‘Incredible day’: Runners turn out for Tiadaghton Trail Challenge
PHOTO PROVIDED Runners take off at the beginning of the Tiadaghton Trail Challenge Half Marathon. The race starts and finishes at the Tiadaghton Resource Management Center grounds in Waterville.
PHOTO PROVIDED Reagan McCoy, of Lock Haven, is pictured with his prize axe after winning the 10k race at the Tiadaghton Trail Challenge.
PHOTO PROVIDED Volunteers Elizabeth Moores, of Montoursville, left, and Lora Engel, of Jersey Shore, ran the registration table early in the morning.
PHOTO PROVIDED Zachary Zimmerman, 34, left, and Craig Fleming, 52, both of Lock Haven, are seen at the finish line of the Tiadaghton Trail Challenge 10k. Fleming is also a race director for many local trail races.
PHOTO BY EMILY SHAFFER Kristen Gonyaw, 32, of Howard, is pictured enjoying the terrain offered by the Tiadaghton Trail Challenge half marathon course.
PHOTO PROVIDED Kathy Carra, 55, of Bellefonte, was all smiles at the start of the 10k.
PHOTO PROVIDED Marisa Deichert, of Centre Hall, top female in the half marathon, receives a congratulatory high-five from Race Director, Tracy Kemmerer.
PHOTO PROVIDED Runners take off at the beginning of the Tiadaghton Trail Challenge Half Marathon. The race starts and finishes at the Tiadaghton Resource Management Center grounds in Waterville.
PHOTO PROVIDED Reagan McCoy, of Lock Haven, is pictured with his prize axe after winning the 10k race at the Tiadaghton Trail Challenge.
PHOTO PROVIDED Volunteers Elizabeth Moores, of Montoursville, left, and Lora Engel, of Jersey Shore, ran the registration table early in the morning.
PHOTO PROVIDED Zachary Zimmerman, 34, left, and Craig Fleming, 52, both of Lock Haven, are seen at the finish line of the Tiadaghton Trail Challenge 10k. Fleming is also a race director for many local trail races.
PHOTO BY EMILY SHAFFER Kristen Gonyaw, 32, of Howard, is pictured enjoying the terrain offered by the Tiadaghton Trail Challenge half marathon course.
PHOTO PROVIDED Kathy Carra, 55, of Bellefonte, was all smiles at the start of the 10k.
PHOTO PROVIDED Marisa Deichert, of Centre Hall, top female in the half marathon, receives a congratulatory high-five from Race Director, Tracy Kemmerer.
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WATERVILLE -- The mountains of Tiadaghton State Forest were alive with activity recently when several hundred trail runners tackled the 5th annual Tiadaghton Trail Challenge on Sunday, Nov. 10.
The event, organized and directed by Tracy Kemmerer, of Jersey Shore, was started in 2020 as a way to honor the memory of her late son, Kasey Kemmerer, also of Jersey Shore.
"It was an incredible day! There were signs of Kasey all around," Kemmerer recounted. "Everybody had a wonderful time and I'm so grateful to the team of volunteers that contributed to the event. It takes a village to pull it all together."
One of eight state forests in the Pennsylvania Wild Region, the Tiadaghton State Forest offers a wide range of outdoor activities to both locals and visitors, in addition to trail running and hiking. With 146,539 acres of working forest bisected by two beautiful mountain streams (Pine Creek and Slate Run), the opportunities for outdoor recreation are plentiful. Many of the trails, such as those used in the Tiadaghton Trail Challenge, offer steep climbs to rewarding vistas. While competitors were given the choice between two different distance options, a 10k or half marathon, both courses offered a variety of challenging terrain.
"That course was both brutal and beautiful!" reported Eric Smith, 33, of State College, who took first place overall in the half marathon with a time of 2 hours, 1 minute. "It's definitely a tough race the whole way through from start to finish."
Marisa Deichert, 27, of Centre Hall, won first place for females in the half marathon distance, at 2 hours, 21 minutes.
"That was really fun!" Deichert remarked upon crossing the finish line. "There were definitely some tough climbs, but it was so much fun to feel fast on the downhills." This was Deichert's second time running this event.
Reagan McCoy, 26, of Lock Haven, recounted the many skills used in the event after finishing first overall in the 10k distance with a time of 46 minutes.
"You really have to be a jack of all trades out here. The climbs are relentless, the downhills are tough, the flats are a challenge, and the intensity of this shorter distance really adds to the difficulty," McCoy said.
Kaci Kosek of Wellsboro commented of the race, "It was really fun, but also so hard!"
At just 13 years old, Kosek was the first female to cross the finish line in the 10k, with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes.
"The uphill was tough but it was also hard to keep your speed on those downhill switchbacks," she said. "The best part was hearing people cheering as you got near the finish. It was such a relief because I knew it was almost over!"
The event benefits the Kasey Jack Kemmerer Memorial Scholarship, which awards at least one scholarship annually to a graduating Jersey Shore High School senior in the amount of $1,000. With funds raised by the 2023 Tiadaghton Trail Challenge, the Kemmerer family was able to provide seven total scholarship awards of various amounts to Jersey Shore students in 2024, as well as one football award.
The Trail Challenge also offers a special award to the 34th place finishers in each distance as a way to honor Kasey at the event -- 34 was the jersey number Kemmerer wore as a football player for the Jersey Shore Bulldogs.
This year, Kate Fisher, 65, of Watsontown, and Lindsay Huepenbecker, 39, of Mifflinburg, took home those unique awards -- charcuterie boards crafted and donated by Jersey Shore woodworker and fellow trail runner, Sean MacMillen.
Official race results are available at falconracetiming.com. For more info on the Tiadaghton Trail Challenge, visit ultrasignup.com.