Stone Mill 50 Mile Run

Written by Dima
Last Saturday, November 17th me and Robin together with 350 runners participated in 50 miles trail run in Montgomery county. Robin is long time ultra runner, while for me it was the first ever ultra. The course went through parks of Montgomery county from east of route 355 in Gaithersburg along Muddy Brunch and Seneca Creek all the way to Potomac River and back. Most of the time we ran on newly created mountain bike trails, thanks to MORE. Exact distance was 51.02 and despite general flatness of the area total elevation gain was more than 5000 feet.

The race started before sunrise at 6 am. My goal was to finish before sunset and for the first 35 miles I was following Robin at better than 10 minutes per mile pace. Somewhere at mile 36 my body decided that it enough for today and I had really hard time to override stupid brain systems that tried to shut down my legs. As the result my overall pace fall well below 11 minutes per mile, but i finished before the dark in 9 hours and 45 minutes. Robin beat me by more than 10 minutes. Overall I finished in 70th that is not bad for the first ultra.

Calleva Race Video and Markoff’s Haunted Forest Update

Greetings racers.
Fall is here and cold weather erases memories of hot and humid Calleva Race day. Here is short reminder of 10 hours of running, biking and paddling you had this summer. Good way to feel the excitement once again and to get ready for the next year race. Mark your calendar for August 4th, 2013. We are already in full swing of preparations for the next year.



Meanwhile, if you want to get warm in this cold weather, the famous Markoff’s Haunted Forest is open. Some of you had been brave enough to punch the aqueduct CP at this year race, have won free Haunted Forest tickets. Now it’s the time to use them. The Forest is open every weekend in October.



Come in costume and join the walkers as they invade our farm & forest... nightly prizes go to the best dressed... remember this is also a prom! Zombie’s prom ...

Krista Griesacker Memorial Adventure Race

Written by Nick Josties The 9th annual Krista Griesacker Memorial Adventure Race was held this year on July 28, 2012 at its customary site, the Civil Air Patrol Search and Rescue School near Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by GOALS ARA (Gibbons Outdoor Adventure Leadership School: Adventure Racing Association), this race is a fundraising event designed as a memorial to Krista Griesacker, who spent many years training and instructing at the volunteer School. Proceeds from the race benefit the School, which is a volunteer search-and-rescue training school. The Civil Air Patrol is an auxiliary service of the U.S. Air Force that provides aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services nationwide and flies more than 85% of all federal inland search and rescue missions directed by the Air Force.

This year's race featured approximately 50 total miles of canoeing, mountain and road biking, trekking, orienteering, and a ropes / obstacle course, all to be completed in under 12 hours. Eighty seven racers on thirty five teams competed for pride and prizes on rugged terrain with plenty of elevation change and spectacular scenery. The race was extremely well-organized and run, with no shortage of volunteer support and encouragement for racers at checkpoints and transition areas.

The race began with a quiz. Each team provided one team member who had to answer a series of emergency and first-aid related questions by running back and forth between two tables, one containing the questions, the other containing information with the answers. Answers were presented in writing to volunteers who would only say the number of incorrect answers, but provide no additional help. After getting "no wrong answers", the team was given their passports and released into the Schuylkill River near Landingville for the canoeing section. After 3 checkpoints on the water and about 3 hours of canoeing, including a dam portage, teams transitioned to bikes for a long trail climb to a ridgeline, then along the ridgeline to the second transition to the first o-course in the Weiser State Forest. This o-course took the racers to the bottom of the valley again, then back to the top of the ridge in a grueling bushwack climb. Completing the first o-course, racers transitioned back to bikes for a ride that included gravel roads, paved roads, the paved rail-trail, and some bike-whacking, taking the racers into the next valley near Hamburg and crossing the Schuylkill River before reaching the last transition area at Hamburg Reservoir. From this last TA, racers had to complete a second o-course, including a climb to Pulpit Rock, and then find their way back to the Civil Air Patrol school. But we weren't done yet. At the CAP base, racers had to complete a ropes course and an obstacle course. The ropes course included 50-foot vertical rope ascent of a tower, then a rappel back down. The obstacle course included rope and wall climbs, water jumps, monkey bars, and pipe crawls before finally reaching the finish line.

Two teams dominated the course, finishing four minutes apart and about 1.5 hours ahead of the next group of finishers. Team Calleva cleared all checkpoints on the course, placing 6th overall and 1st in the Masters category with a time of 10:48.

This was an excellent short-distance race, with a great mix of mandatory and optional checkpoints, located to provide interesting choices and opportunities for clever teams to take advantage. The organization and execution by race directors Bill and Anne Gibbons and the huge volunteer staff was superb. I would recommend this race to experienced racers interested in honing their strategic skills and beginning racers looking for a taste of what a longer race will offer.