Quad Games preview: 2 Erie County men have ironman streaks; ski race postponed

Rick Rodland was to occupy a spot along the starting line for Highmark Quad Games cross country ski race on Sunday.

That won't happen, at least on that date, because of Erie County's warmer weather over recent days.

Quad director Kelly Latimer announced the race's postponement Thursday night. She rescheduled it for Feb. 13, with the five-mile event still set for Wattsburg's Wilderness Lodge.

Ronnie Graff, like Rodland, also expects to compete that day.

Just like the Erie County residents have done for that wintry leg of the competition, and all others held, since 1983.

Rodland, 70, and Graff, 71, are only athletes who have formally participated in every Quad event, according to Latimer.

“That's pretty incredible for some old geezers,” Rodland said.

So committed are Rodland and Graff that they even submitted virtual times for the 2020-21 Quad. Kelly Latimer, daughter-in-law of Quad founder Craig Latimer, had to scrap formal in-person participation for its previous cycle because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Every time I think I might trickle out (of the Quad), I bounce back,” Graff said. “I'm not sure how much longer I'll enter now because of COVID, but I'm glad I've hung in there.”

Brenda and Rick Rodland of Harborcreek Township pose with a blanket comprised of Highmark Quad Games T-shirts. Rick Rodland was given the shirts over nearly 40 years of competing in the Quad. He and McKean Township resident Ronnie Graff are the only people who have participated in every Quad event since the competition began in 1983.
Brenda and Rick Rodland of Harborcreek Township pose with a blanket comprised of Highmark Quad Games T-shirts. Rick Rodland was given the shirts over nearly 40 years of competing in the Quad. He and McKean Township resident Ronnie Graff are the only people who have participated in every Quad event since the competition began in 1983.

How they got here

Rodland, a 1969 Harbor Creek graduate, retired from General Electric Co. However, he and his wife Brenda remain busy tending to the family's Harborcreek Township grape farm, located off Firman Road.

Rodland's Quad introduction was by way of an unorthodox sport: motocross. He formerly competed as an amateur at regional tracks.

Because Rodland found himself physically weary well before the checkered flag, he started running as a way to build physical endurance.

“I just thought, 'Let's see if this works for me,'” Rodland said. “Once I got the running thing started, I realized it was the motorcycle thing that could really hurt me. I dropped racing the bike after that.”

Graff lives in McKean Township with his wife, Jacqueline. The 1968 Fairview graduate retired from Reddog Industries, the tool division for the local PHB Corp. branch.

Athletically, the Quad became a way for Graff to make up for lost time while he attended Fairview.

“I wasn't into team sports because I was less than 120 pounds at graduation,” he said. “I didn't really mature until later on.”

McKean Township resident Ronnie Graff poses with his off-road bicycle during a September 2021 race at Emporium in Cameron County. Graff, 71, and Rick Rodland, 70, of Harborcreek Township are the only two athletes who have competed in every event of the Highmark Quad Games since the event began in 1983.
McKean Township resident Ronnie Graff poses with his off-road bicycle during a September 2021 race at Emporium in Cameron County. Graff, 71, and Rick Rodland, 70, of Harborcreek Township are the only two athletes who have competed in every event of the Highmark Quad Games since the event began in 1983.

Graff learned he liked running – both on and off-duty – after he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Once back in civilian life, he and his wife took up downhill and cross country skiing at New York's Peek'n Peak and Holiday Valley resorts.

The Graffs also learned to appreciate cycling more over the last year. They used it as a way to combat the cabin fever caused by the pandemic.

“I think we pedaled about 7,000 miles last year,” Ronnie Graff said.

Harborcreek Township resident Brenda Rodland stitched this blanket comprised of Highmark Quad Games T-shirts that Rick Rodland, her husband, was given over nearly 40 years of the competition. Rick Rodland and McKean Township resident Ronnie Graff are the only two athletes who have participated in every Quad event since it began in 1983.
Harborcreek Township resident Brenda Rodland stitched this blanket comprised of Highmark Quad Games T-shirts that Rick Rodland, her husband, was given over nearly 40 years of the competition. Rick Rodland and McKean Township resident Ronnie Graff are the only two athletes who have participated in every Quad event since it began in 1983.

Warm reminder

If Rodland were to forget about his status as an ultimate Quad veteran, he needs only to check the blanket that occasionally warms his legs during cold evenings like the current ones.

Brenda Rodland recently noticed the growing pile of unused Quad Games T-shirts – some of them still in unopened plastic bags – in her husband's possession. She put 30 of them to better use when she sewed one side of a blanket with them, their logos prominently displayed.

Graff isn't as sentimental as Rodland when it comes to wearable mementos. He has a T-shirt from the original Quad, but few others.

“I do have the awards from them,” Graff said. “Yeah, I have a pretty good stack of those.”

Graff and Rodland separately admitted their status as Quad “ironmen” will end somewhere in the near future.

Rodland frets about his health, and how it will render him a “toadstool” some day. That's made worse by the frequently tormenting thoughts of the skiing, swimming, cycling and running times he posted in his 30s.

Rodland said he spoke with Graff about that during a recent Quad event.

“I think we continue to do this because we're afraid that if we don't keep doing this, we won't keep doing this,” Rodland said. “You just try to be thankful that you're still able to do these things because we're one bad knee or bad heart away from not doing this. We're blessed to continue to exercise, and that's what allows us to continue to exercise.”

Close to crowns

Andy Holland and Desiree Terella aren't in the same class as Rodland and Graff when it comes to Quad longevity, but they are prominent participants in their own way. They'll arrive at Wilderness Lodge as the men's and women's overall leaders going into the final event for the 2021-22 Quad.

Erie's Andy Holland competes in the running leg of the 2019-20 Highmark Quad Games at Waterford. He seeks to repeat as the overall men's champion of the 2021-22 Quad after Sunday's five-mile cross country ski race at Wattsburg's Wilderness Lodge.
Erie's Andy Holland competes in the running leg of the 2019-20 Highmark Quad Games at Waterford. He seeks to repeat as the overall men's champion of the 2021-22 Quad after Sunday's five-mile cross country ski race at Wattsburg's Wilderness Lodge.

Holland, an Erie resident, seeks his third overall title since 2017-18. Terella, a former Edinboro University swimmer who lives in Fairview Township, goes for her third straight championship and fourth since 2016-17.

Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.

Desiree Terella of Fairview Township, here competing in the cycling leg of the 2021 Edinboro Triathlon, is the women's overall leader going into Sunday's final leg of the 2021-22 Highmark Quad Games. A five-mile cross country ski race is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at Wilderness Lodge in Wattsburg.
Desiree Terella of Fairview Township, here competing in the cycling leg of the 2021 Edinboro Triathlon, is the women's overall leader going into Sunday's final leg of the 2021-22 Highmark Quad Games. A five-mile cross country ski race is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at Wilderness Lodge in Wattsburg.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Postponed Quad ski race won't deter Erie County men from ironman streak