Race History
How it Got Started - A Note from Ron's Running Buddy Chris Ralph
Ron Herzog was born 1/30/38. He died 5/28/96 of ALS. He was one of my first ultra running partners and a good friend.
In 1992 the ultra running group ran at Tiger Mountain on weekends. Ron Herzog and Ike Hessler tried to come and meet us but it was a long drive from Lake Stevens. So, they said why don't you come up here and run. I said, okay, lets start a race. We called it the Granite Falls 50K and ran the first one 11/15/92. We offered 3 distances: 20K, 50K and 50K + an extra credit 4 mile hill.
In 1992 Lynn O'Malley and I drove our cars right to the stream crossing for the aid station. That was the only year we were able to get that close. In future years the two mile road became more difficult to negotiate and finally caved in, as you have seen. There was also a year that the runners had to go 20 miles before they found me at my truck stopped by a 4 foot gap in the road at a bridge!
One of the snow years people couldn't see the ribbons and got off course. When asked what he was doing on their property, Steve Pierce said "a 50K" . The Navy said "oh yeah, where's your bike?" I'm sure Steve remembers the procedure that followed.
In 1995 I learned that Ron had ALS. I renamed the event to the Ron Herzog Granite Falls 50K. Ron and his wife, Michelle, attended the event. I notified everyone that he would be there. In 1996, Ron left us. I renamed the event Ron Herzog Memorial 50K.
We have had snow, rain, cold, wind and only a couple of nice days in the last 12 years.
TANKS ALOT, Ron Herzog!
Chris Ralph, RD
Cascade Running Club