December 21, 2008

Lookout Mountain 100k & 10k Results

It was a harrowing day full of rain, challenging creek crossings, and brutal climbs on Lookout Mountain for yesterday's 100k & 10k race. We'll have more for you soon, including full race results and photography, but I wanted to go ahead and update everyone on the results.

Click here for 100k results >
Click here for 10k results >

Keep an eye on the Lookout Mountain 100k web page for more information, and I'll post more here on the blog as well as it becomes available. Happy Holidays!

Posted by Mark McKnight at 3:56 PM | Comments (0)

December 16, 2008

Rock/Creek Hosts Longest Trail Race in Chattanooga History on Saturday

Rock/Creek and The Wilderness Trail Running Association (The Boonies) have planned the longest trail running race in Chattanooga history. The Lookout Mountain 100k will take place for the first time on December 20th, 2008. The foot race will cross several different properties in Tennessee and Georgia, and much of the race takes place on newly constructed trails. There will also be a 10k option.

Randy Whorton, president of The Boonies, describes the historic significance of the Lookout 100k: "This race represents a milestone in Chattanooga's history, not only because it's the longest race to ever take place here, but also due to the nature of the trails. We've built many of these trails this year with the help of countless volunteers and money from Rock/Creek and other sponsors, and those trails traverse several different properties in two states."

"Some of the properties are public land held through various park services, others are private lands held in trusts and by single landowners. It's a testament to the cooperative spirit of Chattanoogans that we were able to negotiate the use of all these different lands. That was definitely the biggest challenge we faced in organizing this race." Whorton thanked all of the parties involved, including land owners, property managers, and the volunteers who have helped construct the various trails over the last year.

The Lookout race will be the last of the 9 races in the inaugural Rock/Creek Trail Series. Previous races in the series include established races such as the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k as well as new races like the Greenway 5 Miler. "I'm excited about this race," says Mark McKnight, Rock/Creek's Marketing Director. "The StumpJump has risen to national prominence as one of the best 50k trail races, and we plan to make the Lookout 100k just as successful in its category. It took eight years from the small grassroots race that Matt Sims started, but we've grown it to the point where we had a cap of 500 runners and raised $9,000 for trail work and access in Chattanooga. I don't see any reason why the 100k won't be to that level in a similar time frame."

Rock/Creek co-owner Dawson Wheeler, a Signal Mountain native, has been involved with the project for about a year. "I see this race as an opportunity to introduce trail runners from across the country to the beautiful topography we have here in Chattanooga," Wheeler explains. "Within a few minutes of downtown, you have beautiful vistas and challenging trail conditions. Stream crossings, unique rock formations, what else could you want?" Wheeler also expressed his appreciation for the volunteers and sponsors who make races such as the 100k possible. The race will have an 18 hour cutoff, so multiple shifts of volunteers will be needed and the key volunteers will put in a very long day of service to these runners.

Over the last few weekends, Dawson Wheeler, the Whortons, and a handful of other volunteers began construction of a staircase that will help stop erosion and provide access to part of the trail near the historic Cravens House property. The trail building crews have included members of The Boonies, The American Hiking Society and the Rock/Creek Race Team. Upon completion of this last key improvement, the trail will be ready for runners.

The race was first conceived by Randy and Kris Whorton, avid distance runners who wanted to provide more opportunity for ultrarunners to experience the beautiful and varied terrain around Chattanooga. They brought the idea to the board of The Boonies, and Rock/Creek agreed to commit to funding the necessary trail work with proceeds from other races in the Trail Series. The Whortons are serving as the race directors.

Day-of registration will be available for the 10k only. 100k registration is closed. The race is part of Vasque's North American Trail Tour and is also sponsored by Rock/Creek, Mountain Hardwear, SmartWool, and Hammer Nutrition.

The race starts and finishes at Lula Lake Land Trust on Lookout Mountain. Runners will leave the Land Trust and run a lollipop of 38.3 miles to Covenant College, the Lookout Mountain National Battlefield Park and Reflection Riding Center and then return to Lula Lake Land Trust the same way they went out. This section includes Lookout Mountain Conservancy land on the Guild and Hardy trails. Once back in the Land Trust, runners will traverse land trust trails, and private property to Long Branch, High Point and Lula Lake Road. Runners will turn around at the aid station at Lula Lake Road and head back on the connector trail, staying on the connector and bypassing High Point. Runners will enter Long Branch Preserve and run back to Lula Lake Land Trust the way they went out. The second portion of the course is 23.44 miles.

