MARION COUNTY, KY

The Rolling Fork Run, a new venue for 2009, is now being heralded as a racer's and spectator's favorite! Nestled amongst the hills of central Kentucky, this site is bisected by the Rolling Fork River and is flanked by wooded knobs and pastures. Parking and pitting for the event was top-notch, and the starting area provided a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside.

The area received some heavy rain on the Friday before race day, and on Sunday morning the Rolling Fork was truly rolling! During the last two or three months, the river was only axle-deep, but now it was almost 24 inches deep at both crossings. After a delay and much deliberation, the race was on, with all racers having to accept that crossing the Fork was just going to be a part of this classic hare scrambles event.

When the first wave of racers reached the Fork crossing, the spectators and course workers were watching with anticipation. Chris Douglas was first across, with Nathan Alering right on his rear fender. The course ahead was virgin single-track. Alering grabbed the lead just before the woods and carved a fresh line.

"It is pretty exciting when you're flying through the woods, following arrows, and there is no trail," Alering said. "Reminded me of an enduro."

Light A racer Tanner Byarly (3, above) began picking off Heavy A racers early on and was moving steadily toward the front.

"To my surprise, Tanner was behind me," said Heavy A racer Ryan Prince (35, below). "A few turns later he slipped by on the inside of a corner. He had a good pace, so I tried to follow."

A 5-foot culvert greeted the racers after the second Fork crossing. This required some bodily gyrations to get through cleanly, and many of the taller racers were a little cramped. Riding smart was imperative if a racer wanted to do well at this event .

"I tried to be fast and smart when it came to the river and tunnels," Byarly noted, and this attack plan worked well for him, as he moved into second place overall.

As the race wore on, the water crossings took their toll on some unfortunate racers who submerged their bikes, but anyone who made even one lap was ecstatic about the course. Eventual overall winner Alering summed it up best: "I rode the last lap trying to enjoy what I thought to be one of the best tracks I have ridden. I have been around and raced a lot of tracks, and this one was right up there with the best."

When the checkered flag came out, it was Alering in first, followed by Byarly and Prince. Vet A racer David McWilliams came in fourth, just ahead of Roger Spires. Once again, Light B racer Cody Hardesty bolted toward the front with a sixth-place overall finish, ahead of Masters A racer "Sheriff" Thacker. Senior A racer Pete Redel, Sportsman racer Donnie Adams, and Heavy A racer David Huber rounded out the top 10.

The participation of the Glasscock family, who hosted the event, and the KORHS crew, all the racers, and their families is much appreciated. They all made this another great racing event in Kentucky. Please visit www.kyharescramble.com/ for more information.

Results

O/A: 1. Nathan Alering; 2. Tanner Byarly; 3. Ryan Prince; 4. David McWilliams; 5. Roger Spires.

PRO AA: 1. Nathan Alering; 2. Chris Douglas.

HVY A: 1. Ryan Prince; 2. David Huber.

LT A: 1. Tanner Byarly; 2. Rex Daugherty; 3. Matt Hunt; 4. Terry Roberts.

VET A: 1. David McWilliams; 2. Roger Spires; 3. Andrew Tilford; 4. Nick Hoskins; 5. Ryan Patterson.

SR A: 1. Pete Redel; 2. Travis Gray; 3. Kent Anness; 4. Harvey Whitaker.

MSTR A: 1. Marty Thacker; 2. Ken Wolf.

SPTSMN: 1. Donnie Adams; 2. Randy Boyd.

HVY B: 1. Justin Bell; 2. Jeremy Caudill; 3. Justin Rutherford.

LT B: 1. Cody Hardesty; 2. Chris Johnson.

VET B: 1. Earl Coffey; 2. Jason Cox; 3. Tony Butler; 4. Philip McCoy; 5. Trey Ahlgrim.

SR B: 1. Clarence Mullins; 2. Michael Glasscock; 3. Mark Willis; 4. Billy Childers; 5. Robert Sheppard.

MSTR B/C: 1. A. Christopher Ellis; 2. Bob Latter; 3. Stan Draude; 4. Greg Johnson; 5. Ben Tyler.

HVY C: 1. Jason McCaskill; 2. Matthew Mills; 3. Shannon Woods; 4. Chris Taylor; 5. Brian Napier.

LT C: 1. Charles Hudgins Jr.; 2. Jason Brown; 3. Seth Prince; 4. Neil Netherly; 5. Austin Jones.

VET C: 1. Dave Helmle; 2. Chriss Ott; 3. Kenneth Tucker; 4. Marc Labelle; 5. Ryan Aversman.

SR C: 1. Mark Nichols; 2. Hans Beck; 3. Dean Burke; 4. Denver Gibson; 5. Michael Lunsford.

BEG: 1. Matt Hanag; 2. Lucas Devries; 3. Dustin Davenport; 4. Jim Sanford; 5. John Brady.

WMN: 1. Sarah Redel; 2. Kelsy Mehuron.