What a weekend!
The 10th-annual StumpJump 50k is over and done with, and Cincinnati’s David Riddle exceeded even our lofty expectations for him. Not only did he break the new-course record, he broke the overall race record, and he turned in the first sub-4-hour StumpJump 50k in the race’s 10-year-history. His time of 3:49:52 knocks 25 minutes off of Josh Wheeler’s course record, an astonishing performance that concluded with David pumping a fist in the air as he roared down the home stretch to a chorus of cheers.
David may have owned the day, but his isn’t the only story worth telling. In his 4th StumpJump 50k, Andy Anderson improved on his three previous top-10 finishes to hit the podium with a 4:07:41 time that would’ve earned a course record if not for Riddle’s performance.
For Rob Apple, this was his 8th time running the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k and his 600th ultra; he’s 50 years old, started in 1982, and StumpJump is one of his favorite races. Friends Karen Gillies and Wendy Sugg, both 49, ran the StumpJump 50k as their first 50k and a mutual 50th-birthday present.
In fact, some of our top finishers were running either their first 50k or their first trail race! Overall female winner Lindsay Beckner is a road runner who chose the StumpJump 50k as her first trail race. Johnny Clemmons took third place in his first 50k.
We’d love to hear from those of you for whom StumpJump 50k was your first. Hunter Lane (58th overall), Kate Woodard (76), Charlie Taylor (133) and Jessica Cohen (362) have told us so on our Facebook page… who else is out there with a story to tell?
Final race results are now available:
- Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k overall results
- Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k award categories
- Rock/Creek StumpJump 11-mile overall results
- Rock/Creek StumpJump 11-mile award categories
Kudos are due to Rock/Creek Race Team member Jake Bradley — he also works at our 2 North Shore retail location — for winning the 11-miler. This is his first Trail Series win for 2011.
As for the 50k, 9 of the top 17 overall finishers were Rock/Creek racers: Andy Anderson, the magnificently-bearded John Brower, Kevin Boucher, John Wiygul, Josh Wheeler, Owen Bradley, Jay Curwen, Brian Costilow and Lance Steele. Strong showing, guys!
Just want to check out photos from the race? Go here:
- Race photos by R/C’s Jeff Bartlett
- Aerial & finish photos by R/C’s Mark McKnight
- Vendor Fair & Diane Van Deren
If you missed out on Diane Van Deren’s speech on Friday night after the vendor fair, well… you missed out. Diane is inspirational and engaging and funny, and everyone in the tent was spellbound while she told her tale. “I was lost on the (Chattanooga) Riverwalk this morning!” she blurted, when trying to explain exactly how difficult it is for her to interpret maps and directions after her temporal lobectomy. What a wonderful woman, and what an incredible story.
This race wouldn’t be possible without our many sponsors, and all of them deserve our thanks and support:
Toyota of Cleveland & Capital Toyota, Get Out Chattanooga, PrimaLoft, The North Face, Cortizone-10, Salomon, Marmot, Patagonia, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear, Montrail, Columbia, SmartWool, Outdoor Research, Gold Bond, Deuter Packs, Greenlife Grocery, Hammer Nutrition, Archer Physical Therapy, Blue Smoke Coffee, Chaco, KEEN, Merrell, North Shore Yoga, Nuun, Skullcandy, Smith Optics, Southern Spring Water, Suunto, Trail Runner Magazine, & Vasque.
A special thanks is also in order for all of the volunteers who were up early and spent a long day on the course.
Congratulations to all 50k race finishers, from #1 to #373. Ten StumpJump 50k races are in the books, and we can hardly wait until next year. Will the 2012 StumpJump be your first 50k? Keep an eye on this blog for Andrew Kornylak’s upcoming video from the this year’s race; we’ll post it as soon as it’s available.
As for 2011, the next race in the Rock/Creek Trail Series is the minimalist (and already-full) Upchuck 50k, but it’s already time to start thinking about the Lookout Mountain 50-mile trail race this December. Sign up now, and we’ll see you when the weather gets cold!
Denise Martin says
Great article ~ very engaging and good flow; you should be writing for a newspaper!
John Collins says
need to see some coverage of the river rocks kayak races as well
Jeff Bartlett says
@John, I’d love to post something about the RiverRocks Canoe & Kayak races and presently have a request out to the race director for images and/or results. Keep your eyes peeled for that to appear as soon as I have details! Race director Dan Miller is a member of our Rock/Creek Race Team.
Tim Cleary says
This Stump Jump was my first ultra. I have run the 11m the past three and the River Gorge 10m this year so I thought I was ready for the 50k. I enjoyed it but it was tough especially the last 6 miles from Suck Creek. Kudos to the Rock Creek and Wild Trails team for putting on a magnificent run.