For registration information, results and photography, visit http://www.rockcreek.com/lookout/
Full series information available at http://www.rockcreek.com/trailseries/

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 3:08 PM | Comments (0)

December 10, 2008

New Sustainable Shoe Company Pushes the END-velope

Rock/Creek announces that it is one of the first retailers in the country to carry END outdoor, a new line of performance footwear dedicated to minimizing the environmental footprint of shoe manufacturing. Unlike many other footwear companies, END has chosen to rework the design process by focusing on ways to reduce material use while continuing to get the high performance that athletes need. The designs go back to the basics, questioning all unnecessary complexity, which leads to less weight, less complicated seams that can eventually fail, and less glue that has to be used.

END's leading model is the Stumptown, with light hiking and trail running versions. Amazingly light at 8.5, 10, or 12 ounces, these running shoes are some of the lightest on the market. They also have some great sandals.

END just put out a new video on facebook where they go through the factory in China and spell out exactly what they've done to help reduce impact.

Shop for END running shoes, hiking shoes, and sandals at Rock/Creek >

Posted by bradmcallister at 2:39 PM | Comments (0)

December 9, 2008

Race Team Report: Pinhoti 100 Mile Trail Run

Rock/Creek's sponsored athletes Randy & Kris Whorton went down to Alabama a few weeks ago to run the inaugural Pinhoti Trail 100. Here's what the race Web site has to say about the course:

Randy gives us this report:

The race provided both both ends of the "fun" scale. It really sucked because I had to drop out at 27. My ankle just had not healed enough. I sure wish I could have run this one, I think I am in good shape and the race was on a magnificent north to south point to point single track trail on a range between Atlanta and Birmingham.

This is a true wilderness trail and the leaves were in perfect fall colors. Shit! I just get sick thinking about haw great it would have been. Now for the other end of the "fun" scale. I convinced Kris to continue without me at mile 20, at that point we were in 13th place and Kris was the 3rd woman. She was not happy about parting and for the next 10 miles or so she was planning on dropping at 50K.

She made the right decision to run it. Kris continued to pass other runners all through the night and finished strong and happy in 23:23, winning the woman's division and smashing the old course record; she placed 6th or 7th overall. The trail was quite overgrown and Kris shredded her legs but no other injuries reported, other than the normal blister or two. She is walking around today like she sat on the beach all weekend, but I believe that she will be taking it easy for the next few weeks and she certainly will be keeping her legs covered for a while.

Check out the Rock/Creek Trail Series for more great trail running races >

Check out our Trail Running Gear Guide at Rock/Creek >

Posted by Mark McKnight at 10:58 AM | Comments (1)

November 24, 2008

Upchuck 50k Report from the Race Director

Race directors: Matt Sims and Chad Wamack
Written by: Chad Wamack

This year was the first official Upchuck 50k on the Cumberland Trail in Chattanooga, TN. The previous two years the event was more of a group run with a very light turn out, namely Matt Sims and I. The word has spread about the Cumberland Trail and this year we had 25 people toe the line. The entry field included racers from seven different states and a good mix of locals. The point to point race as advertised was basically unsupported and marked with the existing blazes.

There were two check-in stations at mile 8 and 18 and a convenience store where racers could fuel up and discuss the disappointing Tennessee football season with the locals. (A couple of years ago Matt and I stopped in and I ate way too much and hence the name Upchuck.) The previous runs on the Upchuck course have been run South to North but due to logistical difficulties we changed the direction. The 2008 Upchuck course started to the North on the Rock Creek segment and traveled south for 31.6 miles through the Possum Creek and Soddy segments of the Cumberland Trail.

The morning of the race everyone met at the finish area at the base of the mountain and boarded the "Magic Bus" to the start. The bus ride was filled with nervous energy like the first day of school. The previous two days had dropped two inches of rain which brought down the brightly colored leaves and had caused the creeks to swell, making the course even more technical. When the race started and everyone headed up the mountain, it started to rain again. The weather proved to fluctuate as much as the elevation going from rain to sun to sleet. The high for the day was 50 degrees at 7 am and by the finish it was in the 30's.

