APRIL 6, 2024
Sassquad and the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference are proud to present the 3nd rendition of the Harriman Big Bear SquaTCh North at Harriman State Park in Bear Mountain, New York! Join us on Saturday April 6, 2024 for the toughest event on our Trail Party calendar! This event WILL sell-out before race day so register early to avoid being added to the waitlist!
TRAIL PARTY DETAILS
BIG BEAR SQUATCH NORTH
This is hands-down, the toughest race in our series. Make no mistake about it, this is a true northeast mountain race! Runners and hikers will experience non-stop trail beauty, scrambling, epic climbs and vistas. Your race registration is directly helping the Trail Conference maintain the trails at Harriman State Park and Bear Mountain State Park. (The capitalized "TC" in SquaTCh stands for "Trail Conference"!!)
CHARITY PARTNER
We are proud to be co-hosting this trail party with our friends at the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference! Please consider donating by using the add-on feature during registration. The NYNJTC maintains and protects over 2,000 miles of trails in New York and New Jersey.
REGISTRATION
10K - $50
Half Marathon - $75
WHAT'S INCLUDED?
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Bib & safety pins
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Swag item
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Handcrafted Finishers' Medal
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Aid Stations with water, Skratch and snacks
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Awards for top 3 male, female and non-binary
TRAIL PARTY LOCATION
The race will start and finish at the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area off of the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Bear Mountain, NY.
COURSE MARKINGS
The course will be marked with pink ribbons and we have large directional arrows at each of the turns.
SAFETY CHECKPOINTS
Throughout the course, you'll notice yellow signs with large letters on them (A, B, C etc). These are our Safety Checkpoints; in the event of an emergency, you can use these signs to easy identify your location. As your pass by them, just take mental note in case you need to reference them. The NY State Park Rangers will be on-site to provide any needed support during the event.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
HALF MARATHON: 6 HOUR CUTOFF
Check-in: 7:15am-7:45am
Start time: 8am
Mile 7.5 (start of the second lollipop) cutoff: 11:30am
Finish line mile 13.1 cutoff: 2pm
10K: 5 HOUR CUTOFF
Check-in: 8:15am-8:45am
Start time: 9am
Finish line mile 6.5 cutoff: 2pm
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Our course highlights the technical trails, beautiful views and steep climbs of Harriman State Park. This is NOT a flat course; this is a MOUNTAIN race. Due to the extensive storm damage from July 2023 we have to reroute the course for the event in April of 2024. The 1777, SBM, Cornell Mine, and Pleasant Valley Rd were some of the most heavily damaged of the trails in Bear Mountain as a result of the storms. Our revamped course for 2024 is a 10K that packs in 1,400 ft of elevation gain! The half marathon climbs over 2,600 ft!
10K Course: The first mile and the last mile of the course is a flat gravel bike trail. After a mile, it turns into a technical single track the rest of the way until you return to the final mile of the course (it's a lollipop configuration so the first and last mile are the same). The first scramble comes around mile 2 where you will gain about 500 feet in 1/2 of a mile. Your hard work will be rewarded with incredible views from Cat's Elbow and all along the ridge. You'll then descend down nearly all of the elevation you just climbed only to gain it back with a monster climb up to West Mountain, starting at mile 3.5. You'll pass by the water-only West Mountain Aid Station around mile 4 (this will be around mile 11 for the half marathoners). The climb up West Mountain is a grind and there are some more scrambles, but the view from the West Mountain Shelter is breathtaking! After following the ridgeline for a bit, you'll begin your descent back down to link back up on the bike trail for the final flat and mellow mile back to the start.
Half Marathon Course: Half Marathoners will start out on the other lollipop course that is a little less than 8 miles and has about 1,200 feet of elevation gain. This first lollipop course is "mellow" in comparison to the second lollipop that you'll do. The majority of the trails are "woods roads" meaning that they are doublewide trails without too many rocks and roots. Keep in mind that this lollipop course is NOT flat and has a lot of "rollers". The Queensboro Aid Station at mile 4 will have water, Skratch and snacks. Enjoy these trails while you can - after you return back to the start/finish area (where we will have an aid station ready for you), you'll head back out and onto the 10K course that is RUGGED and TOUGH! You'll need to leave the start/finish area for your final 10K by 11:30am. See the above description for the 10K course that will bring you to the finish line of your half marathon. The half marathon climbs over 2,600 ft!
REQUIRED GEAR
Our race course is NOT flat and the trails are very technical, steep and rugged. Both distances will be challenge for even the veteran mountain runners/hikers.
ALL participants are REQUIRED to have the following with them at all times:
- Charged cell phone
- Water bottle or hydration pack - we recommend packing at least 1.5L of water.
