Course Description

Start Time:  8:00AM

• A relatively flat mile 1 sees runners do a loop of New Pond Farm, passing by cows, chickens, sheep and other spectators.  Runner then proceed downhill on Umpawaug Road, passing by the old Brick School House (circa 1789) and the West Redding Fire House.

• A very flat mile 2 sees runners turn onto the very scenic Station Road, head into town, pass the Redding Post Office and the Metro North Train Station, amongst other things.

• Mile 3 has runners turn from Long Ridge Road onto Deer Spring Road then onto Lamppost Drive. Running here isn't as flat as the first two miles but has only small, rolling hills.

• Miles 4 and 5 see runners heading into Danbury on West Redding Road.  The terrain is relatively flat with a couple of easy rollers.  At the mile 5 mark, look for the waterfall on the left.

• Miles 6 and 7 take runners on Starr Ridge Road, back into Redding and eventually on to Picketts Ridge Road.  Starr Ridge Road is country running at its best.  None of the hills are steep but there are a few up and downs.  Look for the farm on the left around mile 6.4.  The hill on Picketts Ridge Road (just before mile 7) is the toughest one on the course.  It only lasts around 1/10th of a mile though and isn't overwelming.

• Mile 8 has runners going down a steep hill on Picketts Ridge Road and turning onto the very flat Simpaug Turnpike.

• Mile 9 on Simpaug Turnpike is flat and scenic (look for the lake and the train tracks on the left throughout the mile).

• Mile 10 sees an out and back on Topstione Rd into Topstone Park. Make sure to get a wet towel on the out, to cool off, and a dry towel on the back.  The refreshed runner then heads back to Topstone Road for a little less than a quarter of a mile and then onto Chesnut Woods Road.  There are some small rollers here, but the scenery offsets it.

• Mile 11 has runners on the beautiful Chestnut Woods Road.  Look to the left and right at the preserve and try to ignore the 3 small rollers I call the "hiccup Hills."  After these 3 small hills, running is flat to downhill until the end of the race.

• Mile 12 sees runners on what I call "Serenity Mile," a mile long flat to downhill stretch of Simpaug Turnpike.  Make sure to hit the candy and soda zone at the beginning to re-energize. 

• Mile 13 takes runners back onto the beautiful and flat Station Road, back onto Simpaug Road and back to the farm.  There's a challenging hill right before the farm, but... the end is near.  Just before the 13 mile mark runners re-enter the farm, run through a chicken coup, through a meadow and to the finish line.

A link to the course in detail is here:

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=476533