, but they are subject to the same evidence and editorial standards as everyone else.
6. Is this a Hall of Fame?
No. The Foundation does not exist to rank people or decide who was “greatest,” “best,” or most deserving of recognition.
7. Does the Foundation claim to have the complete history of Kansas ultrarunning?
No. The objective is an increasingly comprehensive historical record. Gaps, unresolved questions, and missing evidence remain visible as research continues.
8. What does “Preservation before promotion” mean?
Historical value comes first. Material is included because it helps preserve or explain the historical record, not because it promotes a race, person, organization, sponsor, or current project. The Foundation’s credibility is intended to come from evidence and transparent methodology rather than institutional appearance.
2. The Three-Site Historical Ecosystem
9. Why are there three Foundation websites?
Because race history, people history, and the broader historical archive serve different purposes. The sites are separate by function but interconnected through shared historical relationships.
10. What belongs on KansasUltrarunningHistory.org?
The umbrella archive and institutional material: methodology, timelines, organization histories, documents, photographs, firsthand accounts, editorial features, Foundation information, submissions, and this FAQ.
11. What belongs on KansasUltraRaces.com?
Race-centered records: race profiles, editions, dates, formats, results history, director lineage, organizational relationships, and related race data.
12. What belongs on KansasUltraRunners.com?
People-centered records: runner profiles, verified Kansas performance histories, historical roles, and relationships between people and races.
13. What does “one canonical home” mean?
Each historical entity or major piece of information should have one authoritative home. Other pages link to that record rather than creating competing copies.
14. Do cross-site links carry historical meaning?
Yes. A person may connect to a race because they ran it, founded it, directed it, timed it, photographed it, volunteered at it, or held another documented role.
3. Scope and Basic Eligibility
15. What distance counts as an ultramarathon?
A qualifying ultramarathon performance must exceed the standard marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers, or 26 miles 385 yards.
16. Does exactly 42.195 kilometers qualify?
No. The performance must be greater than 42.195 kilometers.
17. What about the common phrase “more than 26.2 miles”?
“26.2 miles” may be used casually, but the exact marathon distance controls Foundation policy.
18. Does a 50K qualify by distance?
Yes.
19. Does a standard marathon qualify?
No.
20. Does every historically interesting long-distance effort become a verified performance?
No. Historical significance and verified database eligibility are separate questions.
21. Can the archive discuss an effort that does not qualify for the database?
Yes. Historically relevant events, efforts, routes, people, or circumstances may be discussed editorially without becoming verified performances.
22. Does being a Kansas resident make all of my ultramarathon results part of the Kansas database?
No. Kansas residency or affiliation alone does not turn an out-of-state performance into a Kansas performance.
4. Timed Events, Relays, Virtual Efforts, and FKTs
23. Does entering a timed event automatically give me an ultramarathon result?
No. In a six-hour, twelve-hour, twenty-four-hour, or similar event, the individual recorded performance must exceed 42.195 kilometers.
24. If I run less than the marathon threshold in a timed event, does it count?
No.
25. If I exceed the threshold in a timed event, can it qualify?
Yes, provided the performance also satisfies the Foundation’s official-result and verification requirements.
26. What about last-person-standing or loop-based events?
Only completed and officially recorded distance is considered. Incomplete distance is not rounded or manufactured upward.
27. Do relay or team performances count as individual ultramarathon finishes?
No.
28. Can relays and team events still be historically documented?
Yes. Exclusion from individual performance totals does not erase historical significance.
29. Do virtual, remote, or self-timed efforts count?
No. They are excluded from the verified performance database.
30. Do Fastest Known Time efforts count?
No. FKTs are excluded from the authoritative results database and from verified runner and race totals.
31. Can an FKT or other personal effort still appear in the historical archive?
Yes, when historically relevant and properly sourced. Editorial treatment does not convert it into a verified race result.
32. Can a Garmin, Strava, Coros, or other personal GPS file establish a verified result by itself?
No. Personal tracking data does not, by itself, establish an authoritative database result.
5. Official, Unofficial, Partial, and Traversing-Kansas Performances
33. Does an unofficial finish count as a qualifying finish?
No.
34. What if the runner physically completed the distance but the authoritative source lists the result as unofficial?
It remains unofficial for verified database purposes.
