‘Brutal’ Heat for The Beast!
Event volunteers lauded for their efforts
CASTANEA TOWNSHIP – A near perfect day for trail running and hiking – a cool, foggy morning with temps in the 60s — greeted participants Saturday as they took off at 7:00 a.m. for the second annual Boulder Beast Trail Challenge, a 27-mile trek along Bald Eagle Mountain just outside of Lock Haven. But before the day was through, those on the mountain faced record-breaking temperatures that topped 90 degrees, and blistering sun.
“Brutal” was the word heard most often from many of the nearly 400 participants, more than a hundred of which either voluntarily took themselves out of the race or were unable to make pre-designated cut-off times at the various checkpoints along the course. Volunteers were kept busy throughout the day shuttling participants down off the mountain.
Fortunately, there were no serious injuries or medical issues. Water was in plentiful supply, and extra rations were transported out late in the afternoon to help keep participants hydrated.
For the second straight year, 27-year-old Matt Lipsey of Kersey, PA, clocked the best time. He finished the course in 4-and-a-half hours, about a half-an-hour faster than his 2016 time.
“It’s an amazing race – the course is relentless, really technical,” said Lipsey afterward. “If you like rocks, this is your course. A big thanks to Jeff (race director Jeff Stover). He does a phenomenal job, along with all of the volunteers. The Boy Scouts, Lock Haven University track team, and all of the other volunteers cheering you on through the checkpoints, their energy is contagious – it’s such a positive event.”
Adam Russell, 38, of Rome, PA, finished second, with a time of 4:37, followed by 27-year-old Eric Kosek of Wellsboro, with a time of 4:55. Russell had participated in the Boulder Beast’s predecessor, the Bald Eagle Mountain Megatransect and was a three-time Mega winner, but it was both his and Kosek’s first time to run the Boulder Beast challenge.
All three of the top female finishers were first-time Boulder Beast participants. Johanna “Jo” Ohm, 26, of State College was the first female to cross the finish line. Her time of 6:23 was 24th overall. Victoria English, 29, of Philadelphia was the second female finisher with a time of 6:30, followed by 58-year-old Diane Grim of Boyertown, PA, with a time of 6:34.
“The boulder fields are hard,” said Ohm of a portion of the course. “But it’s definitely a good race for (scenic) views; the top of the boulder field is the best view I’ve ever seen in a race.”
English agreed, saying, “What a beautiful course, and so challenging, especially for someone from Philadelphia who doesn’t do much hill training!”
In all, 260 people finished the race, and for some, it was a very long day on Bald Eagle Mountain. In addition to the course measuring 27 miles in length, participants experienced an elevation gain of over a vertical mile!
The last person to complete the course crossed the finish line at 6:30 p.m., 11-and-a-half hours after the start. Participants came from 16 states and ranged in age from 16-year-old Johnny Noll from North East, Virginia, to 79-year-old Carl Undercofler, a long-time trail challenge participant from Woodland, PA.
About 150 volunteers supported this year’s Boulder Beast, and it was that group who received the highest praise.
“From the MANY comments, it is very clear the competitors notice and have heaped totally deserved praise on the volunteers,” said race director Jeff Stover. “The aid stations rock and so do the many folks at the Castanea Fire Company Picnic Grounds (start/finish). In addition to the core Boulder Beast volunteers, we had the fire chiefs and staff from three volunteer fire companies – Castanea Township, Sugar Valley, and Wayne Township. We were in radio communications with them all day. Standing by was the Lock Haven Emergency Medical Services (EMS); thankfully we did not have an ambulance call for any competitor. Providing the great network of communications was the team at the Clinton County Department of Emergency Services. We may live in a rural area, but we have world-class first responders.”
“What amazes me the most is that everybody does their part. It’s impressive,” said volunteer coordinator Joanne Heimer of the army of volunteers for Saturday’s event. “We couldn’t do this without each volunteer doing their piece. We had volunteers from several states and France, and tons of locals, many of whom have been helping for 10 years or more. It was a hard, hard day because of the heat. We saw more ‘DNFs’ (did not finish) than ever and we were worried about everything from heat exhaustion to bee stings. We needed water on the course late in the day, so our go-to volunteers were invaluable.”
Four aid stations and two water stops were situated in key locations along the 27-mile course. Boy Scout Troop 66 out of Woolrich, Venture Crew 007, Team Red White & Blue, Leadership Clinton County Alumni, and two groups of general community volunteers, manned those checkpoints, providing critical refreshments as well as moral support to the participants.
“I can’t get over the views or the level of excellence of this race, but what my mind keeps coming back to is coming into the RWB (Team Red White & Blue) aid station and the volunteers literally just taking my bottles out of my belt and making sure they were full and telling me to go eat something,” said participant Shelley Muth from DuBois. “It might sound like a little thing if you’ve never run one of these, but if you know the mental fog you can get in you know how big a deal it is. Thank you to everyone that was involved.”
It was long hours for many of the volunteers. Some staffed the race registration tables for four hours Friday evening and again Saturday morning starting at 5:00 a.m. Others served refreshments Friday night, breakfast Saturday morning, and the post-race meal Saturday afternoon and evening. Members of Lock Haven University’s track team positioned themselves along the main boulder field to encourage participants up one of the most challenging sections of the course. Other volunteers staffed radios to keep in communication with the checkpoints and emergency responders, they ran shuttles to and from the course to the start/finish, and they served as “sweepers” following the last of the participants to assure everyone was safely off the course.
“We have come a long way since 2003 when I first foisted the idea of a mountain trail race to the Lock Haven and Clinton County community,” said Stover. “The City of Lock Haven (sponsor of the Boulder Beast) and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Bald Eagle State Forest landowner DCNR) deserve a huge amount of credit for approving that first race on their land when these types of activities were not common. And people in our area immediately responded and over time have turned this region into a trail race mecca. Without the fine folks staffing the Boulder Beast and the other local races, we would not have been able to change the culture of central Pennsylvania. Our region is a destination, and that is solely due to the great people that I am proud to call my neighbors.”
Stover announced his retirement as Boulder Beast race director, noting that another local trail race icon, Craig Fleming, will take over as race director. The date for next year’s Boulder Beast has already been established. The event will be held September 22, 2018.
