The Second Annual Siskiyou Challenge race has come and gone, but our Standing Stone teams are still invigorated with team spirit after a day full of running, biking, kayaking and post-race festivities. Twelve Standing Stone Brewing Co employees competed on two teams with approximately 250 other athletes in this six-leg multi-sport relay race covering 44 miles around Ashland, OR. Our teams finished 7th and 8th in the mixed gender division. In addition, Standing Stone Team B won the prize for Best Costumes, earning the nickname “Team Blue Butts.”

Proceeds from this family fun outdoor event benefit Rogue Valley Farm to School (RVF2S), one of our favorite non-profits. This program builds relationships between local farms and schools by offering classroom education and hands-on farm visits, and increasing the availability of local foods in school meals. We proudly sponsored this event this year and last, and whipped up food and beverages for racers at the finish line in Lithia Park. Other food sponsors included Rogue Valley Roasting Co serving coffee and morning treats, Artik Creamery scooping up handmade ice cream in waffle cones for the 1.4-mile Fun Run racers, and the Ashland Food Co-op donating dinner for the pre-race BBQ at Emigrant Lake. View the full list of wonderful sponsors here.

Here was the lineup of Standing Stone Brewing Co. teams for the Siskiyou Challenge 2011:

Team A:
Meg Dias, server – 13K road bike
Elliot Stone, server – 3K kayak
Brandon Schilling, waste management coordinator – 31K road bike
Salvador Cruz-Paso, prep cook – 10K run
Gina Velando, bartender – 14K mountain bike
Shey Yearsley, server – 5K finishing run

Team B:
Lindsey Wilkens, server – 13K road bike
Carolyn Stone, server – 3K kayak
Alex Amarotico, co-owner – 31K road bike
Mike DuBois, bartender – 10K run
Andy Schow, bartender – 14K mountain bike
Alicia Walker, server – 5K finishing run

As usual, our fabulous photographer, George Rubaloff, was on hand snapping shots of the racers from beginning to end. From the starting line at Lithia Park, to Emigrant Lake, and along the way back to the park for the finish, George was enthusiastically snapping photos of our Standing Stone racers. Here, we’d like to share some of our favorite moments from throughout the day.

Thank you RVF2S for another fun race in 2011, and we promise to see you again next year!