Start Location
The start for both the half marathon and the marathon is at the Mansion Foundation overlooking the Hudson River at the Rockwood Hall section of Rockefeller State Park Preserve on Rockwood Rd. off Rte 9, just to the north of Phelps Hospital. Signage will direct you to the start from the Phelps Hospital parking garage.
Course Markings
The course will be well marked with arrows and traffic cones, some ribbon and we will have course marshals at critical turns.
THERE WILL BE A LOT OF TURNS TO REACH ALL THE INCREDIBLE PLACES ON THIS COURSE!
Course Description
The course begins along the top of the Rockwood Hall section and joins the Old Croton Aqueduct (OCA)after crossing over Rte 9 on an overpass. It then serpentines around wooded trails, crossing the famous triple arch stone bridge, and reaches the second aid station at Old Sleepy Hollow Rd.
Half marathon runners will be directed by a course marshal to continue on to the last part of the marathon course before reaching aid station 3 of the marathon course (see below), while marathon runners will be directed to continue on to aid station 3.
The marathon course then works its way past open fields and along stone walls, past grazing cows and sheep to the third aid station before climbing Buttermilk Hill and the hilly Lucy’s Loop.
THERE WILL BE A SHARP CUTOFF FOR THE MARATHON AT AS #3 AT 11:30 A.M.
THERE IS NO CUTOFF FOR THE HALF MARATHON.
After climbing Buttermilk Hill to the high point of the course, you are about 1/3 of the way done. You will then run along the remote Pocantico Hills portion of the course to AS #4, do a short loop which will bring you back to the same aid station (now AS #5), and then a loop around Ferguson Lake and across some fields will bring you back to the base of Buttermilk Hill (AS #6, the same as AS#3).
THERE WILL BE A SECOND CUTOFF AT AS #6 AT 2:30 P.M.
From there, winding paths will bring you mostly downhill past Swan Lake and more fields to AS #7 (which is also AS#3 for the half marathon runners).
After AS #7, you will follow the Pocantico River back to the loop up and down the notorious Eagle Hill and into the Thirteen Bridges section. All runners in both races will hit the last aid station at the (OCA) with two miles to go!
Alas, your climbing is not done yet. You will descend to the bottom of the park next to the river and climb one last time to reach the finish!
Sweepers
Please note that if aid station personnel or sweeps determine that a runner must exit the race, their word will be final! Please accept that they are acting in your best interests as well as the best interest of the race and all concerned.
Course Map
The race course may change as the race date approaches
