On Aug. 29, Grove Stone & Sand Co.’s Black Mountain, N.C., operation hosted a race described as “one of the grittiest courses in the Spartan venue,” on the Reebok Spartan website. In deciding to host the race, Grove Stone knew that it had a unique opportunity to share its property with outdoor enthusiasts and provide a boost to the local economy.
“The race went great. The course was perfect and very challenging,” said Jon Neumann, Western North Carolina sales manager and race director for the annual Rock the Quarry 5K, which will be held Sept. 19.
The race delivered on both accounts. “Our mining quarry was a great venue for such an event because of the variety of washed and screened granite material on-site, which were used to design the challenges during the race,” the company said. “The steep slopes and rocky terrain added to the challenge.”
A total of 5,725 daring participants finished the 8.5-mile race, complete with 30 obstacles, including a fire jump, barbed wire crawl, rope climb, spear throw, tire drag, wall traverse and more.
“Overall, the event was a blast for Grove Stone and for the community in which we work,” the company said. “Several of our employees and family participated in the event.”