OR Daily – Rock Creek

I really enjoyed working with Doug on the OR Daily this year – it was a blast – Here is one of the articles I wrote:

Rock Creek Outfitters Helps Put Southern Town on the Map
By: orshowdaily
Published: January 25th, 2009
BY KRIS VERSTEEGEN

With easy access to world-class whitewater, some amazing sandstone climbing areas and thousands of acres of national forest, Chattanooga is quickly growing into one of the major outdoor recreation attractions of the South. But Dawson Wheeler and Marvin Webb have played a part in putting this quaint southern town on the outdoor map.

The two close friends founded Rock Creek Outfitters in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, with two aims: to make Rock Creek a big part of the community and to make Chattanooga the outdoor recreation capital of the Southeast.
“The community is a big part of what we do. Dawson and Marvin really want to leave a legacy. They don’t want to look back at Rock Creek and say, ‘Oh we sold a lot of jackets,’” said Mark McKnight, marketing director for Rock Creek Outfitters. “Rock Creek has always given back to the community, but recently we have gotten a lot more focused in our efforts.”
One of the models for this focused effort was the Triple Crown Bouldering Series. Chad Wyckle, one of three co-organizers of the series, was previously employed at Rock Creek. During his tenure, the company gave him time to organize and execute the first event held at The Stone Fort near Chattanooga. The success of this competition laid the groundwork for Rock Creek’s event-based grassroots marketing.
To make Chattanooga the outdoor reaction capital of the Southeast, Rock Creek’s owners determined they would need to take two important steps. First, they wanted to help build an infrastructure of trails that are easily accessible from downtown Chattanooga. Second, they wanted to mobilize the community to use this infrastructure.

Rock Creek started this long-term project with the help of two former Boulder, Colorado, locals: Chris and Randy Horton. Together they formed the Wilderness Trail Running Association, known by its URL, RunInTheBoonies.org, or Boonies for short.

Immediately Rock Creek and Boonies began building new trails and holding local trail running races on them. All of the money raised from race entry fees went straight into building more trails. At the same time, they created a new trail running club, adding a social aspect to the sport.

“When we started this project, there actually wasn’t a trail running club at all in the Chattanooga area. There was a track club and they hosted one race that they called a trail race, but it was really more like a cross-country event,” McKnight said. “So we started the Wilderness Trail Running Association. Our goal was to expand the success we had with these races and use all of that momentum to build trails.”

These efforts have helped build a strong trail running and outdoor community in Chattanooga, not to mention, miles of new trails. Last December these efforts culminated with the first Rock Creek sponsored 100-K ultra marathon, The Lookout Mountain 100-K. The race was held on trails built and maintained by Rock Creek and Boonies.

“When we started organizing the Lookout Mountain 100-K, the trails did not exist. You couldn’t string several trails together to make a 100-K race. So, we committed to build these trails and work through all of the access issues. It came down to the wire, but we pulled it off,” McKnight said.

These trails and these races have left a lasting imprint on Chattanooga’s outdoor community. According to McKnight, Rock Creek Outfitters has quickly become known as more than just another outdoor shop. Many trail runners in the area would say that Rock Creek has already left a legacy well beyond selling a lot of jackets.