- Article  in the Centre Daily Times.
- Article  in the Penn State Daily Collegian.
- Photos.

Heavy fog blanketed the hillsides and chilly air surrounded the start area as forty-seven teams and 20 ultramarathoners
converged at Tussey Mountain Ski Area to cover 50 miles of Rothrock State Forest roads just south of Boalsburg, PA. By
afternoon, a mild sun had burned off the mist to reveal multicolored foliage, stirring up warmer temperatures and a gentle
breeze for the runners descending the final miles down Bear Meadows Road to the finish. Relay division teams of 2-8
runners sent their runners in serial rotation through the 12 course segments, which range in length between 2.8 and 6.2 miles. 

In the men’s open relay division, the Rothrock Warriors foursome set the pace, finishing in 5:20:49. The women’s open relay
title went to Running Divas, six members of the Penn State Triathlon Club, with a time of 7:36:18.

The ultra division had a  20 runners toe up at the start. Penn State senior Morgan Windram set a new women’s course
record of 7:46:37, carving nearly 45 minutes off the mark she set last year. In his first effort at the distance, Penn State
graduate student Dennis Koch turned in the fastest men’s time of the day, 7:35:29. Pat Klaus, of Cincinnati, earned her own
claim to fame by running the Mountainback solo for the third year in a row.

Two-person teams were in short supply. Ken Davis and Ben Neibel, ostensibly two parts of a three-person team, Bits, Wind
and Words, retuned themselves as a duo at the last minute when their third turned up missing. Bits and Wind finished strong
in 5:44:05. “Josh and Val,” the duo of Josh Cross and Valerie Curtis, who trekked in from Ithaca, claimed the supra mixed title
in an impressive 5:52 flat, a course record. 

The Tri/Quad division saw seven teams compete. The Rothrock Warriors easily fended off any competition to take the men’s
category by over 10 minutes. The mixed organization title went to Triclops, a threesome from Raytheon, who finished in
6:30:05. The student category went to the Knights Who So Recently Said “Nee,” which edged out the Squirrels in this forest
skirmish by 23 seconds, finishing in 6:04:46.

Thirteen teams participated in the Standard (5-6 person) division. The men’s title went to All Your Base Are Belong To Us,
giving new fame to an epic video translation glitch and taking its nearest competition by over 5 minutes. The Running Divas
ran uncontested in the women’s category, if considerably slower than the pace set last year by Team No Pickle. Shelley’s Pretty
Team, a Tri-Club mélange, turned in a time of 5:52:06 to take the mixed category, and the men’s organization title went to
Allenwood Sort, which clocked a 6:18:31 finish.

A record 24 teams entered the fray in the mega (7-8-person) division. The men’s title went to Lugubrious Drollery, which despite
its name seemed to have a good day, finishing in 6:28:02. The mixed open category was led by the Crusading Nittany Hounds,
who also finished second overall, in a time of 5:29:47. The mixed organization category went to Muddy Runners, of Juniata
College, in 6:51:52. Three Penn State ROTC relay teams led the five-team student open category. Penn State’s Navy ROTC
turned in a time of 5:48:35, followed by PSU Marines ROTC 1 in 6:11:20 and PSU Marines ROTC 2 in 6:34:19.

Sponsors of this year’s event include Ski Tussey Mountain & Family Fun Center, WBUS-FM 97.3, Hotel State College, Anthony
G. DeBoef, B&E Cycles, CCDA Waters, McClarren Financial Advisors, Rapid Transit Sports, The Autoport, Irving’s Bagels, The
Sign Stop, Rent-A-Wreck, Nittany Mountain Trail Rides, Nittany Valley Running Club, and Runner’s World. Proceeds benefit the
renovation of the historic State Theatre in downtown State College.

The 5th Annual Tussey Mountainback 50 Mile Relay and Ultramarathon will take place on October 16, 2004.

Teams

Place   Team                                Cat.*       Time
-----   ----                                -----       ----
  1.    Rothrock Warriors                   tqmo        5:20:49
  2.    Crusading Nittany Hounds            mmxo        5:29:47 (1,3)
  3.    Juniata Valley Master Ridgerunners  tqmo        5:31:04
  4.    Runnin' On Empty                    mmxo        5:33:15
  5.    Bits and Wind                       sumo        5:44:05
  6.    Navy ROTC                           mso         5:48:35 (1)
  7.    War Lizards                         tqmo        5:50:15
  8.    Josh and Val                        sumxo       5:52:00 (1)
  9.    Shelley's Pretty Team               smxo        5:52:06 (1)
 10.    All Your Base Are Belong To Us      smo         5:57:10
 11.    Hydro Bone Wax                      smo         6:02:46
 12.    Kines Lion Striders                 sso         6:04:11
 13.    Avocados                            mmxo        6:04:28
 14.    Knights Who So Recently Said "Nee"  tqso        6:04:46 (1)
 15.    Squirrels                           tqso        6:05:09
 16.    PSU Marines ROTC 1                  mso         6:11:20
 17.    Joe's Ugly Team                     tqmo        6:15:37
 18.    Oregon East                         smo         6:17:12
 19.    Allenwood Sort                      smorg       6:18:31 (1)
 20.    Central PA Wild Men                 tqmo        6:18:50
 21.    JB's Harriers                       smxorg      6:27:30
 22.    Lugubrious Drollery                 mmo         6:28:02 (1)
 23.    Triclops                            tqmxorg     6:30:05 (1)
 24.    Micats                              mmo         6:33:48
 25.    PSU Marines ROTC 2                  mso         6:34:19
 26.    Merck                               mmxo        6:34:51
 27.    Di's Guys                           smo         6:35:42
 28.    ALEA IACTA EST                      smorg       6:39:46
 29.    Kickin' Rubber Chickens             sso         6:40:52
 30.    B-Unit                              mmxo        6:45:38
 31.    Muddy Runners                       mmxorg      6:51:52
 32.    BBRC                                mmxo        6:55:02
 33.    Springfield Stampede                mso         7:01:47
 34.    The Recruits                        mmxo        7:04:16
 35.    Running Ragged                      mmxorg      7:05:43
 36.    Flying Feet                         mmxorg      7:06:47
 37.    Crazy Last Minute Team              sso         7:09:52
 38.    Roadkill II                         mmo         7:13:44
 39.    Hayden Runners                      mmo         7:24:16
 40.    The Price Fam Striders              mmxo        7:34:51
 41.    Running Divas                       swo         7:36:18
 42.    Cassville Mountain Pounders         mmo         7:39:31
 43.    Little Lebowski's Urban Achievers   mso         7:41:33
 44.    SMG Scissorfeet                     mmo         7:45:07
 45.    Team Kino                           smxorg      7:48:47
 46.    E-Racers II                         mmxorg      7:51:43
 47.    E-Racers I                          mmxo        8:24:52

Ultras

*Categories: 
First letter denotes team size: m=mega (7-8), s=standard (5-6), tq=tri/quad (3-4), su=supra (2), u=ultra (1).
Second letter(s) are division: m=men's, w=women's, mx=mixed, s=student. 
Final letter: o=open, org=organization.

(1)  Course record in category/division.
(2)  Overall women's ultra record.
(3)  Overall mixed team course record.

(1)  Course record in category/division.
(2)  Overall women's ultra record.
(3)  Overall mixed team course record.

*** Numbers indicate runner's order in team rotation.