Rock the Ridge 2017
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Photos by Jim Bixler
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Rock the Ridge '17Rock The Ridge day dawned foggy and damp. The Shawangunk Ridge was crowned in gray mist and apparently unaware it was about to be rocked by nearly 400 people. The cool temps and precipitation set the tone and were a guest who just won’t take the hit and leave.Perhaps for the fastest runners covering 50 miles- ultra-marathoner Dylan Armajani the first finisher in 7:15:33 and Karen Benway the first woman back to the testimonial gatehouse returning just shy of eight hours later, 7:59:39- the wet and cold was not too onerous but for those out for the whole day it colored the 50 miles of carriageways.
Riders at the Woodstock Women’s Cycle Grand Prix north in the Catskill Mountains experienced the same conditions but at speeds of 35 miles per hour. |
From the start at the Testimonial Gatehouse the course visits Gunks vistas, from the Smiliey Memorial Tower, aka Skytop, to Castel Point in Minnewaska State Park, the highest point in the course through some popular as well as some lonely, quiet stretches of the ridge that rises wave like between the Rondout and Wallkill River Valleys.
192 racers, runners, , and ramblers started out and 240 finished their leg or 50 miles
389 took part, all the relay runners finished while 25 percent of the 50-Milers did not. It’s a high percentage, except in the Barkly Marathons, and much higher than in past Ridge Rockings.
192 racers, runners, , and ramblers started out and 240 finished their leg or 50 miles
389 took part, all the relay runners finished while 25 percent of the 50-Milers did not. It’s a high percentage, except in the Barkly Marathons, and much higher than in past Ridge Rockings.
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Lisa- the closer- Yuen, of Jersey City, finished the day in 20:56:52. Complete Results HERE.
The 148 relay runners each covered between 9.6 and 15 miles, 37 Relay Teams started and all 37 finished. 194 individual and team finishers all traversed the entire 50 miles while 49 people did not finish. Weather was rough for a long day like Rock The Ridge. TEAM Breaking The Cycle, a mixed gender team from Esopus with an average pace of 7:44 minutes per mile, in 6:26:51 for the win. In the five years since its inception the Rock the Ridge 50 Mile Endurance Challenge has raised approximately $1 million for the Mohonk Preserve, NY-NJ Trail Conference, and Michael J. Fox Foundation. It has also given hundreds of slower runners and walkers an ultra-marathon experience. Related StoriesRock the Ridge, Ode to the Gunks '16
The atmosphere was subdued at the Testimonial Gatehouse for the start of the 2016 Rock the Ridge. Skies were overcast and the air Read more
Rock The Ridge- A Day Out on the Trails 
Some of the best running trails in the country are in the Hudson Valley among the 195 miles of carriageroads crisscrossing the Mohonk Preserve, the Mohonk Mountain House, and Minnewaska State Park atop the Shawangunk Ridge. Read more
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Photos by Peak Magazine
The Start |
