Tuesday, May 17, 2016

A Punishing Race: Ridgway rocks for 20-mile dash

http://www.thecourierexpress.com/tri_county_sunday/news/local/a-bruising-affair-to-take-to-ridgway-rocks-for-/article_3aed2cfd-b4f1-518e-bb82-3e4ce1926fe1.htmlIf you’re located in the PA area, or will be in August, there’s an interesting race that is well worth checking out.

With a non-standard 20 mile distance and no time cutoff, there’s a lot of people interested in this longer-ish run with a good amount of elevation gain through some very bumpy terrain:

On its website, the Elk County Boulder Dash advertises itself as a “bone crushing 20-mile hustle through the woods” and boasts of about 4,000+ feet of vertical rise around, on or through several unique rock formations on State Game Lands 44 in Ridgway.

The more punishing it is, the more people are interested in it,” said the race’s “godfather” Sam MacDonald. “I assure you we’ve found the worst areas out there.”

Organized in loops that parade around or through unique rock formations, including Devil’s Den, Grandfather Rocks, Umbrella Rock and Miles Rocks, each becomes a grueling playground for personal growth.

While 20 miles might not sound like too much to some people, it’s for the best that the race directors are mentioning that you just might want to know what you’re getting into – we’ve seen some races where people were clearly over their heads and having a pretty tough time – something that can happen to even the best prepared runners:

While all are welcome, the race directors ask that participants be prepared because “Boulder Dash isn’t something you should just walk into,” according to Lang.

Having a friendly atmosphere and no finish line cutoff time, makes the participant pool diverse in age and ability – ranging from trail runners to hunters, marathoners to walkers and hikers. A Bruising Affair: 200 to take to Ridgway rocks for 20-mile dash | Local | thecourierexpress.com

It sounds like a great mix of people for this race – getting more people out on the trails for an event like this sounds like a great time. We’ll be looking into this as a possible August run and maybe a nice weekend getaway!

You can find out more, and sign up here: http://www.elkcountyboulderdash.com/

 

The post A Punishing Race: Ridgway rocks for 20-mile dash appeared first on Bearded Goat Trail Running.


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