Race Reports

Any competitor who researches the FlatRock 50K knows what to expect from the course: Rocks. Lots of them. But what the mind knows does not always meld with adrenaline, fresh legs, and a love for trail running.

There are two things that will be remembered about the 2015 Volcanic 50. The hornets and the speed. About half of the racers had the unfortunate experience of getting stung by bees. The race directors alerted the runners to known bees near the 28-mile mark during the pre-race announcements, but runners got to interact with bees much earlier on.

Early Saturday morning, driving down winding roads and rolling hills, my stomach fluttering with nervous anticipation, it felt like being on a roller coaster. But we were not at an amusement park. We were en route to the start of the inaugural Water Gap 50K in the Poconos/Delaware Water Gap region of Pennsylvania. Little did I know that this race would also be quite an emotional roller coaster.

It seemed like the perfect plan. After 10 very successful years of running the JC
Stone 50K Spring road race, why not take advantage of the runner friendly Western Pennsylvania fall weather and the beautiful running trails around North Park to create the second in the series of JC Stone 50K Races.