©2009 NPT PHOTO BY RUSSELL LAWS

Cocke County High School's Leo Woods was tops
at the Navy Seal Extreme Off-Road Challenge in Cosby.

COSBY-The rain and soggy ground did not get in the way of this past Sunday's Navy SEAL Extreme Off-Road run in Cosby, touted as "the most unique running and fitness event in Tennessee". Race creator/director, and retired Navy SEAL, Dan Schreder of Smoky Mountain Endeavors, Inc. actually thinks it added to the venue's already incredibly strenuous race course.

"These runners knew what they were getting into when they signed up, some as far back as early August, so a bit more mud and sloppy conditions didn't scare them off," said Schreder. "Our 5.6Km (3.5mile) trail running experience that includes long steep climbs, an obstacle course, a pond to run through, a creek bed to navigate, a near vertical hill-side rope climb to complete is such a departure from the traditional road or trail running race that our competitors get super excited for this event."

Even though this was just the second such event (the first was held in April 2009) the 133 participants came from near and far. Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee were all well represented. Spectators and runner's family members put the total crowd on hand to an estimated 200 strong.

The race kicked off after a few short words from distinguished guests comprised of State Representative Eddie Yokley, Field Representative John Abe Teague (for Congressman Phil Roe), and Cocke County Mayor Iliff McMahan Jr.

"This is a great event for the area," said Mayor McMahan. "This is yet another example of great people with great purpose here in Cocke County, and we are excited to show visitors this beautiful area we have to offer."

Cocke County Tourism Director Linda Lewanski and Cocke County Chamber of Commerce Director Kandee Veridal were in attendance as well, providing apples to participants from Carver's apple orchard courtesy of the Cocke County Partnership.

It was a quick start for Newport's own Leo Woods, a junior from Cocke County High School, fresh off a noteworthy cross-country season with the Fighting Cocks. He led start to finish and completed the course in 40:17. Last April's defending champ, Taylor Haney of Knoxville, won his 20-29 year old age group, but came up second to the younger Woods overall. In a surprise thrill for the race director, his son, Drew Schreder, a freshman at Cosby High School, was the third overall finisher.

Women came to be challenged as well, and the race saw Elise Bahr of Homewood, Alabama take home top honors with a time of 57:32. Second overall female finisher was Karen Seiferth of Johnson City. Another nice surprise for the race creator was seeing his daughter, Brooke Schreder, a 7th grader at Cosby Elementary, take home third place overall female finisher.

Eleven four-person teams made up of young and old, co-ed, serious or novice runners, or those just doing it for the experience, dotted the race course. Their task was to start, compete, and finish together, as a team. The winning team was a group called "Team Kill" from Ooltewah with a time of 55:25.

Proceeds from the race will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Newport/Cocke County. Unit Director Shane Borie, Board President Derrick Woods and fellow board member Dan Dickens were on hand assisting with the event.

A huge presence was the Lady Red basketball program of Cocke County with head coach Wade Wester. A work force of 19 girls came to help direct runners from one trail to another, one obstacle to another and so on.

"I could not have done the race without them," said Schreder. "They wanted to contribute to something bigger than themselves. Our race was a good fit for the girls to assist with, letting them see first hand their contribution to showcasing Cocke County in a positive light to our race competitors and guests. They did an outstanding job. Some girls have now commented they want to compete in the next race and I look forward to seeing them."

Schreder is already making plans to host the next race on April 10, 2010, but that is not totally firm yet. Additional information about the race can be found at www.smokymountainendeavors.com. Photos from the event are linked from the race site, or found directly at www.cockecountysports.com.

Men's First Place: Leo Woods.

Women's First Place: Elise Bahr.

Men's 19-and-Under: 1. Leo Woods, 2. Drew Schreder, 3. Brian Conner.

Men's 20-29: 1. Taylor Haney, 2. Steve Husky, 3. Mitch Thomas.

Men's 30-39: 1. Daniel Lucas, 2. Zach Miller, 3. John Parker.

Men's 40-49: 1. David Haas, 2. Greg Sikes, 3. Rommel Sia.

Men's 50-and-Up: 1. Gary Carver, 2. William Owen, 3. Harry Zain.

Women's 19-and-Under: 1. Brooke Schreder.

Women's 20-29: 1. Elise Bahr, 2. Andrea Kimbrough, 3. Shawna McKinney.

Women's 30-39: 1. Danielle Bahr, 2. Nicole Owen, 3. Karen Frank.

Women's 40-49: 1. Patty Christopher, 2. Christina Werner, 3. Pam McAmis.

Women's 50-and-UP: 1. Karen Seiferth, 2. Suzanne Vreeland.

©2009 NPT PHOTO SUBMITTED

Getting ready for the Navy SEAL Extreme Off-Road
Challenge are Cocke County Lady Red coach Wade Wester
(bottom left), Dan Schreder (bottom right) of Smoky Mountain
Endeavors, Inc., Derrick Woods (above left), Chairman of the
Boys & Girls Club of Newport/Cocke County Board of Directors
and Shane Borie (above right), Boys & Girls Club Unit Director.

