Everyone’s A Winner At Try-All By Fire

Several people had asked me over the past few months exactly what Try-All By Fire was all about. Was it a race? What were the events? Where was it? All valid questions for this first-year event which was conceived and brought to life by Tim Schlitzer and Jerry Amabile, owners of Try Chips. (If you ran the St. Luke’s Half Marathon this past spring and were at the Race Expo you most likely had the opportunity to meet the infectiously funny pair. Their Try Chips have been been sweeping the country, it seems athletes are hungry for these all-natural treats.)

Try-All By Fire is by all definitions a finish line event. Basically, you plan what you want to do and how long you want to do it. All you need to do was cross the finish line between 4:00-6:00 pm and enjoy the party that this dynamic duo put together.

Try-All By Fire took place this past Saturday in Renovo, PA. If you aren’t sure where Renovo is, it’s pretty much smack dab in the middle of north central PA. Not much out there except some pretty high mountains and no cell phone reception.

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The big questions at the finish line party was “What did you do today?”  Everybody had a great story about their quest to the finish line, and yes, for some it was a real quest. Finishers consisted of individuals, small groups, large groups, and families – all crossing one of the best finish lines I’ve had the opportunity to cross.

Not only was Try-All By Fire a great stage for families – several were in attendance, there was even a scheduled kid hike going on – but the more serious and ultra-minded athletes came out to play that day, and play hard they did! There were hang gliders who took off from atop Hyner View across the river and floated to a safe landing before trekking to the finish line, folks who spent two days hiking, cyclists who rode 50 and more miles, and others who enjoyed mixing it up and rode, ran and kayaked their way to the Try-All party.

My family and I joined our friends for a 2 hour bike ride, not an easy task when you have three kids in the group ages 5-7. Undaunted, we set out across the west branch of the Susquehanna River and then dropped down to an access road running along the river. Biking along the river was not only scenic with the river on one side of us and mountains shooting straight up on the other side of us, but fun as we made our way down the windy, dirt road riddled with rocks and holes. After a good hour on the bumpy road and sure that if we continued any further we would have to pay dearly as our children melted down with exhaustion, we turned around and headed back. As predicted, a couple of tears were shed but an unexpected and brief rain shower breathed new life into us as we neared the finish line. In total, we rode somewhere between 13-14 miles which is quite impressive for the 5 and 7 year olds.

We could hear the finish line before it came into view. The beat of the drums drew us closer as did the knowledge that food and drinks would be waiting for us. On such a warm day you would think the kids would opt for a slushee from the Sheetz truck which was one of our first stops beyond the finish line. No … they much preferred hot chocolate, of all things. My husband and I, a bit puzzled, wondered what was wrong with our kids that would make them want hot chocolate after a bike ride until we realized ALL of the kids were drinking the same thing. It got me thinking about the chocolate milk recovery drink phenomenon … these kids had it right!

After everyone finished their adventures to the finish line we were treated to one of the best parties a tired, hungry athlete could ask for. You can’t go wrong with a pig roast and freshly tapped beer from Yorkholo Brewery. To top it off we were treated to live music from two great bands; The Echo & Sway from Lock Haven, and Hoots and Hellmouth from Philadelphia. Dancing was going on until late in the evening.

This event is one that will definitely be on my calendar for next year! If you want to get away from it all and camp out with a bunch of fun athletes in one of the most beautiful settings in Pennsylvania, throw in a run, bike ride, kayaking, or whatever floats your boat, then meet me there a year from now!