- At least 300 extra calories
- Whistle (most running packs have a whistle built into them)
- Course Map (you will receive this at check-in)
The following items are recommended, but not required:
- GPX of course map on phone or device
- Poles
- External battery pack for phone
- Head lamp and extra batteries
- Buff/hat/gloves
- Wipes
- Ziploc baggie to pack out trash
"NATURE"
Bear Mountain, NY is home to a variety of critters. So this is your "nature disclaimer". Yes, there are Black Bears. Here is what ya need to do if you see a bear during the race (this is from the Dept of Environmental Protection): If you see a bear, make it aware of your presence and use common sense. Never approach the animal; observe it only from a distance. Clapping, talking, singing or making other noise lets the bear know you are nearby. Remain standing, avoid direct eye contact, back up slowly and speak in a calm, assertive voice if you encounter a bear at close range. Do not run.... More information on Bear Encounters.
VOLUNTEER DREAM TEAM
Our Volunteer Dream Team is what makes all of the Trail Magic happen! Join us as a Volunteer at this trail party as we support our squatchtastic running community. We have many Volunteer opportunities available such as Check-In, Aid Station Crew, Course Sweepers etc. Click here to Volunteer!
GETTING TO THE RACE
The start/finish is at the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area off of Palisades Interstate Parkway in Bear Mountain, NY.
FAQS
CAN I HAVE A PACER?
As with all of our events, Squatchers over the age of 60 and AWD (athletes with disabilities) can have a pacer/guide at any time. Please register your pacer prior to the start of the event! Pacers are not allowed for other runners and hikers without prior approval from the Trail Party Director.
WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE?
The month of April in the Hudson Highlands can see a lot of different weather! Average temps are a high of 67 and a low of 46. Be ready for anything!
CAN I BRING MY DOG?
WILL I SEE SASQUATCH?
Sorry, but Buddy has to stay at home for this race. Our liability insurance does not cover dogs running our races; thank you for understanding!
CAN I SIGN MY KIDS UP?
We sure hope you do! Make sure you take a selfie with him if you see Squatchy out there!
WHAT WILL BE AT THE HALF MARATHON AID STATION AT MILE 6.5?
Yes! We want the WHOLE family to come out to our events! Just understand that kids have the same rules as the adults, they have to finish each lap in an hour or less. We have a special discount code for families registering 3 or more Squatches in the same household. Please email us (trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com) before you register so we can give you the code! Once you have the code, be sure to register your child separately and agree to the waiver for minors. And make sure to keep track of little Sally before during and after the race. We only have 1 search-party and they're already out there looking for Sasquatch.
WILL I SEE ANY WILDLIFE?
Bears. Beets. Battlestar Gallatica. Harriman State Park is home to many critters, including black bears, deer, beavers and coyotes. We are utilizing heavily trafficked trails, so it is unlikely you will encounter any larger critters!
Aid Station may include the following: fruit, ice pops, GF fruit snacks, granola bars, GF oreos, GF pretzels, GF tortilla chips etc. Cooked food may include salted potatoes, quesadillas, pierogies, bacon etc.
WHAT ADDRESS SHOULD I USE TO GET TO THE PARK?
Anthony Wayne Recreation Area - Interstate Parkway Exit 17, Bear Mountain, NY 10911
WILL THE COURSE BE MARKED?
We will have bright colored ribbons along the course and plenty at all of the turns. We will also have large directional arrows at each turn. All markers have reflective tape so they will be easy to see at night when your headlamp shines on them.
CAN I GET A REFUND?
ME AND MY FRIEND AREN'T REGISTERED FOR THE RACE, BUT WE'RE STILL PLANNING ON COMING TO RUN. WE WON'T EAT FROM THE AID STATION OR TAKE A MEDAL OR SWAG. THIS IS OKAY, RIGHT?
Like many other race organizations, we do not offer refunds for our events. Please take the time to double check your calendar before registering for a Trail Party. Please understand that we do not offer refunds under any circumstances. If you notify us via email (not through social media, text or phone call) more than 45 days from the date of the Trail Party, we will extend a deferral to any of our events that fall within one calendar year of the Trail Party that you were registered for. If you sustain an injury less than 45 days from the race date, we will extend a deferral if you come to that race to volunteer for at least 4 hours. If the race that you want to drop from is sold-out with an active wait-list and if you notify us via email (not through social media, text or phone call) at least 3 days before the race, we will extend a deferral to any of our events that fall within one calendar year of the Trail Party that you were registered for. The race credit is the amount that you paid for the race (not including UltraSignUp fees) so you will need to cover any difference in fees; refunds will not be issued if the deferred event costs less than your race credit. You can only defer one time so please doublecheck that you can make the race you're deferring to.
NO THIS IS NOT OKAY. This is called being a "race bandit" and it is stealing. Not paying for a race and running the race is stealing from the race organization (even if you're not taking food or swag). Don't do this at a Sassquad trail party or ANY other race. It's not okay. And if you hear about someone else doing this, call them out. If you bandit a race, you will be banned from registering for any of our Sassquad events.