COSBY-Get in running shape folks, here it comes again!

The Navy SEAL Extreme Off-Road Challenge is set for Halloween morning, Saturday, October 31, in Cosby. The event with local, regional, and multi-state appeal, is preparing for its second race event in 2009.

The first ever event was held in April, drawing an impressive 69 runners from Cocke County, all of East Tennessee, and believe it or not, four different states. However, the event creator, race director, and marketing representative, Dan Schreder of Smoky Mountain Endeavors, Inc. believes many more participants will come out in October.

"We continue to get the word out about this challenging event," said Schreder, a retired Navy veteran with nearly 19 years serving in our military's Special Operations arena as a Navy SEAL. "Our first ever event was a real success. I received such positive feedback from all of the participants. They have no doubt told friends and running partners about this unique competition, and I think they will be back and will be bringing friends with them. We are weeks away from the competition and I have already had many entry forms come in. I honestly expect between 150 and 200 participants for this one."

According to Schreder, on average, one in three participants bring a friend or some family with them, so they could see well over 300 people on race day.

Claiming to be "the most unique running and fitness event in Tennessee," Schreder makes sure he does not disappoint.

"The terrain alone here in Cosby is a real kick in the pants for participants over the 5.6 kilometer (3.5 mile) course, but by including a long hill climb that leads to great views of the National Park, steep down hill sections, a full blown man-made obstacle course with challenges requiring both strength and balance, a near vertical hillside rope climb, running through a shallow pond and a muddy creek bed, we make it tough, but break it up with one-of-a-kind variations that regular road races or trail runs just can't offer.

"Even though I am a recent transplant to this area, I take great pride in marketing and offering this event here in Cocke County (held on private property)," said Schreder. "If this event can have even a small positive economic impact on our county, I would be proud. I listen to good advice from our tourism director, Linda Lewanski, and our Cocke County Partnership representatives, Kandee Veridal and Lynn Ramsey, as I continue to try to platform this as a weekend getaway for participants that come from outside the area. If we can get folks to stay here and spend here, that translates into direct dollars for Cocke County. Anything ranging from a tank of gas, lunch at a local establishment, or two nights stay in a cabin rental or hotel is a win for Cocke County in my book," said Schreder.

For this upcoming fall race, Schreder has teamed up with the Boys & Girls Club of Newport/Cocke County. Proceeds from the race will be donated to the club. Shane Borie, local Unit Director of the Boys & Girls Club was surprised when approached by Smoky Mountain Endeavors, Inc.

"In early August Dan phoned me with his proposal to assist the Boys & Girls Club" said Borie. "It was a bit of a surprise. We have been very fortunate to receive donations from generous citizens and organizations of Cocke County through the years, but it's not every day that someone contacts us with this great energy and willingness to provide a donation and help us market the benefits of the Boys & Girls Club. We do what we can with what we have, but donations are incredibly helpful to our program and the young people it touches."

Assisting in event setup and race organization is the Lady Red basketball program, led by head coach Wade Wester.

"We were looking to do some community service that benefited a local program or charity, and strangely enough, Dan called me looking for assistance," said Wester. "The timing was incredible. We put our heads together and came up with a good plan for Dan and our girls to positively impact a great program like the Boys & Girls club. We're excited about it."

Sponsorship opportunities are still available.

"I generate sponsors to help pay down the costs associated with hosting the event," said Schreder. "The more sponsors I get, the more I can directly donate to the Boys & Girls Club." For this event, $200 gets the sponsor regional marketing with a web link from the official race site, name on the back of the event T-shirt, a professional quality banner that will hang at the race, the opportunity to come and promote the business or organization at the race itself, and the knowledge that the Boys & Girls Club is benefiting from all this.

"The event is open to spectators, free of charge," said Schreder. "We hope to have some curious folks come on out and see the excitement first hand. It's a spread out event, all over the property, but if folks wear good footwear, they can hike around and witness all the various aspects of the event."

The race has only one distance, but there are two categories: Individual or team competition. Individual needs no explaining. However, in the team competition, four person teams will compete for bragging rights, as each team must run the course together. In essence, the team is only as fast as its slowest competitor.

"I hope the team challenge gains in popularity, because it is an excellent way to grow camaraderie and teamwork," commented Schreder. "We had several teams for the last race, but the potential is limitless. I created the team event to encourage high school teams to challenge other high school teams, police to challenge firemen, corporate divisions to challenge one another, and so on. The teams have a lot of fun with it."

Thinking about doing the race? Better start training today! Need to check out the course for yourself to see what you are getting in to? Call (423) 200-9935 to set up a visit. The entry fee is $25 before October 24 and $30 after. This includes T-shirt, muddy feet, perspiration, and an unforgettable time!

Sign-in and registration will run from 8 a.m.-9:45 a.m. with the event starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 31.

For additional information and directions, go to: www.smokymountainendeavors.com.