March 23, 2009
Rock/Creek Race Team Members & Race Included on 2008 Ultra List
The Ultra List, compiled by Ultrarunning Magazine, includes two Rock/Creek Race Team Members this year. The list highlights the fastest 100 times from each distance, from 50k up to 100 milers. John Brower, one of our newest team members, made the list as the 65th fastest 50 mile time at 6:51. He won the Mississippi 50. In fact, he won that race again this year, as we reported earlier, so we anticipate he will show up on the list again next year.
Kris Whorton made the 100 mile list twice, in #40 for her Vermont run at 22:32, and again for Pinhoti at #66 with a time of 23:25. Awesome job Kris & John!
Also, the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k made the list as the 10th biggest 50k in North America, with 198 finishers.
Ultrarunning continues to grow as a sport. Rock/Creek added several new ultra-distance trail runs this year, most notably the Lookout Mountain 100k, which will take place again in 2009. Here are some interesting facts from the 2008 ultrarunning season:
503 North American ultra distance races
30,789 finishes by 17,139 individuals (20% growth over 2007)
The race distances break down as follows:
45% of the finishers were 50K races
26% 50 mile
9% 100 mile
3% 100K
The rest were non-standard distances
2,592 of the finishers last year were 100 mile finishers, up by 50% over 2007 and that is without the largest 100 miler (Western States) which was canceled due to fires.
84% of all finishers were on dirt, the rest were hybrid, road or track.
Also of note, the fastest 100 mile time in the world last year was 13:27 by the Greek legond Yiannis Kouros who is 52 years old and the holder of 134 world distance running records. The second fastest time was an hour back. So if you've been thinking about picking up a new sport, it'll take a couple years, but if you're healthy, you're probably not too old to start! Read our article on making the Rock/Creek StumpJump your first 50k and start training today!
Posted by Mark McKnight at 11:24 AM | Comments (0)
January 8, 2009
Rock/Creek Donates $2,000 to Signal Mountain Cross Country Team
Today Rock/Creek announces a $2,000 donation to Signal Mountain High School's Cross Country team. The donation came from money raised at the 7th Annual Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k Trail Race, which took place the first weekend of October. The money will be used to purchase timing equipment for the team, which will in turn allow the school to host events on the trails adjacent to their property. "The beautiful surroundings on Signal Mountain will truly be showcased by opportunities provided by Rock/Creek, and we look forward to hosting races and having more student participation as excitement about our program continues to grow," explains school principal Eddie Gravitte.
The StumpJump race raised a total of $9,000, with $3,500 going to the Cumberland Trail Conference (CTC), $3,500 to the Wilderness Trail Running Association (The Boonies), and the remainder for this gift. The CTC administers and has constructed the Cumberland Trial, which runs right behind the High School. The Boonies helps facilitate the Rock/Creek Trail Series races through volunteer work as well as trail building and maintenance. The StumpJump takes place on the trail, starting and finishing at the new High School. In addition, the Cross Country team uses the trails for training. These three groups have formed a healthy partnership that ensures the vitality of trails on Signal Mountain and elsewhere.
Rock/Creek also has provided sponsorship throughout this inaugural season. As Les Hegwood, the team's coach, explains, "Rock/Creek and our team have formed a tight partnership in which the kids on my team have been outfitted from head to toe with some of the greatest technical trail running apparel around. They have assisted in hosting the StumpJump 50K, a race included in the Rock/Creek Trail Series, and will have the finest racing clock and timing equipment around all because of the generous monetary gifts from Rock/Creek." Rock/Creek provided wicking technical t-shirts from Mountain Hardwear, along with running hats and visors for the team.
The cross country program has seen a strong start in its inaugural year. Hegwood elaborates: "As I reflect on our inaugral cross country season in which the boys earned a trip to the state meet- having finished as runners up in the region- one phrase comes to mind: 'taking off.' I saw the kids surpass personal best after personal best and really come into their own as runners this season. Without the support of Rock/Creek and the great people associated with the team, our season would not have been half the success it was."
Dawson Wheeler, co-owner of Rock/Creek and a Baylor graduate, presented the $2,000 check to Hegwood, and shared his enthusiasm for the High School: "Although I went to Baylor and this is a brand new school, I'm thrilled to support these guys because they're my neighbors and they're doing so much to raise the profile of Signal Mountain's wild spaces. Tennessee ranks #44 in spending on education, and as obesity and poor health are on the rise, it's becoming increasingly important to include outdoor recreation as a part of public education. Public-private partnerships are a proven way to help increase the quality of education for our youth."
Whorton echoed the enthusiasm of Wheeler and Hegwood, pointing to the difficulty of the trails on Signal Mountain as a factor in the team's success: "By training on these challenging and beautiful trails, these runners are building a strong base that will allow them to compete with the best runners in the state. I think Signal Mountain High School will quickly earn a reputation for being a very tough team to beat, and once we complete their course, only the bravest high schools will show up for meets here."
