Boulder Beast highlights ‘amazing trail running community’

CASTANEA TOWNSHIP – Dense fog gave way to sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80’s Saturday as about 330 runners made their way up and around Bald Eagle Mountain in one of Clinton County’s most epic trail races, the Boulder Beast Trail Challenge. But despite the heat and a brutal 24-mile course which challenges participants in many different ways, people heaped huge praise on the local trail running community for making the event one they’ll remember, and most likely do again.

“The trail racing community here is great, so I wanted to be part of that,” says Dan Lorah, age 23, of Lock Haven, who was first to cross the finish line in what was his first Boulder Beast race, posting a time of 3 hours, 59 minutes. A Lock Haven University student who ran cross-country when he was in college, Lorah stayed in the area after graduating last year and now works as an EMT. This was his first season of trail racing.

Emanuel King of Mill Hall was the second-place finisher. The 21-year-old had a time of 4 hours, 18 minutes. John Johnson, 47, of Ulster, PA placed third, with a time of 4:19, and 34-year-old Mike Delorso of Mifflinburg was fourth, with a time of 4:26.

Sayard Tanis, 37, of Jersey Shore was the first female to cross the finish line and sixth overall, with a time of 4 hours, 28 minutes. A running coach, Tanis ran the Boulder Beast in 2016, but then got out of running for a few years.

“I was motivated by a lot of supportive people,” she said of her return to running and the Boulder Beast in particular. “I love Pennsylvania running and really enjoy the boulder fields. There was great support out there – between the volunteers and the other competitors, it really drives you and makes you dig deep.”

Corinne Williams, 38, of Enola, PA, was the second female finisher and 7th overall, with a time of 4:31. The third female to finish was Lisa Fisher, 35, of Cogan Station, who turned in a time of 4:58.

The PA Trail Dogs host the Boulder Beast and many of the other trail challenges in the region. Race Director Craig Fleming said he received a lot of positive feedback from participants. “We had lots of returning racers, and I saw a lot of competitors wearing t-shirts, hats and socks from other local races like the Hyner Trail Challenge, Slate Run, the Sproul 10K and Hyner Half, which tells us that people really like the central PA running scene,” says Fleming.

“It went well,” he said of the race overall and the tough course, which includes 6,000 feet of elevation gain, rocky, technical climbs and technical downhills. “We have great volunteers and the local Fire Companies offer great support. We had a lot of local runners and hikers who were out there helping with everything from registration at the Castanea Fire Company Picnic Grounds, to being out on the boulder field to guide people up the mountain.”

“The trail running scene is all about family and friendships – it’s a common theme at all of these races – everyone bonds and helps each other,” says Fleming, adding, “Keith Querry is the epitome of what the trail community has become.” Querry, 35 of Huntingdon, PA, was a first-time Boulder Beast participant who started running after being badly injured in a motorcycle accident.

“When I was in the hospital, I saw a Facebook post about a 5K trail run. I’d never run anything, but that became my motivator – to get myself back in shape to do that run,” says Querry. “That initial race blew my mind and I wanted more. I found the Rocksylvania Trail Series (20 different courses, showcasing some of the best trail races in the state) and signed up for as many races as I could. The Boulder Beast was my longest and most challenging run to date.”

Querry finished the course 85th, with a time of 6 hours, 35 minutes, but he says he didn’t do it on his own. “People are amazing,” he says. “I was fading when another runner, a woman named Becky (Perrotto, of South Williamsport), pushed me for about five miles that I probably wouldn’t have been able to run. She stayed with me and kept saying, ‘You got this – let’s go.’ She’s the reason I kept going.”

Fleming says there are similar stories of motivation, kindness and friendship in the trail running community, including others that played out during Saturday’s Boulder Beast.

He also credits ReVibe Gear as being a positive motivator within the trail community. The nonprofit, run by Tania Jacobsen, collects and sells new and near-new running and outdoor gear, with the proceeds helping to fund programs that inspire youth to get outdoors, including the Little Loggers Trail Fest in Hyner and the Smallfoot Trail Fest in Troy, PA.

Participants in Saturday’s Boulder Beast came from a dozen different states and the District of Columbia. For full race results, visit falconracetiming.com. For information on the PA Trail Dogs and the races they organize, visit patraildogs.com.