Rockefeller Park

We used to do our Sunday longs runs in Rockefeller. Those hills are KILLER! I used to dread going. However, it is a really nice escape from the conrete jungle we normally trained in.

Yes, it totally kicks! I love being able to run for two hours and not hitting the same path.

My favorite loop is 9 miles and includes good terrain changes.

- Start on the Old Croton Aqueduct (OCA) at Sleepy Hollow H.S.

- Continue past old pump house (approx 1 mile) another .85 to the junction of the path that takes you to 13 Bridges (this comes just as you've crossed a bridge over the highway)

- At the bottom of the path turn left onto 13 Bridges

- The path winds for about .75 miles and brings you to THE hill for this loop. From the tree at the abandoned trail on your left at the bottom to the top is about 1/3 of a mile.

- After summiting the hill continue past the junction of Pocantico River Trail on your left

- After you cross another highway bridge go up the small hill and bear slightly right onto Eagle Ridge. This is a .9 mile loop up and then back down a decent hill.

- When you return to the bottom of Eagle Ridge, make a right. At the bottom of this segment make a left onto Pocantico River Trail.

- Follow Pocantico back to the 13 Bridges junction that you passed before, make a right and continue back over the initial course to Sleepy Hollow H.S.

Measurements:

- SHS to path from OCA to 13 Bridges: 1.85

- First time to junction of 13 Bridges/Pocantico: 3.25

- Second time to junction of 13 Bridges/Pocantico: 5.75

- junction of path to OCA: 7.15

- Finish at SHS: 9.0

Until you've run there a bunch of times, you're likely to get lost now and then, and if you're going for a long run it doesn't matter as long as you know where you are near the end of the run. For example, if you get to the Visitor's Center (where there's water) with about 15 mins. to go and you know the way from there to SHHS, it doesn't matter if you're lost before then.

My Garmin works pretty well there, which can free you to just go on whatever trail you feel like.

Here are a couple of pages I put up on the Rockies

http://www.westchestertrails.com/rockefeller.php

and on the Old Croton Aqueduct from SHHS (which is a nice alternative especially to start a 20 miler, although the footing is a bit different and there are 2 tough hills if you go to Rockwood Hall):

http://www.westchestertrails.com/ocanorthern.php

Rockafella records always produces some good music.

My favorite loop is 9 miles and includes good terrain changes.

- Start on the Old Croton Aqueduct (OCA) at Sleepy Hollow H.S.

- Continue past old pump house (approx 1 mile) another .85 to the junction of the path that takes you to 13 Bridges (this comes just as you've crossed a bridge over the highway)

- At the bottom of the path turn left onto 13 Bridges

- The path winds for about .75 miles and brings you to THE hill for this loop. From the tree at the abandoned trail on your left at the bottom to the top is about 1/3 of a mile.

- After summiting the hill continue past the junction of Pocantico River Trail on your left

- After you cross another highway bridge go up the small hill and bear slightly right onto Eagle Ridge. This is a .9 mile loop up and then back down a decent hill.

- When you return to the bottom of Eagle Ridge, make a right. At the bottom of this segment make a left onto Pocantico River Trail.

- Follow Pocantico back to the 13 Bridges junction that you passed before, make a right and continue back over the initial course to Sleepy Hollow H.S.

Measurements:

- SHS to path from OCA to 13 Bridges: 1.85

- First time to junction of 13 Bridges/Pocantico: 3.25

- Second time to junction of 13 Bridges/Pocantico: 5.75

- junction of path to OCA: 7.15

- Finish at SHS: 9.0

I just went here for the first time on Tuesday. I ended up getting a bit lost towards the end but it was great for a easy 10 miler. Plan on doing all my long days here now

The place is amazing. The Iona and Columbia kids are out their every weekend doing their long runs.

And the Cadets.

I too love to start from Sleepy Hollow high on the OCA to ease into a run and then slip into the Rock to start the uphill, downhill, yet scenic pain! Anyhow, to the original poster, definitely drop by there on a Saturday or Sunday morning to get a taste of what a metro New York running mecca it is.

I know there are groups that regularly meet at Sleepy Hollow HS on the week-ends, but does anyone have info about when, how fast, etc.?

quote]jpgarland wrote:

I know there are groups that regularly meet at Sleepy Hollow HS on the week-ends, but does anyone have info about when, how fast, etc.?[/quote]

JP,

Mike Barnow and the Westchester Track Club meet there Saturday's at 9:30 AM through the summer.

1984, springtime, right before penn relays, out for a cruise at rockies, working up a hill into one of the trail intersections and flashing past me at what had to be 4:15 mile pace was sosthenes bitok, and some other countrymen of his charging down the hill.

about 30 seconds later charlie bevier comes sprinting down the trail and yells, "nuge,which way did they go?", i got to point and say "they went thataway."

bitok sets penn relays record the next week, going 27:50 in cruddy weather.

rockies is the proving ground.

WTC-er wrote:

Mike Barnow and the Westchester Track Club meet there Saturday's at 9:30 AM through the summer.

WTC-er: Is that the fast group? What kind of pace? I thought there was a group that went earlier. I'd like to get the info right on my website.

I despise robber barons as much as anyone, but I'll admit that between Rockefeller State Park Preserve and the carriage roads at Acadia, that family left us runners a pretty nice legacy.

jpgarland wrote:

WTC-er: Is that the fast group? What kind of pace? I thought there was a group that went earlier. I'd like to get the info right on my website.

the WTC guys meet there saturday morning for workouts, not distance runs. however a lot of them do the majority of there distance runs there throughout the week and on sunday.