Haystack Mountain Challenge (also known as the Norfolk Land Trust 5K/10K)
The Haystack Mountain Challenge (also known as the Norfolk Land Trust 5K/10K) will be held Saturday, October 2, 2021 at Barbour Woods, 75 Lovers Lane, Norfolk, CT.
The event hosts a 5k, 10K and Half Marathon.
To register go to: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=86229
There will be no race day registrations!
Online registration closes Thursday, September 30th @ 8:00 pm.
Entry fees:
Half Marathon $30
5K and 10K $20
Race Day Schedule:
9:00 am Half Marathon begins
10:45 10K begins
11:00 am 5K begins
Race Descriptions
5K-A challenging and scenic race through picturesque Barbour Woods. The course is a mixture of single and double track. Climb up Beech Hill for a view of Haystack Mountain, run on carriage roads beside historic Killarney Bridge, descend down the dry dam to a flat stretch of railroad bed, ascend through woodlands and finally along a gladed wetland, known as the Swamp Trail to the finish. (Please see yellow route on map below).
10K- Want to go a little longer? Try adding a challenging loop over Haystack Mountain. This course begins on the same route as the 5K, but jumps off of the Sunset Trail onto the South Dam, crosses Route 272N and ascends through a grassy meadow onto an intense single track to summit at Norfolk’s iconic Haystack Mountain Tower. Descend down the mountainside on a carriage path to meet up with a single track winding along the mountainside bringing you back to the park’s main entrance where you will cross over the South Dam and finish up the 5k course. (Please see map. The green route is added to the yellow loop for the 10k.)
Half Marathon-This course is built around the 10k route with the addition of some lesser known trails adjacent to Barbour Woods and Haystack Mountain; including special access to private paths only allowed during the event.
The course includes a run along scenic Lovers Lane and a descent down winding single track back to the start. From there you follow the 10k course to Haystack and break off onto public and private trails not previously used in the event. Two trips up and down Haystack link you back into the 10k course to the finish.
Proceeds from the races will benefit the Norfolk Land Trust.
Norfolk Land Trust Trail Races 2021 Haystack Challenge
The Norfolk Land Trust Trail Races 2021 Haystack Challenge will be held Saturday, October 2, 2021 at Barbour Woods, 31 Lovers Lane, Norfolk, CT 06058.
The event, which is USATF- sanctioned, hosts a 5K and 10K race, and this year, a half marathon has been added.
The 10K , which courses up Haystack Mountain, is an extended loop of the 5K.
Registration closes at 8:00 pm on September 30th.
Entry fees:
Half Marathon $30
10K $20
5K $20
To register go to : https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=86229
There will be no race day registration.
Race day schedule :
9:00 am Half Marathon begins
10:45 am 10K begins
11:00 am 5K begins
Race proceeds benefit the Norfolk Land Trust, which is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation of natural heritage and open space in Norfolk, CT.
For more information including course description or to register visit norfolklandtrust.org.
Norfolk Land Trust 5K & 10K Trail Races
The Norfolk Land Trust 5K & 10K Trail Races will be held Sunday, September 22, 2019 at Barbour Woods, 31 Lovers Lane, Norfolk, CT 06058.
The event, which is USATF- sanctioned, hosts both a 5K and 10K race. The 10K , which courses up Haystack Mountain, is an extended loop of the 5K.
The entry fee for both 5K and 10K races is $35 if registered by 8:00 pm, Sept. 20th when online registration closes. Race day entry fee is $40.
Long-sleeved Tech shirt to first 125 registrants.
Go to norfolklandtrust.org to register online.
Race day schedule is as follows:
10:30 am Registration and bib pick up
12 noon 10K race begins
12:15 pm 5K race begins
Post-race party and awards. Free chili for entrants at Infinity Hall and receive free pint glass from Big Elm Brewing.
Prizes awarded to top three overall winners, male and female, and first male and female in each of seven age categories. Winners must be present to receive awards.
Race proceeds benefit the Norfolk Land Trust, which is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation of natural heritage and open space in Norfolk, CT.
For more information including course description or to register visit norfolklandtrust.org.
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
