Yawn. Can I have a t-shirt? You want a soccer league participation trophy too?
You cats can go figure out and organize your own event and route and awards etc.
Richard will come back with a really polite reply but what he wants you to know is how much dang work goes into these events. You. Have. No. Idea. We should all be glad he continues to toil in the background to make these rides happen - nobody else would do it. Certainly not the critics.
The route: An approximate 200 mile challenging route in Big Bend with a gas stop that can be efficiently swept and has opt-out options to pavement, well, there ain't a lot of huge loop options out there. And it's only once per year (as long as Richard continues to do it). And to the newbies, its a fresh challenge to begin with.
Sorry. To carp about the route and the award here in the planning thread - take it up with Richard via PM, and when you do, thank him for busting his cojones to make your little ride happen.