2026 Report

A New Chapter at the Lake
Taking the reins of an event with this much history is both a privilege and a daunting task, but the 2026 edition of the Holy Cowans Gap 50K proved exactly why this community keeps coming back to the mountains. On a crisp late-May Sunday morning, runners gathered at Pavilion #4 in Cowans Gap State Park along the waterfront to kick off their Memorial Day weekend with 31.9 miles of some of the most unforgiving terrain Pennsylvania has to offer.

At exactly 7:30 AM, the field started their watches in unison and headed into the wilderness. The course layout remains a beautiful monster, pairing smooth, flowing lakeside singletrack with brutal, uncompromising climbs that boast 5,800 feet of total vertical gain. The true soul-crusher of the day was the relentless, direct assault up Cove Mountain, closely followed by the agonizingly steep pitch of the park boundary line. Navigating by map and turnsheet, the athletes set out to earn their keep.

31 runners crossed the starting line to test their limits against the mountain.

Leaderboard & Podium Showdowns

The Men’s Field: Wolosik Pulls Away
In the men’s division, Anthony Wolosik put on an absolute clinic. Finding an incredible rhythm early on the technical descents, he gapped the field to secure the overall crown in a stellar time of 05:43:00.

Behind him, the race for the remaining podium steps provided the day’s biggest drama. Daniel Rider and Scott Lesh locked into a fierce, miles-long duel. Neither runner could break the other through the final singletrack stretch, leading to a fantastic, shared moment as they crossed the finish line together in 06:06:00 to tie for second place.

The Women’s Field: Cenci Rules the Mountain Again
The women’s race featured a brilliant display of grit and course familiarity from Lauren Cenci. Cenci put together a flawlessly paced effort to capture the women’s title, stopping the clock at 06:19:00. Her performance was fast enough to land her an incredible 6th-place finish overall.

The battle for the silver and bronze spots was equally impressive, with Blair Petrilli and Jill Krebs working in tandem through the final brutal ascents to cross the timing mat together in 06:32:00.

Mid-Pack Grit & Triumphant Returns
As a director, watching the middle and back of the pack fight through the heat of the afternoon is where the real magic happens. Brian Levine finished step-for-step with Kameron Starr in 07:23:00, while Chad Cato (07:42:00) and David Peppelman (07:59:00) both put in massive surges to break the 8-hour barrier.

A standout performance of sheer endurance came from Garret Christensen, who finished in a strong 08:08:00. By crossing the finish line today, Garret earned the highly coveted double finisher mug—a testament to absolute toughness after completing the grueling Massanutten Mountain Trails (MMT) 100 and the Holy Cowans Gap 50K on back-to-back weekends.

Ali Mohammed executed a masterful race strategy, staying perfectly on course to clock a fantastic 08:46:00. Not far behind him, John Calabrese showed immense determination by battling through the late-stage climbs to finish in 10:13:00. Angie Cato crossed the threshold at 10:30:00, and Darla Royal earned the loudest cheers of the afternoon as our final official finisher, digging deep to stop the clock at 11:50:00.

The Toll of the Trail
This course does not hand out finishes easily, and the strict time boundaries at the midpoint and the final aid stations are in place for a reason. The rugged terrain ultimately forced a handful of talented athletes to cut their days short.

Eight runners left everything they had out on the loops but ultimately concluded their day with a DNF:
• Erin Altemos
• Kevin Berdanier
• Bill Breidenstine
• Don Halke
• Don Knotts
• Chris Pabian
• Hayato Iwasaki
• Mitch Hawbaker

Gratitude to the Core
An event of this scale simply cannot exist without an army of dedicated individuals willing to stand in the woods for hours, pour cups of ginger ale, and cheer on exhausted runners. A massive, heartfelt thank you goes out to our incredible volunteer crew who kept operations seamless from sunrise to sunset.

Special recognition goes to Dan Aghdam, Chelsea Smith and family, Charlene Howard, John Hord, Jon Jester, Phil Locke and Family, Kellie Seaton, Kathleen Cusick, and Mike Edwards. Whether handling key aid stations, marking technical loops, or managing the runner check-ins, sweeping the course, or delivering pizza your tireless energy and support defined the true spirit of the club this weekend.

Passing the Torch: Honoring Stephanie Fonda
Finally, a very special, deeply personal note of appreciation must be extended to Stephanie Fonda. Stephanie’s stellar tenure as Race Director set an incredibly high benchmark for what this event can and should be. Her exceptional leadership, deep logistical knowledge, and passion for the community built the very foundation this race stands upon today. Beyond her past service, her boundless wisdom, steady guidance, and patience during the process of passing the torch have been completely invaluable to me. Thank you, Stephanie, for making this transition seamless and for leaving this beloved trail race in such phenomenal shape.

Post-Race Reflections
Once the mud was washed off, the evening wound down with cold drinks, hot food, and plenty of shared suffering stories under the pavilion. My first year steering this ship was an unforgettable experience, made entirely possible by the amazing community surrounding us. Thank you for making this event so special—rest up, and I look forward to welcoming you all back to Cowans Gap next year!

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