Bob McGill's Race Picks

Bob McGill’s Race Picks

Central Jersey Road Runners Club

P.O. Box 1863 Cranford, NJ 07016

February

February 4, 11 and 18 are the dates for a new 5k series on the Boardwalk in Long Branch called the Sneaker Factory Hot Chocolate. Expect a flat course!

February 4 is the NJ Trail Winter Series offering a variety of distances up to a half marathon. Held in High Mountain Park (Wayne), these are very hilly trail races with boulders and rocks and attract less than 200 runners.

February 5 is the last race of the Freehold Area Running Club's Winter Series (FARC). No frills, with a flat course with donuts and soup served after the race. Less than 200 runners.

February 26 is the Garden State Track Club’s 10k relay race in Buccleuch Park in New Brunswick. Expect some hills.

March

March 4 is the hilly E. Murray Todd Half Marathon that starts at Brookdale College. Approximately 500 runners.

March 10 is the Morristown St. Paddy's Day 5k. This course is very hilly and usually attracts over 1,000 runners

March 11 is the Miles for Music 20k in Johnson Park. It uses the old (flat) Equinox course. USATF-NJ 20k championships.

March 17 is the Bordentown 5k, which is a flat 2 loop course. It usually attracts over 600 runners.

March 17 is Michael Cassidy 5k in Rutherford.

March 18, is the Hillsdale Rover and Clover 5k. This is a very hilly course with over 400 runners..

March 18 is the Sneaker Factory Spring 10k at the South Mountain Reservation. Mostly flat, good food, about 200 runners.

March 24 is the Mama Mare Breast Cancer 5k at Lake Como. This is a flat course and looks like it will be a good food race.

March 24 is the Ultra Festival at the Sussex County fairgrounds. Distances range from marathon to 100 miles. Well organized and mostly flat.

March 25 is the FARC St. Paddy's Day 10 miler and 5k. The course has some hills, good post race food/beer. The 10 miler has 500 finishers.

March 25 is the Apple Chase 10k and 5k in Pequannock. It may be the flattest 10k in NJ. About 400 finishers.

March 31 is the Chimney Rock 5 miler in Somerset County. This is a hilly and rocky trail course with great post race food.

March 31 is the Fredon Pancake 5k last run in 2003. Should have great food. The new location, Lodestar Park is a hilly and difficult XC course.

The toughest and hilliest courses in the State of New Jersey by Bob McGill

1. The Muddy Marathon (Rockaway Township, NJ

2. Mountain Madness 50k (Ringwood, NJ)

3. Running with the Devil 3 hour, 6 hour and 12 hour run (Vernon, NJ)

4. Sparta Glen Challenge 3.5 miles (Sparta, NJ

5. Morris Mauler 5k (Lewis Morris Park in Mendham, NJ,

near Morristown)

6. Summer Solistice 5 miler (Kitatinny State Park in Andover Twp, NJ)

7. Hot Chili 8 Mile Challenge (Kitatinny State Park in Andover Twp, NJ)

8. Sparta 8 miler Around Lake Mohawk (Sparta, NJ)

9. Woodlciff Lakes 10k (Woodcliff Lakes, NJ)

10. Woods and Lakes 10k (Mountain Lakes, NJ)

Most Scenic Race Courses by Bob McGill (except for #1, the order is random)

1. Truskey Memorial 10k & 5k (Tuscarora State Park, near Tamaqua, Pa)

2. Run for the Cookies 10k (Berwick, Pa)

3. Race Street Run 15k & 4 miler (Jim Thorpe, Pa)

4. Steamtown Marathon (Forest City, Pa to Scranton, Pa)

5. Oley 10 miler (Oley, Pa)

6. Bucks County Road Runners Winter Series (Tyler State Park, Newtown, Pa) distances vary from a 5k to a half marathon

7. South Mountain 10 miler (Bethlehem, Pa)

8. 5k Mountain Challenge at Great Gorge (Vernon, NJ) (race no longer exists)

9. Hacklebarney Hill Climb 15k Pottersville, NJ, (race no longer exists)

10. Midland 15k (Far Hills, NJ) (race no longer exists)

11. Stillwater Stampede 5k (Stillwater, NJ)

12. High Point Easter 5k (Wantage, NJ) race was moved and name changed to a less scenic area

13. Beach Blast 5k (Stillwater, NJ)

14. Christmas in August 5k (Stillwater, NJ)

15. 9 to 5 relay race (Lodestar Park in Fredon, NJ)

16. Freedom Firefighters Pancake Run 4.4 miler (no longer exists)

17. The Tri State Classic 10k (starts in Montague, NJ runs thru NY State and finishes in Matamoras, Pa)

18. Nike Bunker Loop 5k (Atlantic Highlands, NJ)

19. Charlie Horse Half marathon, near Reading, Pa

20. Half-Wit, Half Marathon, near Reading, Pa

21. Ugly Mudder 7.25 miler, near Reading, Pa

22. Double Trouble 15k & 30k, French Creek State Park, near Reading, Pa

23. Mount Penn Mudfest 15k, near Reading, Pa

24. Tewksbury miler (Tewksbury, NJ)

25. Raising Hope 5 miler (Readington, NJ) (race no longer exists)

26. Shepard's Lake 5k (Ringwood, NJ)

27. Sparta 8 miler around Lake Mohawk (Sparta, NJ)

28. Sparta Frostbite Trail & Road 5k more or less (Sparta, NJ)

29. Miles for Matheny 5k (Peapack-Gladstone, NJ)

30. Our House 5 miler (Summit, NJ)

31. Mountain Top 10k (Warren, NJ)

32.12 miler at Allamuchy Mountain (border of Warren, Morris and Sussex counties, NJ) (race no longer exists)

33. Tinsel 5 miler (Toms River, NJ)

34. Cherry Blossom 10k (Newark, NJ)

35. Delaware Water Gap 5k night races

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