35. What can cause an unofficial result?
Examples may include missed cutoffs, nonstandard starts, altered or incomplete course participation, or other circumstances in which the event does not recognize the performance as an official finish.
36. Are unofficial finishes included in runner totals, race totals, records, or qualifying history?
No.
37. Can an unofficial completion still be discussed historically?
Yes, when historically significant, provided it is clearly labeled and its provenance is preserved.
38. Do DNFs count as qualifying finishes?
No.
39. What about a race that crosses into or through Kansas?
An organized multistate race may be historically eligible, but only verified Kansas mileage may be treated as Kansas performance mileage.
40. Can the Foundation estimate Kansas mileage or a Kansas-specific time?
No. Kansas-specific mileage or performance information must be supported by authoritative evidence.
41. Can a DNF in a multistate race document Kansas mileage?
Only when authoritative evidence establishes that the runner actually completed the relevant Kansas segment. That does not convert the overall DNF into a finish.
6. Evidence and Verification
42. Where did the Foundation’s historical results data come from?
The Foundation’s baseline results database was assembled from historical data published by DUV Ultra Marathon Statistics, UltraSignup, and Ultrarunning Magazine. Those sources were compared and reconciled into one canonical Foundation database rather than treating any single outside source as automatically controlling. As research continues, stronger or more specific evidence may correct or supplement individual records.
For broader historical verification, the Foundation also uses official race results, timer records, race documents, programs, flyers, course materials, newspapers, magazines, photographs, organizational records, correspondence, published retrospective accounts, and named firsthand recollections.
43. Is there one universal ranking of evidence?
No. Evidence is evaluated according to the claim being made.
44. Are official race results strong evidence?
Yes, particularly for official participation, time, place, and status. They may not be the strongest evidence for course design, ownership, organizational decisions, or other questions.
45. Can newspapers and magazines be used as evidence?
Yes, including publications such as Ultrarunning Magazine, when the publication, date, context, and relevant material can be identified.
46. Can old race programs, entry forms, maps, and official correspondence be used?
Yes. They may establish intended dates, formats, locations, distances, organizers, rules, course information, or other contemporary facts.
47. Can photographs be used as evidence?
Yes, for facts they can reasonably establish, such as presence, signage, conditions, people, or physical context. A photograph does not automatically prove an official finish.
48. Are firsthand memories accepted?
Yes. They are valuable historical evidence but remain recollections unless independently corroborated.
49. Can one source be enough?
Sometimes. An authenticated source directly competent to establish an ordinary fact may be sufficient. Stronger historical claims may require additional corroboration.
50. Why do claims such as “first,” “oldest,” “only,” or “record” receive more scrutiny?
Because they are stronger claims. When evidence does not justify an absolute statement, the Foundation may use qualified language such as “earliest documented through surviving evidence.”
51. What happens when sources disagree?
The Foundation preserves the conflict, evaluates the evidence, and may conclude that one account is better supported. Contrary evidence and provenance are not silently erased.
52. What do Confirmed, Reported, Recalled, Disputed, Unconfirmed, and Unknown mean?
Confirmed means evidence supports stating the claim directly. Reported means an identifiable source has stated it but it may not be independently confirmed. Recalled means it comes from personal memory. Disputed means credible evidence conflicts. Unconfirmed means evidence remains insufficient. Unknown means the Foundation does not currently have enough evidence to answer responsibly.
53. Is “Unknown” considered a failure?
No. Saying “unknown” is preferable to manufacturing certainty.
7. Results, Corrections, and Runner Identity
54. Can I directly edit my runner profile or a race result?
No. Public contribution is not public editing.
55. What should I do if a result is missing or wrong?
Use the Results / Corrections submission pathway and provide appropriate evidence.
56. Can I add a missing result simply by saying that I ran it?
No. A solo personal self-report does not create a verified database result.
57. Can my recollection still be preserved?
Yes. A recollection may be preserved as recollection even when it does not establish an authoritative performance.
58. What if my name is misspelled or appears differently in different sources?
Submit a correction. Name variants, misspellings, and nicknames may be reconciled when the evidence supports the identity.
59. What if two people have the same or similar names?
They should not be merged merely because the names match. Identity decisions require supporting evidence.
