A new international trail running event will launch in Centre County this spring, expanding the long-running Rothrock Trail Challenge into a two-day race weekend under the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc World Series banner.
Organizers announced at a press conference on Tuesday at Tussey Mountain that Rothrock by UTMB will take place Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17 in Rothrock State Forest, featuring a 50-kilometer race on Saturday and a 25-kilometer race on Sunday.
The race, which will start and finish at Tussey Mountain, marks the first time a UTMB World Series–branded trail running event will be held in the region and builds on a locally operated race that has been part of central Pennsylvania’s trail running community since 2009.
The UTMB World Series is a global trail running circuit that hosts top amateur and elite athletes at events held in mountainous destinations across multiple continents, according to a press release. Launched in 2021 through a collaboration between the UTMB Group and the IRONMAN Group, the series now includes dozens of races worldwide and provides runners a pathway to qualify for the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc World Finals.
Eric Engelbarts, executive director of the Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Alliance, said the project developed over nearly two years and stemmed from a focus on strengthening the area’s trail running profile while attracting visitors during slower tourism periods.
“We’re relatively a new… nonprofit organization, with the Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Alliance getting up and running a little less than three years ago,” Engelbarts said. “We’ve developed relationships with Penn State University, and then our sights turned to ‘What else do we have to offer in this beautiful county of ours?’ And obviously we have all this interconnected trail system. And so we really honed in on ‘What can we do to elevate our trail running community?’”
Engelbarts said organizers did not have to look far for a partner, pointing to the region’s existing trail network and the reputation of the Rothrock Trail Challenge.
“As you know, we hosted the Ironman here, and Ironman owns a minority stake in the UTMB division, so we started networking,” Engelbarts said. “We introduced them to the Rothrock Trail Challenge, and then eventually worked our way through the permitting process of the state, even securing a grant to be able to help offset the expenses of bringing in UTMB.”
UTMB brand carries international recognition and interest, Engelbarts said, which helped solidify support for expanding the race.
“I think UTMB holds a world renowned brand,” he said. “And with that, people are interested and they want to know more. When we approached the Rothrock Trail Challenge about doing this from the beginning, they were definitely interested. This is such a great community asset that was a no-brainer.”
The race weekend will be held on the same dates historically used for the Rothrock Trail Challenge, UTMB’s director of trail running in North America Mike Leone said. The 25K will follow the traditional course, while the 50K will expand on that route.
“I’m so glad that we’re finally here at the finish line,” Leone said. “We’re going to be starting out with two distances for our first year.”
Leone said the 25K will include about 3,800 feet of elevation gain, while the 50K will feature about 5,700 feet. Organizers expect about 1,100 runners in the first year, which is the event’s permitted capacity, according to Leone.
Paul Huddle, senior director of global trail running operations for the UTMB World Series, said the event will introduce runners from outside the region to central Pennsylvania.
“I couldn’t be more excited to see this event come to fruition in mid May, and all the runners coming from all of the country, really, all over the world, getting to know this area,” Huddle said.
The event also aligns with the alliance’s mission to drive tourism during traditionally slower periods, Engelbarts said, noting the timing of the race weekend.
“One of the things that we like to do is take low occupancy weekends,” he said. “This weekend in May, it’s actually the weekend after the May commencement at Penn State. So typically, a downtime in this area.”
UTMB has committed to donating proceeds from the first three years of the event back into the local community, Engelbarts said, with projected contributions of up to $40,000 supporting trail development, infrastructure and local organizations.
“I think what’s important is that UTMB has pledged to donate the proceeds for the first three years to the local community,” Engelbarts said. “So it’s important to know that, you know, when these national operators are coming in, they’re not just coming in and taking; they’re coming in and giving back and making what people love even better.”
Pennsylvania Director of Outdoor Recreation Nathan Reigner said the event reflects a broad collaboration between state agencies, local organizations and a global race operator.
“When I look at Rothrock by UTMB, I see proof in the pudding of our economic development recipe of our outdoor recreation recipe of our tourism recipe here in the commonwealth,” Reigner said.
The race will be co-directed by longtime Rothrock Trail Challenge leaders Meira Minard and Scott Sheeter. Minard, a seven-time winner of the event, said the course’s variety has always made it special.
“This has always been my favorite trail race, and it has such a diverse amount of trails and even more now that we have the 50k,” Minard said.
Sheeter, who has recreated in Rothrock State Forest since the 1980s, said the race will continue its tradition of supporting the Tussey Mountain Ski Patrol.
“We’ve always run this race as a fundraiser for the ski patrol at Tussey Mountain,” Sheeter said. “We got to do the things that we love to do, run around in the woods, while raising some well needed money….We’re going to continue to try and support our local community through proceeds of this recent race going forward.”
The Rothrock Trail Challenge began in 2009 after being founded by Craig Fleming of the PA Trail Dogs, according to its website. After a hiatus following the 2018 race, the event returned in 2021 as a fundraiser for the Tussey Mountain Ski Patrol, with an additional shorter course added in 2023.
The event website went live Tuesday and early priority registration opens Tuesday, Dec. 9, with general registration beginning on Thursday, Dec. 11.
