30 Hour Marathon on the Screamin' Eagle

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:29 am

Next week Dave and myself will join a bunch of other crazy bastards in attempting to ride the Screamin' Eagle at Six Flags St. Louis for 30 hours. Here is the press release: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060713/cgth055.html?.v=54

Six Flags St. Louis Celebrates 30th Birthday of the World Famous Screamin' Eagle

Thursday July 13, 6:45 pm ET

American Coaster Enthusiasts Travel Cross Country to Ride the Wooden Roller Coaster for 30 Consecutive Hours

ST. LOUIS, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Six Flags St. Louis celebrates the 30th Birthday of the world-famous Screamin' Eagle roller coaster with a 30-Hour Ride-A-Thon on Thursday and Friday, July 20 & 21. Members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, who consider the classic wooden coasters an "endangered species," travel cross-country to ride the three-quarter mile long wooden coaster beginning at 8 AM July 20 and ending at 2 PM July 21.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060713/CGTH055 )

Opened in 1976, The Screamin' Eagle was the last creation of famed coaster designer John Allen and said to be his favorite. Standing at 110-feet tall, 3,872-feet long and flying at a maximum speed of 62-mph, the Screamin' Eagle earned the title of "Longest, Tallest, Fastest Roller Coaster in the World" in the Guinness Book of World Records. This classic figure-eight roller coaster swoops over 11 lifts and 10 lows including an 87 and 100 foot plunge, the two longest drops known at the time of the coaster's opening. Today, the Screamin' Eagle stands in the shadow of The Boss sporting its original red, white and blue colors that it opened with in that bicentennial year. One of the most popular rides at the theme park, the Screamin' Eagle is the opponent that park goers of all ages must conquer before earning their place as a true thrill seeker. Visit http://sixflags.com for more statistics and photos on the Screamin' Eagle.

On July 20 and 21, American Coaster Enthusiasts from around the country take a seat on this great American coaster and mark 30 years with 30 hours of consecutive riding. Representing California, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, Louisiana, New York and St. Louis, 20 riders make the coaster and its ups and downs, twists and turns home with only one food and bathroom break per hour. ACE, founded in 1978, is a non-profit organization with over 8,000 members involved in activities including award-winning publications, events and exhaustive preservation efforts of wooden roller coasters. In the early 1920's some 2,000 wooden coasters existed, fewer than 125 exist today. ACE has made saving or relocating endangered coasters, an integral part of Americana, a goal and major part of their purpose as an organization!

Post by **AMartin777** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 11:57 am

You guys have a great time out there and make sure you don't overheat! Sounds like a great time!

bgwfreak777 · Post by **bgwfreak777** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:59 am

I'm glad you won't be marathoning on Hurricane!

I thought the coaster was very smooth back in May, so hopefully you'll have a good time.

Find a chiropracter afterwards.

Post by **AMartin777** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 3:22 pm

Well, so far they're hanging in there though when Jonathan called me at 1pm today, he told me he just got through puking over the rail on the SE exit ramp.

The heat is just rediculous and it's taking its toll.

He went on to say that Dave has been hanging in there the whole time so far! HE'S A MACHINE!!!!

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:34 am

I did in fact make it through the 30 hours. I have bruises in places I didn't even know existed. I was one of two people to vomit within the first five hours, but unlike the other guy, I got back on and kept going. The heat was ridiculous, with temperatures well above 100 degrees. The park was so awesomefied, keeping the loading platform filled with snacks and drinks all day, and we made out like bandits with prizes. Everyone who participated got a Six Flags season pass for this year (if they didn't already have one), a season pass for next year, and a goodie bag with all kinds of stuff in it. The people who finished (14 of 20 finished) were entered into a drawing for $1,000, and then 3 people each got $100. Unfortunately, I didn't win any of the cash, but they also gave us a piece of track from the coaster that had been replaced during maintanence, and a pack of poster maps from every Six Flags park in the country.

I will post TRs from the marathon as well as Worlds of Fun and Adventureland shortly. The St. Louis newspaper came out and took a bunch of pictures, and one of the local TV stations filmed a bunch of stuff, but I haven't been able to find either of those yet. Unfortunately for the park, I don't think they got quite the PR they were hoping for, as every news station in the area was covering the storms that crippled St. Louis on Wednesday and Friday.

Here are some photos the ACE PR guy took: http://gzesh.com/SixFlags-Ride-A-Thon.htm

Me out cold in the station: http://gzesh.com/images/Coasters/SixFla ... -39-38.JPG

bgwfreak777 · Post by **bgwfreak777** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 4:43 pm

^ The second link doesn't work.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 5:16 pm

Fixed