SELL-OUT
THIS EVENT WILL SELL-OUT BEFORE RACE DAY! If you want to join us and avoid being added to a waitlist, please register at least a few weeks before March 9, 2024!
HARRIMAN BIG BEAR SQUATCH SOUTH
Sassquad Trail Running and the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference are proud to present the Harriman Big Bear SquaTCh South Half Marathon at Harriman State Park in Tuxedo, New York! Join us at 9am on Saturday October 19, 2024 for this historic trail half marathon. All runners and hikers will experience non-stop trail beauty on this single loop course through Harriman State Park! Your race registration is directly helping the Trail Conference restore the 100 year-old Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail. (The capitalized "TC" in SquaTCh stands for "Trail Conference"!!) Please visit our website for the complete details on this race, course maps, gpx files etc!
TRAIL PARTY DETAILS
The race will start and finish at Powerhouse Park: 57 Powerhouse Lane, Tuxedo, NY 10987 (please note: there is a $3 parking fee for the Tuxedo Commuter Lot). The race starts at 9am. Check-in will be open from 8:15am-8:45am where you will receive your handcrafted wood medal (made with squatchy love in the Squatch Shop), race swag and bib. Runners and hikers will take home a swag item of their choice, we will have buffs, hats, travel mugs, beach towels available! 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 use this form to pre-register your pacers. Pacers are not allowed for other runners and hikers without prior approval from the Trail Party Director. Members of the Trail Conference will be at the race to chat with you about the amazing work they are doing in New York and New Jersey.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Course Maps and GPX files The 13.1 mile routes highlights the technical trails, beautiful views and steep climbs of Harriman State Park (this is not a flat course!). The course will be well-marked with neon trail ribbon and large directional arrows. You can view the course map in the picture gallery at the top of the registration page. There is a 5 hour cutoff for the half marathon. All runners/hikers must reach mile 4.7 aid station by 10:45am. The first water/snack aid station is at mile 4.7ish and the second aid station is at mile 9.5. Cutoff for mile 9.5 aid station is 12:45pm.
There is 1,000 ft of gain in the first 4 miles! The Half Marathon has 2,200+ ft of cumulative gain. After leaving Powerhouse Park and joining the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail, runners/hikers will enter Harriman and soon bear left on the yellow-blazed Triangle Trail to Parker Cabin Mountain and then bear left on the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail. After a half mile on the R-D, turn right on the blue-blazed Victory Trail to the end of Lake Skrenonto. At the southern tip of the lake, turn left on the yellow-blazed Triangle Trail. Continue on to the white-blazed White Bar Trail and keep left at the split onto the blue-blazed Blue Disc Trail to Claudius Smith Den. Turn left on the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail to return to Powerhouse Park for the finish.
REQUIRED GEAR
Make no mistake about it - this is not a flat half marathon. The trails are technical and have some steep and rugged sections. ALL participants are REQUIRED to have the following with them at all times:
- Charged cell phone
- Water bottle or hydration pack
- At least 200 extra calories
- Whistle (most running packs have a whistle built into them)
- Course Map (you will receive this at check-in)
The following items are recommended, but not required:
- GPX of course map on phone or device
- Poles
- External battery pack for phone
- Buff/hat/gloves
- Wipes
- Ziploc baggie to pack out trash
NYNJTC
We are proud to be co-hosting this trail party with our friends at the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference! Please consider donating by using the add-on feature during registration. The NYNJTC maintains and protects over 2,000 miles of trails in New York and New Jersey. You can learn more about the NYNJTC by visiting nynjtc.org
BE A HERO
Join the Sassy Volunteer Dream Team! We need help with check-in, aid stations, sweeping the course and cleaning up. Are you registered for a race that requires volunteer hours? We can sign-off on the hours that you log at the Harriman Big Bear SquaTCh. We love our volunteer team and we are always looking to add more sassy members to the Volunteer Squad! Email us at trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com if you would like to volunteer!
FAMILIES, SENIORS, MILITARY, VETERANS and CLUB MEMBERS
We want the WHOLE family to come out to our events! We have a special discount code for families registering 3 or more Squatches in the same household. Please email trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com before you register so we can give you the code! Sassquad Trail Running is proud to offer 20% off all events to all active duty military and Veterans. Must provide proof of service. Please email trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com before you register for an event so we can provide you with a discount code. We extend a 10% discount to our Wise Elder Squatch Squad (folks who are over the age of 60); email us for the the code! New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Members and South Mountain Conservancy members can receive 10% off of registration; please email us for the discount code!
