top of page

SQUATCHY SURPRISE

TRAIL PARTY HANDBOOK

SQUATCHY SURPRISE

JULY 25, 2026

Join us at the South Mountain Reservation in West Orange, New Jersey on Saturday July 25, 2026 for The Squatchy Surprise! The Squatchy Surprise will test your endurance, "strategery" and mental fortitude as your fate on the course is determined by the luck of the draw...... We are supporting our charity-partner, Bigger Than The Trail (BTTT) with this Trail Party!

QUICK STATS

RACE FORMAT: 12H, 6H, 3H. 4 different trail loops

CUTOFFS: Complete as many loops as you want in 12 hrs, 6 hrs, or 3 hrs. You can stop whenever you want (no DNFs!)

ELEVATION/TERRAIN: Great mix of hard packed carriage trails and technical singletracks with rocks and roots. Total elevation is determined by which golf balls you get!

CAPACITY: Capped at 250 participants across all three events

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:

NJ Transit Bus Route 73 (Newark - Orange - Livingston Mall) - Northfield Ave at Woods End Road + 1.5 mi walk
NJ Transit Train to South Orange Station + 3 mile walk
Email us and we can help coordinate a carpool!

Join us at the South Mountain Reservation in West Orange, New Jersey on Saturday July 25, 2026 for The Squatchy Surprise! Inspired by the TommyKnocker Ultra, The Squatchy Surprise will test your endurance, strategery and mental fortitude as your fate on the course is determined by the luck of the draw......

We are proud to partner with Bigger Than The Trail (BTTT). BTTT is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that is using trail running as a platform to advocate for mental health. BTTT's mission is to enrich the lives of individuals struggling with mental health. Through their fundraising efforts, BTTT provides 3 months of free therapy to those in need! Please consider making a donation to BTTT when you register for this squatchy trail party.

There are 4 different trail loops and a bucket of golf balls that match the color of each loop. Before each loop, you'll reach into the bucket and pull out a golf ball to determine which loop you will do. Along with the 4 colored golf balls that correspond to the 4 different loops, there will also be a black golf ball. If the runner/hiker pulls the black golf ball, they get to choose whichever loop they want to complete. Our Volunteer Dream Team will keep track of the loops that you complete by adding stickers to a giant chart. This means that we need you to keep your bib visible at all times! You'll repeat this process after every loop until 6PM. You are welcome to run/hike with a friend and draw the same golf balls (you just can't be eligible for post-race awards).At 6PM, runners will have to make a game-time decision! Take a chance and continue drawing golf balls OR or wait until 6:30PM for the 1/2 mile mini loop to open up. You'll have to choose one or the other! If you decide to continue drawing golf balls, you cannot go on the mini 1/2 mile loop. This means that if you get the long loop and are unable to complete it in the time remaining, that loop will not count towards your final mileage. If you draw a shorter loop and you finish with time remaining, you can continue tempting fate and drawing golf balls with the time remaining. "You get what you get, so don't get upset!" Any loop not completed before the timer ends, will not count. We are also offering ONE "Charity-Mulligan". You can choose to use your ONE Charity-Mulligan at any point in the race to do a re-draw if you pull a golf ball you don’t like. You have to donate $20 cash to get the Charity-Mulligan. 100% of the proceeds from the charity mulligans will be used for additional donations to Bigger Than The Trail!If you decide to run the mini 1/2 loop, you must wait until 6:30PM before you can begin racking up those 1/2 miles. Any loop not completed before the timer ends, will not count.

The race starts and finishes at the Tulip Springs / Boy Scout Area at the South Mountain Reservation in West Orange, NJ. Please follow the directions of our Volunteers who will be assisting with parking! Interested in carpooling? Email us!

6:15-6:45am 12H check-in
7am - 12H starts

12:15pm-12:45pm 6H check-in
1pm - 6H starts

3:15pm-3:45pm 3H check-in
4pm - 3H starts

6pm - decide if you'll continue drawing golf balls or wait until 6:30pm when the 1/2 mile loop opens up

7pm all events end

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 21 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, minus 15% of the registration fee that you originally paid.
If you sustain an injury less than 21 days from the race date, we will extend a 100% deferral if you come to that race to volunteer. For distances less than 50K, you'll need to volunteer for at least 4 hours and for 50M+ distances, you'll need to volunteer for at least 8 hours to get a 100% deferral.
If the race that you want to drop from is sold-out with an active wait-list and are able to fill your spot: 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, minus 15% of the registration fee that you originally paid.
The race credit is the amount that you paid for the race, minus 15% (total credit does 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 double-check that you can make the race you're deferring to.

PREGNANCY, ADOPTION, & POSTPARTUM POLICY

Whether planned or unplanned, the beginning or end of a pregnancy requires healing and recovery time. We are committed to supporting you in this regard. If you are experiencing a pregnancy or postpartum healing and recovery, or have adopted a child, we are pleased to offer a deferral of up to three years from the current event. Simply send us an email and we will arrange the deferral for you. This deferral policy includes partners and spouses and is also extended to folks who are going through the IVF process.

