| Route: | Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK - Rosie Ruiz Version* |
| Mileage: | 12.6 miles. |
| Hillage: | The first half is an almost constant
uphill, with a one-mile downhill break. The last 6 miles is all down hill, with a mostly easy-on-the-knees grade.
Total elevation change: 1075 ft.
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| Description: | Start at the starting line of
the Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK 50 Mile Relay and Ultramarathon, on Bear
Meadows Rd in front of the south-most parking lot entrance for Tussey
Ski Area. Head up Bear Meadows Rd. About 0.6 miles from the start, take
the right on Laurel Run Road. For the next 2.5 miles, Laurel Run climbs
past three switchbacks and crests at the transition zone to Leg 2 of
the mOUnTaiNBACK Relay. Start down the steep hill. About a mile into
Leg 2, start the Rosie Ruiz short-cut by making a left on Bear Gap Rd.
Take Bear Gap up a very steep hill that thankfully gets shallower as
you climb. After climbing for over a mile-and-a-half, turn left on
Gettis Ridge Rd. You are near the top of the climb. About 0.3 miles
later, you start a long, slow descent that takes you all the way back
to Tussey Ski Area. About 0.3 miles past the crest, make a left on
North Meadows Rd. Descend the pleasant slope of North Meadows Rd, being
sure to take advantage of the overlook of Bear Meadows Natural
Area on your right. The descent flattens out after a couple of miles.
After about 2.5 miles, North Meadows Rd ends at Bear Meadows Rd. This
is about half a mile into Leg 12, the last leg, of the mOUnTaiNBACK
Relay. Make a left and continue for about 3.7 miles on the rolling
downhill stretches all the way to the finish at Tussey Ski Area. |
| Remarks: | The Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK - Rosie
Ruiz Version* is a very challenging 12.6 mile run. It takes
in all of Leg 1 of the mOUnTaiNBACK, a nearly 800 foot climb, and a
mile of Leg 2, which descends 250 ft, giving you a short break before
the last climb of over 550 ft in about 2 miles. The gentle 6 mile
descent is not too hard on the joints and offers some beautiful
scenery. If you make a right instead of a left on Bear Meadows Rd from
North Meadows, you can take a 1.2 mile out-and-back detour to the
beautiful Bear Meadows Natural Area, which you viewed from an overlook
above. The parking area at Bear Meadows Natural Area is the site of
Transition Zones 10 and 11 of the mOUnTaiNBACK Relay. *Rosie Ruiz 'won' the 1980 Boston Marathon, but was stripped of her title later in the day when it was found that she had taken the subway and skipped a good chunk of the race.
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