USA Track & Field 50 Mile Road Championships returns to region

The USA Track & Field 50 Mile Road Championships will return to central Pennsylvania this fall after a two-year stint at a Wisconsin race. USA Track and Field awarded the championships to the Tussey Mountainback 50 Mile Relay and Ultramarathon, which will take place on Oct. 30.

The Mountainback hosted the national championships from 2004 to 2013 (except for 2006, when no championships were held), attracting national- and world-class runners to central Pennsylvania. Race director Mike Casper said he hopes the return of the championships, and a $5,000 cash purse, will again attract top runners.

The award of the championships came as a bit of a surprise to Casper.

When he contacted USATF in early December, he anticipated that the championships had already been awarded to another race, but instead learned the committee was meeting the following day to make a decision. He prepared a bid, and soon learned the Mountainback was selected to host the championships in 2016 and 2017.

“I had to read the email three times to be sure I was reading it correctly,” Casper wrote in an email. “The honor is huge, and the credit goes to our many spirited and dedicated local volunteers, including volunteer coordinator Brittany Svoboda.”

The Mountainback can be run as a solo 50-mile race or as a relay, with teams from two to eight people. Casper said the return of the championships will add excitement to the race for relay runners, who get to share the same course with elite athletes.

“There are several top American runners who have raved about this race, and the championships will help lure them back to take on this unique event in Rothrock State Forest,” Casper wrote.

The Mountainback starts and finishes at Tussey Mountain Ski Area. The course is a 50-mile loop on mostly unpaved roads through Rothrock State Forest.

More information and online registration are available at http://tusseymountainback.com. Registration for the ultramarathon closes Oct. 10, and registration for the relay closes Oct. 10 or when race capacity is reached.

Each year, the Mountainback benefits a different local charity. The 2016 beneficiary is the Jana Marie Foundation, a local initiative committed to helping young people, especially young women, make positive choices, practice self-respect and maintain healthy relationships by providing opportunities for personal growth and self-expression.

Runners looking to explore the Mountainback’s scenic course can get started this winter as the race’s Tussey Teaser series kicks off Feb. 6 with the Sno‘ Big Deal 10K. The series includes five free races and one with a registration fee which includes transportation to the start. Each race starts from a different location and introduces runners to a different part of the Mountainback course. The Sno’ Big Deal starts at 10 a.m. from the Colyer Lake boat launch parking lot on Lake Road. and takes runners up Boal Gap Road. For details and the complete schedule, see http://tusseymountainback.com.

The local race calendar is otherwise relatively bare during the winter months, but the Nittany Valley Running Club still hosts group runs and lists regional race dates. Check the calendar at http://nvrun.com.

Race results

▪  Daniel Wilcko, of University Park, won the Nittany Valley Half Marathon on Dec. 6 in a freezing fog that left runners and trees alike coated in frost. Wilcko finished in 1 hour, 16 minutes, 57 seconds. He was followed by Dan Craighead, of State College, in 1:17:28. Craighead holds the course record of 1:10:53, which he set in 2014. Marina Orrson, of Shavertown, was the first woman and ninth overall in 1:21:04.

Penn State Ability Athlete Brett Gravatt finished the hilly course in 1:34:24 despite a flat tire on his handcycle with 4 miles to go.

▪  Penn State women’s basketball coach Coquese Washington gave the official “Go!” to a field of more than 700 runners for the annual First Night State College Resolution Run 5K on New Year’s Eve. Mitchell Etter, 16, won the race in 15:45, followed by Kenny Goodfellow, of Hollidaysburg, in 15:52 and Dan Craighead in 16:07. Megan Marshall, of State College, won the women’s race in 18:32. State College high school cross country runner Natasha Fedkina took second in 19:31, followed closely by Liz Novack, of State College, in 19:33.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 3:01 PM with the headline "USA Track & Field 50 Mile Road Championships returns to region."