Race Team Dominates Cheaha 50k

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February 27, 2008

Race Team Dominates Cheaha 50k

Rock/Creek's Race Team continues to bring home the glory in ultramarathons across the Southeast this winter. Husband and wife team members Jamie Dial and Wendi Parker-Dial took first place in the mens' and womens' divisions, respectively. Jamie's time broke the course record by 20 minutes. Another husband and wife pair from the team fared well: Matt Sims placed 5th and his wife Natalie placed 5th female. Kathy Johns finished 9th female. Great job guys!

Here's what Jamie had to say about the course on The Boonies forum:

The course is really amazing and has a good mix of terrain. Though rarely "flat", it does have some dirt road sections that give your brain a slight reprieve from the single track rollers. I loved seeing the state park signs below Blue Hell that say STEEP TRAIL AHEAD. There were other signs that probably said keep children close or something, but I had tunnel vision at that point and only remember STEEP TRAIL....

Get in on the discussion here (forum requires signup to post, but it's free, so please come join us!).

A bulletin sent out to the Anniston Runners Club sums up the race pretty well, and I'll post any other details that come in from our racers. The Anniston e-mail follows:

TO ALL ANNISTON RUNNERS CLUB MEMBERS AND TRAIL JUNKIES – Mount Cheaha 50K ultra-trail run could be considered a triathlon (combination of three sports)! Trail running! Rock Scrambling! Creek Swimming! (See attached picture of runner swimming on Hubbard Creek near Lake Chinnabee.)
140 runners from as far away as California, Washington, Massachusetts, and Colorado toed the line yesterday at the start of the 3rd annual 31 mile race to the top of Mount Cheaha. 113 finished the whole event and lived to tell about it.

Was it rugged? Yes.

Was it unforgiving? Yes.

Was it steep? Oh yes!

Was it muddy and wet and cold? Of course!

Is Blue Hell hellish? #%X!#$%@!

Was it fun? You betcha.

Congrats to the overall winners who happen to be a husband and wife team! (And related to our own Dunaway Conner!) Jamie Dial was the first place male, and his wife Wendi Parker-Dial took home the first place female honors. (See attached pictures.)

More pictures of ARC members to come with a direct link to a photo album in a later email! Thanks to Leigh Marsh and Tom Nelson. AND Todd will have the link for the results up sometime soon. He’s working on it!

Seven Aid Stations!!! This has got to be the best supported race around. Each aid station was well-stocked with everything from basic gu to an assortment of chips, pretzels, and candy to hot taters with salt to hamburgers and hot dogs! And of course, there was plenty of water and Gatorade.