The Cumberland Trail Conference recently finished construction on two new bridges at Rock Creek and Big Possum Creek. The runners were spared these creek crossings but the remaining 6 creek crossing added a lot of character to the course. The last 5 miles of the course goes right through the Deep Creek Gorge, a course that highlights the effects of the controversial surface rock mining that has devastated the Cumberland Plateau.

The winner was our own John Wiygul of Chattanooga, with a time of 5:25:29. John Brower of Jackson, MS gave him all he could handle and was just 2 seconds back. Natalie Sims, also of Chattanooga, brought in the Women's best time at 6:52:38.

Many thanks to the volunteers and rangers who braved the weather and helped to make the event possible. Rock/Creek once again came up big. This locally-owned retailer's support really made this race a reality. Other important sponsors were: SmartWool, Mountain Hardwear, and Hammer Nutrition. The Cumberland Trail is an incredible trail network that we are all very fortunate to have. The race is the second to last race in the Rock/Creek Trail Series. The Lookout Mountain 100k & 10k will close out the season on Lookout Mountain in Tennessee and Georgia. For more information on these races, visit http://www.rockcreek.com/trailseries/

For more information on the Upchuck 50k Trail Race, including links to race results and photography, visit http://www.rockcreek.com/upchuck/

Also be sure to check out our friend Dreama Campbell's race report on her blog, "Dreama Campbell ... Life after Ironman #2"

Here she talks about those notorious creek crossings:

Then came a series of creek crossings that I knew would leave my shoes and socks soaking wet! Argh.... I had to toughen up and take the plunge. The first one was ankle deep. The second one was calf deep. The third one was knee deep and in order not to fall further in I had to put my arms in up to my elbows! After that nasty crossing.... I had to regroup on the other side as I seriously thought to myself "Oh my god.... I'm going to get hypothermia!". I was shaking and downright COLD. Fortunately... I had stashed a vest and Smartwool gloves in my pack and I took a minute to put these items on. Thankfully the extra clothing helped warm me up and I was able to slowly press forward. The last creek crossing had a rope to help guide you across.... I did not get wet anywhere above the ankle there. [Continued]

Posted by Mark McKnight at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)

November 21, 2008

Upchuck 50k Trail Race Report & Photos

John Wiygul and John Brower fought hard for the win at this past weekend's Upchuck 50k. Wiygul, from Chattanooga, came in seconds before Brower, a former Chattanoogan living in Jackson, MS. Wiygul captured first after almost five and a half hours of tough trail running. Stephen Smith of Chattanooga took third. Wiygul has raced many of our trail races and will be joining the Rock/Creek race team for 2009.

This first annual (official) Upchuck 50k took place on the Cumberland Trail and was presented by Rock/Creek and The Boonies. We had 23 finishers on this rather difficult course; the cold temperatures and off-and-on rain certainly contributed to the difficulty of the course. Several stream crossings ensured that the runners were going to be wet even before the rain.

Mark took a few photos from the finish line >
Robert took photos on the trail >

See full race results online >

We'll have a full race report from Chad Wamack in the next couple days, but in the mean time I thought I'd share Matt Sims' recollections of the first (much less official) Upchuck:

History of the Upchuck 50k (as told by Matt Sims)
Chad and I run together all the time. I am well aware of his dietary habits, running pace, what he likes to talk about when he runs, etc. This particular day we headed out to run 36 miles of the continuous Cumberland Trail segment that has recently been completed outside the Chattanooga area.

We did the normal car drop off at the "take out", and then shuttled the car a LONG way to the beginning of what would be a very memorable trail for us both. Chad likes to plan the route and is very methodical in what he might need. Lucky for me really, because I am not a good planner and I typically rely on Chad to figure it all out. We decided to run South to North, which now the official Upchuck 50k course runs North to South.

I won't bore you with the detail of the actual trail description and what we saw and how we felt and how many times I stopped to pee, etc. I will simply say, the Cumberland Trail is ridiculously well done. We are really fortunate to have the trail system and to have such a thoughtful group of planners and volunteers to make it happen.