60. Does the Foundation preserve source-specific identifiers?
Where useful and available, yes. Source linkage helps preserve traceability.
61. Can an incorrect identity merge be reversed?
Yes. Better evidence should correct the record rather than preserve a known mistake.
62. What happens when a correction is accepted?
The current record is updated and historically material provenance or version information is preserved so the basis for the change remains traceable.
63. Does correcting the archive weaken its credibility?
No. Transparent correction is evidence that the system is functioning as intended.
8. Race, Edition, Role, and Organization History
64. What is the difference between a race and a race edition?
A race is the continuing historical entity. An edition is one occurrence of that race in a particular year or on a particular date.
65. Why does that distinction matter?
Because one race can change directors, organizations, courses, formats, distances, or other characteristics across time.
66. What can a race history include?
Known editions, dates, formats, result coverage, course history, participants, directors, organizational relationships, documents, photographs, sources, historical gaps, and corrections.
67. Can an inactive or discontinued race still have a profile?
Yes.
68. Can the archive distinguish between a race founder, later director, owner, organizer, and supporting organization?
Yes. These are different historical relationships and may be documented separately by time period.
69. Can non-runners have historical person records?
Yes. Race directors, founders, organizers, timers, photographers, officials, volunteers, club leaders, and others may be historically important even if they never completed an ultra.
70. Can organizations that no longer exist still have historical profiles?
Yes.
9. Stories, Photographs, Documents, and Historical Media
71. Can I submit old race photographs?
Yes.
72. What information should accompany a photograph?
As much context as reasonably known: event, date or approximate date, location, people pictured, photographer, provenance, and how the image came into the contributor’s possession.
73. Does every submitted photograph get published?
No. Historical media is curated rather than treated as an unlimited photo dump.
74. What determines whether historical media is published?
Historical value, provenance, context, relevance, quality, duplication, available rights information, and available Foundation resources may all be considered.
75. Can I submit newspaper clippings, magazine material, programs, flyers, newsletters, maps, correspondence, or other historical documents?
Yes.
76. What if I only have a photocopy, scan, photograph of a document, or transcription?
Submit what you have and identify its form. For a transcription, provide what is known about the original and who performed the transcription.
77. Can promotional material have historical value?
Yes. It may document how a race or organization represented itself at the time, but it should be identified as promotional material rather than independent evidence.
78. Can the Foundation link to a larger external photo or document collection?
Yes. Representative material may be preserved in the Foundation archive while broader external collections are linked where appropriate.
79. Can I submit a firsthand story or recollection?
Yes. It may be preserved as a named firsthand account while remaining distinct from independently verified fact.
10. Submissions
80. Where do I submit material?
Through the Foundation’s published submission forms. A public catch-all email address is not used as an alternate submission route.
81. What are the main submission categories?
Results / Corrections; Race & Organization History; Stories / Photos / Historical Media; and General Inquiry.
82. Why are there different submission categories?
Because different types of material require different information and different review standards.
83. Do I have to identify myself?
Yes. The Foundation requires a real name and contact information for internal provenance and follow-up purposes.
84. Can I keep my name private from the public?
Yes. The Foundation can know who submitted material without publicly crediting the contributor.
85. Can I submit completely anonymously?
No.
86. Why does the Foundation require submitter identity?
Because provenance and accountability matter. Knowing where material came from strengthens future research and review.
87. Does submitting material mean it has been accepted or verified?
No. Submission means only that material has been received for possible review.
88. Does submitting something guarantee publication?
No.
89. Does the automated acknowledgment mean the Foundation has reviewed my submission?
No. It confirms receipt only.
90. Am I guaranteed a personal response?
No. Submissions and inquiries are triaged according to relevance, completeness, evidence, published policy, and available capacity.
91. Should I read the Manual and FAQ before submitting a question?
Yes. If the issue is already addressed by published Foundation policy, an individual response may not be provided.
92. What happens to incomplete or unsupported submissions?
They may be held, declined, discarded, or returned for more information depending on the circumstances. Individual follow-up is not guaranteed.
93. Will the Foundation contact a race director, timer, or other third party to prove my claim for me?
Not ordinarily. The submitter carries the burden of providing enough evidence to make the submission reviewable.
