INDEX

Last year, the inaugural Freedom Park New Year's Ultra Run was characterized by extremes: high winds during the day on New Year's Eve; a really, really cold night during which the outside temp fell to 9°F; and some pretty awesome performances on the course.

All in all the first annual Freedom Park New Year's Ultra Run turned out better than we'd expected, seeing that it was the first 24 hour we had ever hosted. But don't take our word for it: Ms. Bednosky and 5th place finisher Fred Dummar both posted very flattering accounts of the time they spent here with us. We really appreciated it, and think you'll enjoy reading them as much as we did.

Now that we've gained a little experience at this, we figure this year will be even better (it can't possibly be as cold this year, can it?). Please consider putting us on your calendar and spending the New Year's holiday here with us in Morganton. We'll do our best to see to it you're well cared for.

David & Rhonda Lee

Matt Chaffin of Manlius, NY claimed the overall title with a total distance of 125.45 miles, while Annette Bednosky was first female and second overall with 121.99 miles to her credit. Based on their performances bere, both went on to represent the USA in the World 24-Hour Championships. The NC trio of Richard Lilly, Fred Dummar, and Scot Hayward combined for 321.83 miles to win the Interstate Championship.

Just as remarkable was the performance of 80-year young Jerry Johncock who made the trip from Michigan to stop by and eclipse the then-current American age group record in the 50K by almost half an hour.