Course
The Lost Brook Preserve is a dense stand of hardwood forest that is naturally maintained by the Tenafly Nature Center. This means that you will NOT find wide and nicely groomed trails here. Instead, you will discover the native terrain of this area. There will be sections of the trail covered in rocks and roots, footbridges over streams, and thousand-year-old boulders moved by the glaciers that once covered this landscape. However, this is still an extremely runnable course and I will be expecting some fast times for both the 5 & 10-mile races. Be safe out there, but more importantly remember to have FUN!
Important info regarding the on going covid-19 pandemic
All runners will be asked to sign a covid-19 waiver upon check-in
Start times will be staggered into heats. 10 Mile - 9:00 am 5 Mile - 9:10 am
Each heat will have a hard limit of 50 runners - NO EXCEPTIONS.
Multiple areas will be available for warm-up to allow for social distancing
The aid table located at the halfway mark will be present, and will be providing mini bottles of water
If the parking lot is full please park on Hudson Ave
Due to reduced numbers of runners, it is recommended to register early
History
In 1983, the Tenafly Nature Center with the help of the Township of Tenafly organized a fundraiser in the form of a running race. For four consecutive years, the Raccoon Run was held on Father’s Day and consisted of both a 5k and 10k road race. This event was an important fundraiser for the nature center that attracted hundreds of runners. In 1986 (the last year this race was held on behalf of the nature center), over 200 runners participated. In the 10k, Jeff Van Horn won the men’s race with a time of 34:44 and Barbara Reinderes captured the women’s title with a time of 42:02. In the 5k event, placing first for the men with a respectable time of 16:31 was Dominick Tabbachino, and for the women, Jennifer Van Horn was victorious with a time of 18:50. Interestingly enough, this race still exists today. Now called the Tenafly 5k and Dog Walk, this event has become a fundraiser for the Tenafly Educational Foundation. The Lost Brook Trail Race is a resurrection of the once great Raccoon Run and the first organized trail-running event in this nature preserve. This event is on a mission to continue the fund-raising tradition that began 30+ years ago. All proceeds from this event will be donated to the Tenafly Nature Center in support of their mission.
Event's current local time: 7:59 PM ET
