Tussey Mountainback will go on as usual this year, with a few extra precautions in place
The 21st annual Tussey Mountainback 50-Mile Relay and Ultramarathon takes place Sunday, giving recreational runners a chance to participate in a traditional event during a year in which many similar races have gone virtual.
“We decided, with the wide expanse that the course covers and the fact it’s in a forested area and a low-traffic area and our event isn’t big — we couldn’t have hundreds of people out there and have it be safe — with those things in mind, we decided, with proper precautions and with the Bureau of Forestry, we would come up with some guidelines to make it an event that could still happen,” race co-founder Mike Casper said.
Casper and a friend founded the race in 2000 and the event has steadily grown over the past two decades.
“This race was founded for a couple reasons,” Casper said “A friend of mine and I wanted to showcase the wonderful venue that Rothrock State Forest is for running. ... We’d both done long-distance relays, so we wanted to put together something that would allow the average recreational runner an exciting experience running with others, so it became a relay event. We put together a 50-mile loop that includes some of the highlight areas of the forest including Whipple Dam State Park, Colyer Lake, Bear Meadows — some places people know, and some places people don’t know so well, like Penn Roosevelt State Park and Alan Seeger Natural Area, which are just gorgeous places to be.
“Initially, we thought, we’ll have it as a relay event for the many wonderful runners who live in the area, and anyone else who wants to do it, and we’ll let it be an ultramarathon, too, if people wanted to do that, but not really knowing if that would catch on.”
The first year, the Tussey Mountainback 50-Mile Relay and Ultramarathon attracted one runner for the full 50-mile course and 15 relay teams. Eventually, the race grew to attract more than 100 ultramarathoners and more than 100 relay teams during some years, with runners coming from all over the country and world to participate.
“I think it’s a testament to what a wonderful place it is to run,” Casper said.
The course is 80% unpaved, which Casper said makes for a softer surface for running. The loop begins and ends at Tussey Mountain and is dotted with 11 aid stations. The route is separated into 12 segments. Relay teams consist of two to eight runners, with the runners splitting the course among themselves.
“That has to be part of their strategy, too, since the segments differ in difficulty, length, how many hills there are, that sort of thing. So it’s a strategy thing, to decide who will run on which parts,” Casper said.
This year, in response to COVID concerns, relay teams can only be made up of runners who live in the same household, or, in special cases, those who can provide individual support vehicles for each member of their team. Additionally, runners are asked to wear a mask prior to and after the race, with the option to discard their masks at the starting line, with new masks distributed at the finish line. Runners are also asked to social distance during the race, when passing other runners and at aid stations.
“The volunteers at the aid stations will have masks and gloves. Normally, we have communal grab-and-go food items at the aid stations, but we won’t have that this year. We’ll have water, but runners can provide their own drop bags at the aid stations; so, if you want to have certain gel foods or a certain drink or a change of socks or shoes at a certain point, you can provide a bag to us in advance and we’ll have it out there at the point where you want to receive it,” Casper said.
Last year, the race attracted 60 relay teams and 80 ultramarathoners. Casper said 70 ultramarathoners have registered for this year’s race, with only a handful of small, two- or three-person relay teams planning to participate. More information can be found on the race’s website, tusseymountainback.com.
“The race venue is just incredible. In mid-October, the trees are all turning. It’s a comfortable time of year, temperature-wise. Every time I’m out there, I’m just shocked at how beautiful it is, and it’s so close to State College and anyone in central Pennsylvania,” Casper said. “It’s very accessible. Our connection with nature is sometimes in jeopardy, because we’re so busy with our work and school lives and keeping up with things; a connection with nature is something we should preserve and value, and this is a great way to do that.”