Rim Rock Farm By: Maggie Murphy
Rim Rock Farm is a beautiful piece of land with an amazing history.
The property is nestled within the rolling hills just Northwest of Lawrence, Kansas.
Prior to its Cross Country history, the land was heavily wooded farmland, and still features a cemetery with tombstones dating back to the 1800's.
Bob Timmons, KU's Cross Country Coach from 1966 to 1988 envisioned more for the property than to just be a beautiful piece of land. He bought the property in the early 1970s and, with the help of many volunteers and athletes, turned the land into what it is today.
Instead of running on borrowed pieces of land or golf courses, Cross Country now has a permanent home here in Northeast Kansas.
Rim Rock Farm is the home of the Kansas Jayhawks, along with Lawrence area high school teams and the KHSAA State Cross Country Championships.
It also now features eight ponds, two covered bridges, as well as names for every trail, bridge, and pond.
Rim Rock also has another unique and cool feature: large metal silhouettes of eight famous KU runners, including Olympian Billy Mills and legends Jim Ryun and John Lawson.
After retiring from coaching in 1988, Timmons stayed as the course's caretaker, living in the comfortable cabin on the top of the hill in the heart of Rim Rock. In 2005, Timmons officially donated the course's 100 acres to The University of Kansas.
Part of Timmons dream was for this property to become the home of the KU Cross Country team. And quite literally, it has become the home of one of its members, my uncle, Steve Heffernan.
My Uncle Steve ran for KU from 1987 to 1990, competing in Cross Country and Track and Field. My Aunt Andrea, my mom's sister, competed in Track & Field from 1984- 1988. They met because of running at KU, and that connection has continued through their lives and connected their family.
My Aunt Andrea, Uncle Steve, and two cousins Owen and Eli have lived on the property since 2005. My uncle, along with being an assistant principal and head Cross Country coach at Lawrence Free State High School, is the property manager of Rim Rock Farm for the University of Kansas.
Before Timmons’ death in 2015, he would regularly visit the farm, and he was proud of what the property has become.
His legacy lives on at the property, with a larger-than-life silhouette of him nestled within the hills of the course near the finish line, watching all of the runners finish their race, and of course, keeping track of their times.
This piece of land is special to my family. We enjoy many family gatherings and holidays at "The Farm" along with the joy and excitement of race days in the fall.