For more information on Signal Mountain High School:
http://www.signalmountainhighschool.com/
For more information on the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k:
http://www.rockcreek.com/stumpjump/
About Rock/Creek:
Rock/Creek, member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, is an independent specialty outdoor retailer with over two decades of experience in the Southeast. Along with its online shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, Rock/Creek provides quality outdoor clothing and gear for a host of activities including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, and adventure racing. Rock/Creek is committed to enacting positive change in the community and for our environment. For this reason, it uses outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve public access to the backcountry. Rock/Creek supports worthy nonprofits such as the Southeastern Climbers' Coalition and the Wilderness Trail Running Association.
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Posted by Mark McKnight at 1:48 PM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2008
$9,000 Raised for Trails at 2008 Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k
Locally-owned outdoor retailer Rock/Creek makes $9,000 donation for trails from the 8th Annual Rock/Creek StumpJump, a 50k and 11 mile trail running race that took place on the Cumberland Trail in Signal Mountain, Tennessee.
October 9, 2008 (Chattanooga, TN) - Rock/Creek today announces a $9,000 donation for trails. The Chattanooga-based retailer raised the money at the 8th Annual Rock/Creek StumpJump this past weekend. $3,500 will go to the Cumberland Trail Conference (CTC) for their ongoing work on the 300-plus-mile long Cumberland Trail. The Trail, still under construction, stretches across the state of Tennessee from Chattanooga to Cumberland Gap.
Another $3,500 will go to The Wilderness Trail Running Association (The Boonies). Their mission is to promote trail running as a cornerstone to optimum health and as an avenue to adventure by focusing on expanding trail access, building new trails, maintaining existing trails, and organizing great trail races. The remaining $2,000 will go to the new Signal Mountain High School Cross Country team for work on their cross country course, which Boonies members will help construct.
The Rock/Creek StumpJump has become one of the largest ultramarathon-distance races in the country. This year's race took place on Saturday, October 4, 2008. Over 200 runners finished the 50k and 170 finished the 11 mile race. Runners came from across the country and the world, with runners representing 25 of the 50 states as well as Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Canada.
"Once again we had a great race" said Dawson Wheeler, Signal Mountain resident and co-owner of Rock/Creek: "We were able to raise significant funds this year and we look forward to building many miles of new trails. We could not have had this level of success without generous donations from our sponsors and the hundreds of volunteer hours contributed to the race."
Rock/Creek Race Team members fared well in the 50k race, with team members taking several top spots: John Anderson from Boulder, CO (originally of Signal Mountain) won first place in the 50k. Michael Green came in second. Jaclyn Greenhill won the women's division.
Other top finishers: Kevin Johnson of Ogden, UT finished third; Ryan Mittwede from Ridgeland, MS finished fourth. In the women's division, Abby Zeveloff from Carrboro, NC came in second, Lisa Purul from Panama City Beach, FL took third. Liz Lee of Knoxville, TN took fourth. Masters winners were: Phil Canning of Atlanta, GA; John Cobbs of Birmingham, AL; Tom Remaley of Cosby, TN; Marty Coleman of Marietta, GA.
Rock/Creek employee Deb Jones took first in the female division of the 11 mile race. Race team member Cathi Cannon took fourth.
Other 11 mile finishers included: Mark Lundblad of Swannanoa, NC (Team Inov8) took first. Tom Borschel from Idaho Falls, ID (Team LaSportiva) took second. Third went to local Sam Linhoss. Fourth, Jim Wueste from Atlanta, GA. Casey Malone of Memphis, TN came in as second place female. Lucie Becus from Cincinnati, OH took third.
Before the race, on Friday, October 3, Rock/Creek hosted the general public for a Vendor Fair and served 400 racers and family members for a catered carbo supper at their new store at Two North Shore on Manufacturers' Road. This family-friendly event showcased the race's sponsors and also served as a packet pick-up for racers. In addition, Dr. Charley Cropley from Boulder, Colorado gave a talk on natural foods and healthy nutrition for endurance activities.
Also on Friday live seamstresses worked to turn customers' old cotton t-shirts into sustainable shopping bags through the Icebreaker and Rock/Creek Bagging Cotton program. The promotion continues through the end of the month. Customers are invited to bring their old cotton t-shirts into Rock/Creek's Two North Shore location now through October 31st. Rock/Creek will transform the tee into a reusable shopping bag and customers will receive $10 off an Icebreaker pure merino top of their choice. For more details visit http://www.rockcreek.com/icebreaker/baggingcotton.asp
Sponsors of the race include SmartWool, Mountain Hardwear, Salomon, Hammer Nutrition, La Sportiva, The North Face, Greenlife Grocery, Vasque, Deuter, KEEN, CamelBak, Southern Spring Water, Inov8 and Trail Runner Magazine. Next year's event will take place on October 3, 2009.
Photography available to the media by request.
For registration information, results and photography, please visit http://www.rockcreek.com/stumpjump/
About Rock/Creek:
Rock/Creek, member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, is an independent specialty outdoor retailer with over two decades of experience in the Southeast. Along with its online shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, Rock/Creek provides quality outdoor clothing and gear for a host of activities including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, and adventure racing. Rock/Creek is committed to enacting positive change in the community and for our environment. For this reason, it uses outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve public access to the backcountry. Rock/Creek supports worthy nonprofits such as the Southeastern Climbers' Coalition and the Wilderness Trail Running Association.
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Posted by Mark McKnight at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)
