Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK

I love to eat. So the prospect of upgrading the popular pre-race dinner on Friday, October 10, the eve of the 2008 Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK 50 Mile Relay and Ultramarathon was hard to resist. This year’s dinner will be at a larger venue but still on South Atherton Street, the Ramada Inn. For a mere $15, runners, crews, spouses and volunteers can enjoy an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet. The meal includes tossed green and Caesar salad; choice of two pastas and three sauces (marinara, meat sauce, alfredo); chicken breasts; vegetable of the day; rolls; coffee, tea, water; and assorted desserts, including tiramisu. Dinner hours are from 5-6:30 p.m. There will also be a guest speaker or two and a short video presentation of the race. Some runners signed up for the dinner when they registered, but reservations can still be made. You may pay in advance or at the door, but to ensure an accurate food count plan to contact the race by e-mail at info@tusseymountainback.com or via phone, 814-238-5918, no later than Monday, Oct. 6. The Ramada Inn is located at 1405 S. Atherton Street (business route 322) in State College, about 5 miles west of SR322 & Bear Meadows Road, where the race starts and finishes. The Ramada Inn phone number is 814-238-3001.

Registration for the Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK 50 will close at midnight on Saturday, Sept. 27. The relay event was capped at 75 teams to reduce traffic congestion on the course, and the cap was reached on Thursday, Sept. 18. After further study of the logistics of the course, staggered start time options and estimated paces, the planning committee met yesterday and decided to allow additional teams to register.

The ultramarathon event is not capped. This event is a key component of the mOUnTaiNBACK, and providing quality service to our ultramarathoners is a top priority. This includes well-stocked aid stations, enthusiastic and helpful volunteers, a clearly marked course, custom finisher medals and many other details. In addition, the mOUnTaiNBACK is hosting the USA 50 Mile Championships, which brings in some of the world’s top men and women to compete.

Working out the details to minimize the frequency of vehicle traffic for runners - a key commitment - was not the toughest hurdle. The biggest part of this decision lies in the increased need for course volunteers, especially during the afternoon hours of the event. Since a large number of local area runners will be participating in the event, the need for volunteers must be met largely by non-runners and a significant contingent of new volunteers.

If you are reading this and are not registered to run, OR if you will be running and know people in your family, workplace or circle of acquaintances who will not be running on race day, please contact, and have your friends contact Melissa, our volunteer coordinator, at volunteer@tusseymountainback.com. All volunteers receive a free race shirt and invitation to the post-race party. Not to mention a truly unique volunteering experience. Volunteers can also receive community service credit.

Come out - just for the hill of it! Contact Melissa today.