Monday, September 8, 2014

2014 paine to pain trail half marathon - preview run


yesterday i participated in a group run of the paine to pain trail half marathon - it was practically in my back yard.  the trail head is about 3.5 miles from my house, but this was my 1st time on the trail (and half marathon course).  it was a fantastic time. 

the group run began at the trail head of the leatherstoking trail in new rochelle - not the official start of the half, which begins up the road at the high school.  the halfway point was at the saxon woods golf club - where the new ro runners had set up a water stop for the participants.

even though it was my first time on those trails, i run on the roads that bisect the course practically every weekend. to say it was an eye opening experience to see what great trail running (a good mix of hills, single track, and technical terrain) was literally just a few feet off the main roads would be an understatement. 

for the most part, following the course itself was straightforward - but there was one point just before the halfway mark (the playing fields on the way to the golf course) where i would easily have missed the trail markers if i hadn't been with a group of runners experienced with the course.  except for that one near miss, it's a must run for anyone looking for lower westchester trail experience!


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