94. Can unsupported or noncompliant submissions be closed without further response?
Yes.
95. What happens after a submission is received?
The Foundation may review scope, provenance, evidence, rights information, and related archive records; seek curator review where appropriate; and then accept, hold, request more information, decline, archive, or publish the material.
96. Can material be retained for research even if it is never publicly displayed?
Yes.
97. Can General Inquiry be used to bypass another submission category’s requirements?
No.
98. What if I have a large collection rather than one item?
Use the most appropriate submission pathway and describe the collection clearly, including what it contains and where it came from.
99. What if I have physical historical material?
Indicate that through the submission process. Physical originals are handled only by prior arrangement.
100. Should I mail physical originals without contacting the Foundation first?
No.
11. Contributors and Curators
101. What is a contributor?
A contributor supplies historical material, evidence, corrections, photographs, documents, recollections, or research leads.
102. What is a curator?
A curator actively assists the Foundation with historical research, source evaluation, transcription, identification, organization, verification, or contextualization.
103. How does someone become a curator?
The Foundation may require a short practical verification process demonstrating the ability to assist responsibly with historical work.
104. Can curators edit or publish whatever they want?
No. Curator status does not create unilateral editorial authority.
105. Is a curator the same thing as an Advisory Council member or Board member?
No. Contributor, curator, advisor, and director are separate roles with different responsibilities.
12. Editorial Standards and Living People
106. Does a living person get to approve or veto their Foundation profile?
No.
107. Can a living person submit corrections?
Yes. Evidence-based corrections are welcomed and evaluated under the same methodology as other corrections.
108. If I submit a recollection or story, am I guaranteed a second approval round before it is published?
No. Submission places the material into the Foundation’s editorial and historical-review process.
109. Can the Foundation change the meaning of what I submitted?
It should not fabricate or materially misrepresent a submission. It may edit, excerpt, contextualize, or compare the material with other evidence.
110. Does a race director, runner, founder, curator, or Foundation officer’s recollection automatically become confirmed fact?
No. Personal involvement may make the recollection valuable, but it does not change the evidentiary category.
111. Does the Foundation use unsupported language such as “greatest runner” or “most legendary race”?
Not as an institutional conclusion. Subjective characterizations should be attributed or avoided.
112. Can the Foundation decide that one historical account is better supported than another?
Yes. Historical judgment is allowed. Silent erasure of conflicting evidence is not.
13. Governance, Advisors, and Editorial Independence
113. Who governs the Foundation?
The legal Board of Directors retains corporate and fiduciary authority.
114. What is the Founding Historical Advisory Council?
It is an advisory body intended to provide historical knowledge, perspective, source leads, judgment, and constructive challenge.
115. Do Advisory Council members govern the Foundation, vote on routine operations, raise money, or endorse every Foundation conclusion?
No. The Council is advisory rather than governing, and participation does not require fundraising or agreement with individual historical conclusions.
116. Can donors, sponsors, partners, race organizations, or vendors influence historical conclusions?
No. Financial or operational support does not purchase favorable treatment, database inclusion, editorial approval, or suppression of conflicting evidence.
117. Does Epic Ultras receive special treatment because of its relationship to the Foundation?
No.
118. Can the founder’s or an affiliated organization’s history still be documented?
Yes. Historically relevant involvement should neither be promoted beyond the evidence nor artificially suppressed.
119. Does nonprofit status make a historical claim true?
No. Historical authority comes from evidence, methodology, transparency, and correction, not tax status.
14. Attribution, Rights, Privacy, and Physical Materials
120. If I submit something, do I have to receive public credit?
No. Public attribution may be declined even though the Foundation retains the submitter’s identity internally.
121. Will my contact information automatically be published?
No.
122. Can I submit historical material that I did not personally create, such as a newspaper clipping, magazine page, or old result sheet?
Yes. Provide as much source and provenance information as possible.
123. Does submitting an item mean the Foundation will reproduce the entire item publicly?
No. Research retention and public display are separate questions.
124. What happens if public reproduction rights are unclear?
The Foundation may retain and use the material for historical research while withholding public reproduction when appropriate.
125. How are physical originals handled?
Only by prior arrangement. Custody, scanning, borrowing, return, donation, or retention terms should be established before physical material is transferred.