I have gone through times of being very disciplined with what I eat and what I drink. I don't typically get caught up in all the fancy powders that are available today, although certainly I should because I bet I would be a real superstar runner. We do have a couple of really incredible runners in town and they are fanatic about Heed, an electrolyte replacement drink. They put the "hard sell" on Chad and I think Chad bought a couple of gallons of this stuff and probably stock in the company at the same time. So there we are running along with hydration packs. Mine was filled with water and Chad's was filled with Heed. Keep in mind this was the first time he had really used it, which typically isn't the best idea when you are pretty much committing to an all day run. But, oh well. Chad knows what he's doing.

We get about 18 miles into the run when we cross the Hwy 111, Jones Gap Road Crossing. This is unfortunate in some ways because you actually have to run on a bit of pavement to join the next trail segment, but in doing so you run right by a convenient store. Chad and I stopped in there to re-fuel and talk about Nascar with some of the locals.

Chad comes out of the store with a Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Water, Snickers, Cheese Crackers and a Fig Newton. I remember observing his carefully planned out purchase, and I have to admit I was a little jealous. Chad has a "go big or go home" approach to things, so I just figured he would carry what he didn't eat in his pack and eat it as we go. I was wrong. Chad dug in to what I comically refer to as "the last supper".

Off we go and off go the wheels. It took about 3 minutes of running before I heard Chad say, "I don't feel so good". I proceeded to turn around and see this bloated bellied figure start puking all over the place. I ran ahead so I didn't start puking myself. For the next 10+ miles Chad would puke occasionally and then start running again, all the while that Heed was keeping him company.

All in all I had a great run and Chad had a terrible one. It's funny now and I think he thinks so too. Just remember not to get carried away this year at the Jones Gap Road Convenience store.

Learn more about the Upchuck 50k >

Posted by Mark McKnight at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2008

Race Team Report from Two Lakes Trail Run

Rock/Creek Race Team member Jamie Dial gives us a quick report from the Two Lakes Trail Run in Nashville, TN. Jamie took fourth place and his wife Wendi Parker-Dial won the women's division.

On Saturday, Wendi and I went to Montgomery Bell State Park for the 1st race in the Tennessee State Parks Running Tour. In its second year, the Trail race had another good turnout with 129 runners in the mix. Race Director Dr. John Spencer in Dickson TN did an excellent job and the staff at MBSP really do a great job maintaining the trails.

On to the race....

I knew it was to be a tough day as Wendi and I ran our warm up, my heart rate was abnormally high. I thought it would settle down, but a few miles into the event my worries were a reality. I never could get into a rhythm and my HR was sky high throughout the entire race. After 2 miles or so the leaders were out of sight and I settled into a semi comfortable place, doing my best to pick off those who were shelled from the front. The 7.6 mile course is not flat (it was actually pretty challenging!) and on the 7th and final climb of the day, I was relegated to a slow walk. I thought my heart was going to explode. This is how the entire day was... Crawl up the hills and blast the downs. My La Sportiva Crosslite trail running shoes allowed me to really cut loose on the down hills with total confidence. On the off cambered terrain and tight turns, I never once felt like I was slipping. The tread on these shoes are amazing. Anyhow, back to the finish- Nearing the end I was caught by a fella who was a little hungrier than me that day and I let him by for the final podium spot. In the end, I was 4th place.

In the womens race, it was a different story. 17 year old High School Senior Brooke Earhart took the race out fast and soon Wendi and local favorite Tonya Lumphreys were fighting for 2nd. Around mile 2 Wendi caught up with local trail runner Johhny Pryor who bridged Wendi up to Brooke. Once contact was made, the race was on. Brooke and Wendi would continue swapping leads all the way to the end. With about 1 mile to go, Wendi knew she had to make a move, so she hammered the final descent only to have Brooke hang on like a warrior. Once back to the campground Wendi found an extra gear and beat her back to the finish to get 11th overall and take the Women's win.

It was nice to actually run a local trail race instead of having to travel so far. Lots of folks asked about Rock Creek and we were able to pass on a little history about the shop and their events. Thanks for the continued support.

Full results are posted on the Nashville Striders site >
The Tennessee State Parks' Running Tour information is posted at state.tn.us >
Photography from the race on Picasa >

Posted by Mark McKnight at 3:29 PM | Comments (0)