Hip-Hop icon P. Diddy ran the standard 26.2-mile New York City marathon last fall to raise money for charity.

This fall, Tussey Mountainback ultra-runners will run almost twice as long for what they consider "fun".

On Oct. 2, the 2004 Tussey Mountainback 50-mile Relay and Ultramarathon will take place with implications like never before.

The Mountainback, located in Rothrock State Forest just southeast of State College, has been chosen by USA Track & Field as the venue for the 2004 USA 50-Mile Road National Championship event. The race is open for any runners who have experience in an ultramarathon.

The Tussey Mountainback course, which has been described as extremely difficult, to say the least, by Mike Casper, the co-founder and director of the marathon, promises to draw a plethora of the country's best runners.

The course is almost twice as long as a regulation marathon and accumulates total elevation gains of 5,035 ft.

Solo runners, also known as Ultra-runners, run the entire course in less than 11 hours.

Nevertheless, runners plan to display their grit and toughness on one the more vigorous terrains around.

Besides the course being as hard as a differential calculus exam, it also has beautiful scenery.

"This is such a gorgeous place to experience," said Steve Bodner, co-director and co-founder of the event. "For years runners have covered these roads for long distance training. We wanted to bring a full-fledged event here."

The USATF felt that the course was more than good enough to play host to its national event.

"We were very impressed with the balanced and well thought-out bid that Tussey Mountainback submitted," said Janice Anderson, the spokesperson for the USATF's Mountain/Ultra/Trail Running Council, in a press release.

Event organizers Casper and Bodner were ecstatic when news broke that their course would host such a popular event.

"This is a great place to run and it's a privilege to have the spotlight put on our town," Casper said.

Although the course totals 50 miles in length, there is encouraging news for those who aren't outlandish enough to run lonesome.

The course is not all uphill and runners don't have to run the entire distance without help.

Along with the solo race, there is an open relay race that allows teams to participate with anywhere from two to eight runners per team.