Race Information

Start/Finish

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 of the incredible places on the course!

Course Description

• Half Marathon - GPX

• Marathon - GPX

• An interactive map can be found here.

The Starting Stretch

The course begins along the scenic crest of the Rockwood Hall section, joining the Old Croton Aqueduct (OCA) after crossing the Route 9 overpass. From there, runners will serpentine through wooded trails and cross the park's famous triple-arch stone bridge before arriving at Aid Station #2 on Old Sleepy Hollow Road.

The Course Split

At Aid Station #2, the paths diverge based on your distance:

• Half Marathoners: A course marshal will direct you to bypass the upper marathon loops and head straight toward the final leg of the race, joining the marathoners later at Aid Station #7.

• Marathoners: You will be directed to continue onward toward Aid Station #3.

The Marathon Loops

For marathon runners, the trail opens up past rolling fields, historic stone walls, and pastures of grazing cows and sheep before reaching Aid Station #3.

CRITICAL MARATHON CUTOFF #1 There is a strict 11:30 AM cutoff at Aid Station #3. (Note: There is no cutoff for the Half Marathon).

After leaving the aid station, prepare to climb Buttermilk Hill and tackle the rolling terrain of Lucy’s Loop. Once you reach the high point of Buttermilk Hill, you are roughly one-third of the way through the race.

From there, the course takes you through the remote Pocantico Hills section to Aid Station #4, sends you on a short loop back to the same station (now Aid Station #5), and guides you around Ferguson Lake and across open fields. This brings you back to the base of Buttermilk Hill for Aid Station #6 (the same location as Aid Station #3).

CRITICAL MARATHON CUTOFF #2 There is a second strict cutoff at Aid Station #6 at 2:30 PM.

The Home Stretch (All Participants)

From the base of Buttermilk Hill, winding paths lead mostly downhill past Swan Lake and wide-open fields to Aid Station #7 (which serves as the final aid station for the Half Marathoners).

After tracking along the scenic Pocantico River, all runners will take on the notorious climbs of Eagle Hill before heading into the Thirteen Bridges section.

You will hit your final aid station of the day in the Route 117 underpass on the Thirteen Bridges Trail with just about two miles to go. Alas, your climbing is not quite finished. The trail descends one last time to the riverbed at the bottom of the park before the final, hard-earned climb up to the finish line.

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 interests of the race and all concerned.