Rockledge Rumble 2003
November 8, 2003
Northshore Trail, Grapevine Lake, TX
Official Race Photos by brightroom photography
Race Director’s Report by Tom Crull
This year's Rockledge Rumble was run on a new course, close to 32 miles in length, with the tougher and scenic Twin coves to the Far Gate section added. The last half mile was down to the water's edge, over the rock ledges with a steep climb up the stairs to the finish line under the Pavilion.
Marking the trails on Friday in the rain gave us a bit of apprehension of what the runners would experience on Saturday. A bridge was washed out, and we couldn't mark a section of the trail as a result. Would the flour markings make it through the night rain; would the human Gremlins yank up our flags on the last portion of the trail?
Not to worry, the rain let up, the trail drained, the markings stayed in place, and we had a record turn out! The course was muddy in sections but runnable, and the temps hovered around 50-52 degrees under cloudy skies, perfect running! Joe Badrock Prusaitis and NTTR President Britt Starnes ran out on the trail early in the AM, located the bridge which had been washed downstream and dragged it back in place. Now the course was ready to be Rumbled! The runners were briefed and sent on their way down the only pavement they'd run on for the rest of the race to the sounds of CCR.
Predictably, Scott Eppelman won the men's race in 4:18:15, but not before he was seriously challenged by 29 year-old Traci Amundson and David Hardin who ran strong all day. Traci stayed on Scott's heels through mile 19 and ended up third over all in 4:28:59 behind David's excellent 4:24:05 for second place. The women's race saw Barbara Hitzfeld win the Masters and place second over-all in 5:13:44 finishing with husband George. Kelly Ridgway of Santa Rosa, California ran a strong third place finish. To her credit, she had a nasty fall on a root that broke a rib around mile 22 but ran through the pain to a 5:33:15 finish. We were honored to have the California runners and runners from the surrounding states participate again this year. They add a lot to our run and we really appreciate their attendance. Not prepared for our cool temps, Kelly Ridgway ran in yours truly's Clifton Tights, Bartender Bob Barr ran in his sun glasses and shirtless (BOB it was overcast skies), and then there were the Southern Cal twins, Mary Campilongo and Surfer Jennifer Evans, causing mayhem at the aid stations, not to mention their laying down on the beach a 100 yards from the finish for a photo op.
The aid stations were well stocked and manned by experienced, fun and friendly personnel. Runners were treated to bagels for pre-race food and red beans and rice, jambalaya, salad, pies and cheesecake with cherries for the post race feast. Our sponsors, Harley-Davidson of North Texas, Montrail, Patagonia, Sara Lee, Log Cabin Kettle Corn, and Hammer Nutrition were extremely generous in their support of our race. The race volunteers are too numerous to mention, but they were truly outstanding and worked hard to make this year's Rumble the best ever.
Our congratulations go out to those running their first Ultra and trail run, we look forward to seeing you again on the trails!
Tom Crull RD