COMMUNITY CARE DEFERRAL POLICY

We recognize that the current climate around immigration enforcement, including ICE activity, is creating real fear and barriers to training, travel, and participation. Any registered participant who feels unsafe may request a deferral of their race entry for up to three years from the original race date, no questions asked. For anyone who still wants to participate but is feeling hesitant, our Squatch Together Program offers the option to be paired with another runner or hiker for support before, during, and after race day. Your safety, dignity, and sense of belonging come first.

BANDITS

Any individuals caught banditing a race will be banned from Sassquad events. Banditing means that you are on our race course without registering. Please do not bandit our Trail Parties or any other event!

AID STATION:

The Volunteer Dream Team truly makes the Trail Magic happen at our Aid Stations! Squatch HQ (the Start/Finish at Tulip Springs) - is where the party is at! This is the only aid station for the race (no other aid will be on the course). We always have a fully stocked first aid kit and AED at Squatch HQ. Our first aid kit includes menstrual products and wipes. Squatch HQ will be rockin’ from 7am until 7pm! Our Volunteers will be ready to assist you throughout the event. We work hard to have a variety of nutrition and hydration available at our events. We include many gluten-free and vegan options (upon request, we have separate cookware available to make hot vegan options on our stove). Check out the menu items below; if you don’t see something that you think would make a great addition to our aid stations, drop us a note and we’ll see what we can do!

Beverages: water, Skratch, Coke, Flât Coke, Coffee

Fruit: bananas, clementines, watermelon

Snacks: Chewy granola bars, GF Black Forest fruit snacks, bite-size chocolate/candy, GF potato chips, GF tortilla chips, GF Oreos, GF rice cakes, pickles, peanut butter, jelly, pickles

Hot Food: pierogies, quesadillas (GF corn tortillas), salted potatoes

We want to give a big squatchtastic thank you to our friends at Skratch Labs! Skratch has been sponsoring our Trail Parties since 2022 and has stocked our aid station with its incredible hydration products. We’ll have Skratch Hydration at Squatch HQ for the duration of the event!

We have several private changing tents at Squatch HQ that are available before, during, and after the event. Lastly, we have The Jackalope Tent! This is a quiet space that is available at most of our Trail Parties. The tent is away from the crowds and loud music. Stop by the Jackalope Tent when you need a break. The Jackalope Tent is a multi-use space that is also available for breastfeeding. Why do we call it the Jackalope Tent? Jackalopes are peaceful cryptids and are also excellent singers (usually tenor).

PACERS:

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 pre-register your pacer with us before the start of the Trail Party. Pacers are not allowed for folks under the age of 60 and who are not an AWD.

CREW:

All runners/hikers can have a Crew join them at Squatch HQ (the start/finish) for the duration of the event. Crew access is only available at Squatch HQ. Crew cannot aid their runner/hiker at any other spot on the course. Crews are encouraged to bring ice if they anticipate their runner/hiker needing ice during the event.

Squatchy Surprise Trail Party

FAQ'S

Q: Tell me everything I need to know about this race!

A: Everything. OK, I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and then they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out! ...But the worst thing I ever done: I mixed up all this fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. And I never felt so bad in my entire life!

Q: What's the weather like in West Orange, NJ in July?

A: Hot and humid or maybe rainy. Be ready for anything. The zip code for the race is 07052.

Q: I want to sign up for the event, but I know I won't stay out there to run the entire time. Can I still sign up?

A: YES! If at any point you decide that you're finished running and you do not want to go out for another loop, please tell a volunteer so we know that you are no longer out on the course.

Q: I could get lost in a brown paper bag. Will the course be marked?

A: We will have bright colored ribbons along the course and plenty at all of the turns.

Q: Can I bring my dog?

A: Sorry, but your pup has to stay at home for this race. Our liability insurance does not cover dogs at our events; thank you for understanding!

Q: What food will you have at the aid station?

A: We'll be serving fettucini alfredo, with a bottle of fettucine, a 1981........ Yeah right. We'll have a variety of items that should appeal to most runners: chips, granola bars, pretzels as well as hot food items etc. etc. (If Chunk and Sloth register, we will be sure to have some Baby Ruths and Rocky Road Ice Cream)

Q: Are there any roads on the course?

A: Roads? Where we are going, we don't need roads! There is only 1 very, very short stretch of pavement that is less than .20 miles long. There are two road crossing at a stoplights that have crosswalks. Runners/hikers are only allowed to cross LEGALLY and must wait for the right-of-way at the crosswalk.

Q: 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?

A: 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. If you bandit a race, you will be banned from registering for any of our Sassquad events.

bottom of page