top of page
Summary
A behind-the-scenes look at trail races and race directing in Pennsylvania—where logistics, chaos, and questionable decisions meet the woods. Part field notes, part long-winded opinion, and part rediscovery of races past. It's also an exploration of the places that make it all possible—the overlooked landscapes, their history, and the outdoor economy that quietly shapes them.
Coming Soon
Black Forest Ultra
The VOID
Old Race Reports from Oil Creek
... plus old and new race reports, event news, updates, more...
Oil, Fire, and the Number of the Beast
A look back to the 2015 Oil Creek Trail Races, when the Running Devil took on the hills, rocks, mud and questionable life choices of Oil Creek State Park. In this Rocksylvania Dispatch flashback, revisit a race experience where the miles were long, the terrain was unforgiving, and the devil apparently had running shoes.
Oct 716 min read
Missed Connection: You, 30-Something Ultramarathoner; Me, The VOID
The VOID is a 180-mile ultramarathon through an abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnel, where darkness, exhaustion, poor decisions and existential dread converge. This absurdly unhinged “Missed Connection” is a love letter to ultrarunners who willingly choose suffering, questionable life choices and 48 hours inside the abyss.
Oct 33 min read
The Great Mountain Lock: A First Frontier Story
Explore the history of Pennsylvania’s Allegheny corridor, where Indigenous trails became turnpikes, canals, railroads and highways. From Kittanning Gap and the Allegheny Portage Railroad to Horseshoe Curve and Route 22, discover how generations found their way through the mountains of the First Frontier.
Sep 2319 min read
The Megatransect: A Brief History of Questionable Decisions
The 2013 Megatransect was 26+ miles of technical Pennsylvania trail, 5,000 feet of climbing, boulder fields, creek crossings, and questionable decisions. Follow along as an undertrained runner discovers why “go light and fast” is excellent advice and why ignoring it makes the mountain considerably more interesting.
Sep 1720 min read
Featured Posts
Blog Roll
Hyner Challenge 50k 2015: The Second Go Around
[Note: This is one of many race reports from a blog I wrote called "Ben Runs on Beer" that I published when I first started trail racing more than 15 years ago. ] First 30k of the Hyner Challenge Course I was awake at 3:45am for a second Hyner Challenge 50K go around. “3:45? You mean to tell me there’s another 3:45 called AM?” I thought as I woke. I don’t recall waking up this early last year but nevertheless, here we go again. Last year I ran the 50k race for the first time
Apr 1220 min read
Hyner 50k Challenge: “I Got To Hand It To You” (2014)
[Note: This is one of many race reports from a blog I wrote called "Ben Runs on Beer" that I published when I first started trail racing more than 15 years ago. ] Though I didn’t admit it to anyone at the time, I was psyched about the Hyner Challenge. I spent the entire week before race day looking at course maps, race results from previous years, weather, adjusting my nutrition plan, deciding what shoes and clothing I was going to wear–all of which lead to a few sleepless ni
Apr 1224 min read
A Kick In The Hyner (2013)
[Note: This is one of many race reports from a blog I wrote called "Ben Runs on Beer" that I published when I first started trail racing more than 15 years ago. ] THE START Left to Right – Adam McGinnis, Sandy Evans, Joel Noal, me, Gary Frisco Lets begin with a slight confession. Even though I consider myself an avid trailrunner, I never raced in the two crowning jewels of northern PA trail running – The Hyner Challenge and the The Megatransect. Now that I admitted to the sac
Apr 1214 min read
The Mullet Chronicles: Hyner, Hot Pants, and Hell-a-va Time
"Crossovers are a pain in the a–. Everybody hates doing them, but they’re like ratings crack, and it's a bad addiction because you don't want to overuse it." — Dick Wolf (Producer of Law & Order and Chicago franchises), regarding TV crossover episodes. I haven’t even cracked a dozen posts on this blog and somehow… we’re already doing a crossover episode. Things are moving fast. Too fast. Like blasting down Huff Run with supreme confidence… only to cramp like your legs have be
Mar 272 min read
bottom of page