ROCKSYLVANIA DISPATCH

A look back at the history of Rock ’N The Knob, from early mountain bike rides on Blue Knob to the creation of one of Pennsylvania’s toughest trail races. Celebrating 1,500 unique participants, this Rocksylvania Dispatch explores the mountain, race evolution, waypoint names, ultramarathon ambition and the questionable judgment behind it all.

Blue Knob has been a place of tragedy, mystery, defense, recreation, community, and occasionally complete absurdity. We accumulated stories for more than a century, and we are simply adding a few more.

In August 2024, Tropical Storm Debby turned Eastern States 100 into a battle against rising water, flooded roads, changing forecasts and one impossible decision: cancel the race. In this week’s Rockslyvania Dispatch, I look back at the 16-hour fight to save Eastern States, what ultimately forced us to concede, and what happened afterward. And somewhere on a dam beneath a sky full of Perseid meteors, I realized that sometimes the most important thing is not what you lost, but

The Eastern States 100 is having a moment. After Kaylee Frederick's record-setting overall victory, more people are discovering what we've known for years: this is no ordinary 100-miler. It's 103.5 miles of rugged Pennsylvania Wilds, 21,000 feet of climbing, August heat, a roughly 50% finish rate, and a whole lot of grassroots grit. Here's what makes Eastern States different—and why the race is about far more than finishing times.