HARDEST NEW YORK XC COURSES!!!!

I agree with you on VCP. It's a lot easier than people make it out to be.

I actually ran the washingtonville course a few years ago... You're right, absolutely brutal.

You should add some of the farther upstate courses to that... Those are brutal too.

I ran Washingtonville 3 times. It was tough for me, but I know a lot of people who've PRed there. It's only 3 miles. Not even close to the hardest, imo.

1) Sunken Meadow-Such a slow course and tough, but I do think heartbreak hill's a little overrated.

2) VCP 5k-The 2.5 mile course isn't too hard, but the 5k has you go up cemetery hill.

3) Bowdoin-I always ran well there. The first half of the course is really rough, but the second half isn't so bad.

These are the only courses that really stick in my mind.

are you kidding? how is Bethpage State Park not mentioned. that course has one of the steepest hills in the state that can make or break someone's scholarship chances let alone a race.

Ha, half the courses on this I've never heard of.

I'm from the Vestal area- their course doesn't count- it just sucks as a course. But, it is tough. It's not THAT slow though.

Ely Park is real tough and Chenango Valley High School (not to be confused with the CV State park course where states was) is tough- you're out fast but then the killer hills are in the middle.

Mendon Ponds (Monroe County, Rochester NY). There is no flat portion on this course. Not even 10 meters of it are flat.

Webster Park before 2007 (17:00 would be low 16's everywhere else. True XC, with many areas of single track, dodging trees, running through the damn woods)

Marcus Whitman - Deceptive, Long long gradual climb when you're really hurting

the 5k at VCP does not have you go up cemetery hill. Many people believe the 4k course is harder than the 5k because you have to get position earlier-you have 1000 less meters to get into the narrow bridle path. Nevertheless VCP is not difficult.

where would crystal lake in pawling rank?

I loathe VCP - I find it very very hard to run fast there. Somethign about the steep roller coaster hills in the back hills - you go hard up a steep...then straight back down slamming hard, then do that two more times.

There is something about the constant whamminess of the back hills that makes the course harder than you might think. The hills aren't bad by the numbers, but since they are all linked together they take a serious toll.

Anyone from the syracuse area run at henniger. They might be an awful team and the course was a little short but I dont think anyone wanted to run up that hill twice. I ran at bowdin park and I'd say this hill was worse

Josh Hamilton's Addiction wrote:

1) Sunken Meadow-Such a slow course and tough, but I do think heartbreak hill's a little overrated.

Cardiac?

Sometimes people confuse slow with hard, not all slow courses are hard and not all hard courses are slow. One of my best times came on a course that was supposed to be hard because of one BIG hill, which came up early. I only ran the course once, but I didn't attack the hill like most runners, I watched how the locals guys ran the course, which was not to charge up the big hill while you are full of energy and excitement. Once you got over the big hill, there were a few small hills, but the last mile was a manicured slightly downhill path to the finish line.

A slow course could be a lot of things that break your rhythm, like sharp turns, soft terrain, etc. Several of the NY courses mentioned are hard, but mostly they produce slow times which makes them seem harder than what they are. The hardest courses are the ones with an early long hill, quickly followed by another hill or a long hill near the end. There are Canadian and European XC courses which have a long up hill to the finish line. XC is supposed to be the opportunity for long distance / strength-based athletes to shine, but in most states the 800/mile is also the best XC runner.

Tawasentha Park in Guilderland - double crossing of a river that could be mid-thigh deep. Heavy, wet shoes are no fun when suffering in an XC race.

Elma meadows in section 6. Hilly slow. Sucks

Cheektowaga wrote:

Elma meadows in section 6. Hilly slow. Sucks

Elma Meadows where states were last year? That was a fast course. The hills aren't tough- the course is fast and you're running fast from the start.

Obviously you get tired- you get tired running a 5K.

Josh Hamilton's Addiction wrote:

I ran Washingtonville 3 times. It was tough for me, but I know a lot of people who've PRed there. It's only 3 miles. Not even close to the hardest, imo.

1) Sunken Meadow-Such a slow course and tough, but I do think heartbreak hill's a little overrated.

2) VCP 5k-The 2.5 mile course isn't too hard, but the 5k has you go up cemetery hill.

3) Bowdoin-I always ran well there. The first half of the course is really rough, but the second half isn't so bad.

These are the only courses that really stick in my mind.

Only the 5 mile and 10k races go up cemetery at VCP. Agree with you on SM and Bowdoin.