Participant Comments

Some randomly selected comments (well OK, it's just the complimentary comments!)
Many thanks to those who took the time to send them in.

Again another great job for the MS 50 crew. This year I brought 7 of my fellow 75th Ranger Regiment brothers with me that are in training for the Best Ranger Competition, 6 where in there very first ultra , 5 had recently returned back from OEF/OIF ( OEF = Operation Enduring Freedom ( Afghanistan), OIF = Operation Iraqi Freedom). All 8 finished strong, 6 ended up placing in the top 13 and Nick and Chris took 2nd and 3rd overall. Rangers Lead The Way!

I would like to thank Dennis for a job well done, Running Bear & Mrs. Bear it was great seeing you both again. Thanks for your hard work and dedication to maintaining the best Ultra website on the net. For the Aid station workers and volunteers again great job there the best every year. (To the ladies who run the bead station every year I missed the beads this year:) I bet my Rangers would have earned a few if you had them. Again Thanks for the good time and training, I look forward to seeing you all next year.

MATT WILSON
P.S. Running Bear the BRC is April 22-25

Thanks for taking on a wonderful race. It has been a favorite of mine for years now. You guys truly know the meaning of "southern hospitality." Tell Steve DeReamer I said thanks! Tell Running Bear the website is incredible! To all the aid station volunteers...you guys are the best!

Sincerely,

DeWayne Satterfield

Congratulations to Dennis Bisnette for a job well done. He took on the job as new director of the Carl Touchstone Memorial 50 Trail Run in Laurel, MS which was held this past Saturday. Also, this was his very first time to direct a race.
He and his volunteers did an excellent job. There were quite a few improvements made from years past. A record number of entrants and participants was noted this year. The rain stayed away making the trails dry except for the bottomlands which
never dry out. Having no mud to run in for the entire distance did not seem
normal. Aid station workers were friendly and helpful as always.
Very nice Patagonia Capilene shirts were given to every entrant in place of
the usual cotton tees. It was wonderful to run on my old stomping grounds and seeing all my ultra friends from MS and LA. Had a bout of homesickness on Sunday.
Great job, Dennis!! Looking forward to next year. Rain or shine.

Raz
M'boro, TN

Dennis, I read your race director report. It is a tribute to you, to your wife, to Running Bear*, and to the corps of your other volunteers that we didn't know about anything that had gone wrong for you till after we were safely home!

By the way, I hope you continue as race director, Dennis. It is apparent that good race directors and trial attorneys have a lot in common, from being well-prepared, to facing potential disasters without flinching, to thinking quickly on your feet, to speaking confidently to a public gathering, and to doing it all as a class act.

We Cheeseheads had a wonderful time at your race. Five of us were there and all five of us finished in good times, with big smiles on our faces. (Ann Heaslett, Kathy and Paul Braun, Beth Simpson, and me, Tim Yanacheck). And I'm glad you folks had the opportunity to see our Ann run - she's a special little gold nugget. We'll tell all our friends about the MS50, and I hope to see you again next year.

Our best regards to all the new friends we met last weekend.

Tim.

* It is really nice that all the results and other information were posted on your website so promptly after the race - I was able to send links to friends and family around the country right away.

I just wanted to drop a short email to thank everyone who helped put on a great event this past weekend. This was my first ultra trail run and am glad to say will not be my last. Everything was extremely well organized, the volunteers were wonderful and cheerful, the course was exactly as advertised, the aid stations were well staffed and stocked, the web page was overly informative, and my first such race was one to remember. Dennis Bisnette did a great job directing the race and was a pleasure to meet as were all the other volunteers and runners I met this past weekend.

The only advice that I could possibly offer, and this would depend on the consent of Dr. Touchstone's wife, would be to read his poem "Never Quit On the Uphill" at the pre-race meeting during the pasta dinner. Seeing that this event is named in his honor and that the poem obviously fits, I thought it may be a fitting tribute that everyone may enjoy. It is also short and would not take too much time. Just a thought to consider.

I have every intention to sign up next year for this great event. The only regret is not starting sooner. Thanks again for a great time.

Ethan Mayeu

Dennis:

Many thanks to you and your outstanding volunteers for putting on a great event.

Kevin Dorsey

Dear Dennis: Thanks for a great running experience. A first for myself and my two sons. The food was great and to the person, everyone associated with the race gets five stars. A special thanks to the weather coordinator, an exceptional job. As a side bar, my wife and both sons owe their straight teeth to Dr. T. Thanks again. Al Mayeu

Many thanks to everyone who helped with the race. It was may first race of any kind and I enjoyed the whole experience. Please keep me informed about upcoming events in the South. I think I have found a new hobby.

Thanks again,

Ian Bergin
Laurel, MS

Hi,
Here are the picts. Not as many as I wanted. I got my finger in front of
the lens on a few. I guess that is the curse of small hands. Thanks for a
great race. There will definitely be a Baton Rouge contingent next year --
we'll tell our friends.

Linda Bui

Hi Dennis

Thanks for putting on such a great race, now I know why my friends keep coming back every year. Please mention to your volunteers how much we appreciate their hard work, without volunteers there would be no races.

Mike Brooks

...to you & all the others who made this outing possible.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself...& even broke a "challenge time" I'd set for myself (having never before run the 20K distance).

The best & most meaningful aspect was running this with my son, Scott. Though last year in the MS50 he completed the 50K & last Fall completed the Florida Ironman in Panama City, he held back & paced "ole dad". Our previous run together had been a 8K through the streets of Rome, Italy, on 1 Jan 2000. By July 1, he will have graduated from the Univ.of Alabama in Aerospace Engineering, been commissioned into the USAF, have gotten married, and reported to his first assignment in flight-school for pilot training...I & his mother, on the other hand, will have returned to our ministry in Italy, where we've served for 18yrs. So, thanx for the memories...
and may God's blessing be upon your future endeavors.

Sincerely,
Dudley Graves