Berry Pond Hill Climb Cancelled
Berry Pond Hill Climb, Saturday, May 2, 2020 will be held at Pittsfield State Forest, Pittsfield, MA.
EVENT TIME: 8:00 AM
DESCRIPTION: Run your way to the highest naturally occurring body of water in Massachusetts! A 5.25, 10.5, 15.75, 26.25, 51k Mile Hill Race on the circuit loop at Pittsfield State Forest. Starts and Ends at Lulu Brook Parking Lot. Most elevation gain in the first 1.5 miles to the top. Be prepared for lung busting ascent, gorgeous views, and then bombing down the other side of the mountain. Note: 15.75 and 26.25/51k (5 or 6 loop) mile will be run washing machine style, you will run one loop counter clockwise, one clockwise (reverse if you will), and the last loop counterclockwise.
PACKET PICK-UP: 7:00 AM – 7:50 AM (Race Day Only) ANNOUNCEMENTS: 7:50 AM
TIMING: Event will keep lap counts at the aid station table. It is runner’s responsibility to check in if in the 10.5 miler before heading out for a second loop. If quitting early, please inform our timekeepers.
REGISTRATION COSTS: Prices are early reg until June 30, Regular reg until 12/31, and then last step up is on 1/1 to full reg.
TIME LIMIT: 2.5 hours for the 5.25 mile, 3 hours for the 10.5 mile, 5 hours for the 15.75 mile, 7 hour cutoff for the 26.25 mile
BENEFICIARY: This year’s event will be benefitting a scholarship fund from BURCS for junior and senior athletes in western Massachusetts. There will be an essay contest and winners will be announced and mailed a check for college expenses.
LOCATION: Shamrock Blvd, Pittsfield State Forest (Lulu Brook Parking Lot) – Upon entering the park, stay to the right and go about one mile down to the parking lot on the left
COURSE DESCRIPTION: 1.5 mile uphill and rolling downhill on the west side. Berry Pond Circuit Loop will be run counterclockwise. The last 1-1.5 miles has rolling uphills to the finish. 10.5 milers will do the course twice.
AID STATION: Aid Station will consist of portable tables. We will provide Water and Gatorade/Heed/TailWind or similar. If you have personal specifics, plan to bring it. We will have normal aid station faire: pretzels, corn chips, gummy bears, bananas, oranges, cookies, fig newtons.
You heard that correctly. We will NOT have cups for your drinks, We strive to do everything we can to limit our impact. Please simply use your water-bottle, or bring a light-weight, collapsible cup with you. It takes just a little more planning on your part, and means we won’t have pre-poured soda and drinks, but it will mean our impact on Mother Nature is significantly less than it could be.
BE PREPARED FOR THIS! WE ARE SERIOUS! THERE WILL BE NO CUPS, EVEN AFTER YOU FINISH
CONTACT: Bennjamin Griffin (Race Director) Email: benn.griffin@gmail.com Phone: 518-435-5590
AWARDS: BURCS running hat for all entrants. EVERY 15.75+ Mile Finisher earns a personal size pie! Choice of BURCS Magnet or Hoorag for all runners at packet pickup.Additionally winners will receive custom award. Top 3 male and female finishers in 5.25 and 10.5 mile will get a choice of a pie from A.W. Confections (all berry/fruit related) and overall winners will earn a unique award. Certificates with finishing times mailed to all finishers.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: Assistance is needed for setup, registration, starting line, race operations, awards, aid station management, and clean up. If your friends or family members are running the race, please give us a hand. Email race director for more info.
Beautiful Places
Have you noticed how quickly time has passed by this year? Seasons seem only to last a month or so, then gone- especially autumn. Already October is half over, and leaf-viewing opportunities are fading. We’ll have to hustle if we want to capture the glory of the Tri-State’s most precious time of year.
And we have some recommendations for where to see it all. These are the beautiful places often mentioned in sportingAcause- the venues where so many walks and runs take place throughout the year. They are the parks and trails where folks can safely run and walk often without venturing onto a highway and maybe take in their surroundings as they pass by.
The White Memorial Conservation Center is one, with 40 miles of trails within 4,000 acres of woodlands, fields, rivers and wetlands in Litchfield, CT. Learn more at whitememorialcc.org.
Another is the Walkway Over the Hudson, a converted rail road trestle which spans high above the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, NY. Dozens of walks and 5K’s are held here every year. In fact a Walk To End Alzheimer’s and a Walk To Defeat ALS will be held there this Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Take part in one and view the river vistas at the same time. Visit walkway.org for details.
The Harlem Valley Rail Trail and the tongue-twisting Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, in Millerton, NY and Cheshire, MA respectively, offer miles of paved pathways with gorgeous views. Visit hvrt.org and mass.gov/locations/ashuwillticook-rail-trail for more info.
And here are some more candidates for great autumn viewing:
Ferncliff Forest, Rhinebeck, NY, ferncliffforest.org
Barbour Woods, Norfolk, CT
Peach Hill Park, Poughkeepsie, NY peach-hill-park.org
Pittsfield State Forest, Pittsfield, MA mass.gov/locations/pittsfield-state-forest
Brodie Park, New Hartford, CT, town.new-hartford.ct.us/recreation-department/pages/brodie-park
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Lenox, MA , massaudubon.org
