Camptown Races uphold tradition

BY BRIAN BISHOP

CAMPTOWN - The 43rd annual running of the "Camptown Races," inspired by the 19th century song of the same name by Bradford County resident Stephen Foster, was held on Saturday.

Besides the 10K foot race, the event included food and fun for all ages, with a kid's fun run held in the afternoon, a chicken barbecue prepared by the Camptown Civic Club, a hayride, and local vendors and artists, according to Virginia Woodruff, president of the Camptown Civic Club.

While there is no historical evidence of a race track other than the reference in Foster's song, the distance from Camptown to Wyalusing is five miles, just like the "five miles long" mentioned in the song, Woodruff said.

"It's our claim to fame."

The 10K race has become a piece of history in its own right, according to race director Karl Peterson. The race has been held for 43 years, he said, and the course has stayed pretty much the same over the years. Saturday was a "picture-perfect day for a race," Peterson said, with warm sun and cool air for the runners. The course is "absolutely grueling," he said, winding through the hills and across creeks and other obstacles, and is rocky and rough going in sections. Some of the runners competing in the event Saturday had raced in the event almost every year for all 43 years, he said. 65 runners competed in the race, up from 54 last year, Peterson said.

Race winner Reece Ayers, a junior at Tunkhannock High School, said he had run the race three times before Saturday. Of those three years, the conditions Saturday were the best he had seen so far, Ayers said.

"It was really nice out today."

Ayers said he loved the course, with the first half starting on roads; but the second half is the "most challenging course I've ever run on," with the mountainous terrain and creeks and other obstacles on the course. Ayers said he runs Cross Country for Tunkhannock.

Wyalusing student Keith Howard made the event his senior project this year, and cleared the trails before the race and ordered the trophies and T-shirts for the event as well. "I've been around it my whole life," he said, adding that his brother made it his senior project as well.

Woodruff said that while some things have changed over the course of the event's 43 years, the purpose behind it, "to celebrate our uniqueness," hasn't. Some of the games played at the event have changed over the years, and the event used to include a square dance at night, she said. The event fosters a sense of community, she said, and offers a chance for people to come back home and reunite with neighbors and friends.

The event draws between 300-400 people each year, she said, and the civic club usually sells out all 500 halves of "the best chicken around" that they cook.

Brian Bishop can be reached at (570) 888-9652; or e-mail: bbishop@thedailyreview.com.Top finishers

Following are the top ten finishers in Saturday's Camptown Races 10K, along with their team and finish times:

Reese Ayers Tunkannock Bobcats 0:35:40

Daniel Blackman individual 0:36:47

David Novak Tunkannock Bobcats 0:38:32

Peter Korb Team Wyalusing 0:38:40

Ben Robinson Tunkannock Bobcats 0:39:13

Jeremy Stonier Tunkannock Bobcats 0:40:26

Randy White Tunkannock Bobcats 0:42:32

Chad Butcher Team Wyalusing 0:42:38

Cory Faux Dum Terminus 0:42:43

Nik Atkins Dum Terminus 0:44:11

Following are the top male and female runners, and finish times:

Male

First Reese Ayers 0:35:40

Second Daniel Blackman 0:36:47

Female

First Amelia Ayers 0:48:05

Second Katie Prouly 0:49:06

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