TRAIL MIX FUND
Do you want to race but can’t afford the entry fee? Are you a part of the BIPOC or LGBTQ+ community?
"Apply to the Trail Mix Fund to have your registration fee waived!" Sassquad Trail Running is proud to partner with the non-profit the Trail Mix Fund for the Squatchapple, Big Bear North & South, Sterling Squatch and Wild Goose. Founded in 2020 by our friends in Oregon at Go Beyond Racing, the Trail Mix Fund uses donations to help people who are under-served, under-resourced, and under-represented. This includes people of color and LGBTQ+, but is not restricted to those communities.
FAQ's
Q: Can I have a pacer?
A: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 use this form to pre-register your pacers. Pacers are not allowed for other runners and hikers without prior approval from the Trail Party Director.
Q: Can I bring my dog?
A: Sorry, but Buddy has to stay at home for this race. Our liability insurance does not cover dogs running our races; thank you for understanding!
Q: Can I sign my kids up for the race?
A: Yes! We want the WHOLE family to come out to our events! We have a special discount code for families registering 3 or more Squatches in the same household. Please email us (trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com) before you register so we can give you the code! Once you have the code, be sure to register your child separately and agree to the waiver for minors. And make sure to keep track of little Jerry before during and after the race. We only have 1 search-party and they're already out there looking for Sasquatch.
Q: What's the weather like in Tuxedo, NY in October?
A: Cool, usually in the high 50's, low 60's. We should start to see some leaves changing!
Q: This will be my first trail race. Can you share some race-strategies with me?
A: We are SO EXCITED for you! You will feel welcomed at our race and you can expect a well-marked course. Take your time out there and enjoy the experience! You do not have to run the entire time! Do some hiking and have fun.
Q: What food will you have at the aid station?
A: We will have water with a wide range of pre-packaged snacks and fruit.
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. We will also have large directional arrows at each turn.
Q: Will I encounter any wildlife on the course?
A: Bears. Beets. Battlestar Gallatica. Harriman State Park is home to many critters, including black bears, deer, beavers and coyotes. We are utilizing heavily trafficked trails, so it is unlikely you will encounter any larger critters!
Q: I don't want to run, are there any volunteer opportunities?
A: Of course! We always need Sassy Volunteers! Email us if you would like to volunteer: trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com
Q: I can’t make it to the race anymore, can I get a refund?
A: Unfortunately we do not offer refunds for our non-refundable registration fee. Thank you for understanding!
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. And if you hear about someone else doing this, call them out. If you bandit a race, you will be banned from registering for any of our Sassquad events.
SKRATCH
We are excited to share that our friends over at Skratch Labs are official Sassquad sponsors! We will be proudly serving Skratch Hydration at the aid stations. Sassquaders can save 20% by using the code SASSQUAD24 at skratchlabs.com
SNEAKER FACTORY
Thank you to our friends at Sneaker Factory, NJ! Sneaker Factory supports Sassquad Trail Running on and off the trails to help make the events as squatchtastic as possible! The Sneaker Factory is NJ's source for all things running: New Jersey's oldest and most well-known running store, originally opened in Millburn in 1978. Stop by one of our three convenient neighborhood locations and let us help you find the "perfect ride for every stride." Millburn, Florham Park and Basking Ridge.
SASSQUAD TRAIL RUNNERS
We are a community of SASQUATCH-lovin' trail runners and hikers. Our goal is to provide FUN and challenging events for runners of all ages and paces. We like to think that we have a good sense of humor, a full arsenal of sarcastic wit, useless trivia facts and a deep appreciation for cinematic masterpieces (as evidenced multiple times already). Follow us on Instagram , and like us on Facebook to get all of our Squatchy updates. You can also join our Facebook group, "Sassquad Trail Runners" to connect with other runners and hikers!
REFUNDS/DEFERRALS
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 45 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. If you sustain an injury less than 45 days from the race date, we will extend a deferral if you come to that race to volunteer for at least 4 hours. If the race that you want to drop from is sold-out with an active wait-list and 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. The race credit is the amount that you paid for the race (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 doublecheck that you can make the race you're deferring to.
Event's current local time: 6:06 AM ET
