Flyers May Monthly Trail Run With More to Come

Felicity L

I recently had the notion that it would be fun for there to be a monthly Flyers Trail Run, so I decided to organize the first of a series of monthly trail runs, including with a sign-up page on the Flyers website.  Other Flyers liked the idea, and so on a warm morning in May, a group of ten intrepid Flyers woke up at the crack of dawn and headed out of the city to check out the running trails in Rockefeller State Park. The park is just a quick 40 minute drive north of the city (or if you’re not lucky enough to have Dave K and Eric F volunteer to drive, about 50 minutes from Grand Central Station on the Metro-North Hudson line train). 

Dave K, Debbie P, Anagha A, Eric F, Bill S, Russ S,
Felicity L, Luiza S, Meg B and Francesco P

This park was born in 1983, with land donated by the Rockefeller family, and has more than twenty miles of carriage trails. The carriage trails are an excellent introduction to trail running as they are relatively smooth and even, and the hills (though constantly rolling) are not steep.

Russ S, as our designated navigator for the day, met us at the nearby high school parking lot, and led the group on an 8 mile run, reaching the park via the OCA trail. The OCA (Old Croton Aqueduct) trail follows the route of the old aqueduct, which carried water from the Croton River in Westchester, down to NYC, using only the force of gravity. 

Russ S Leads a Few of Us as We Spread Out
Into Casual Pace (i.e., Chatting) Groups

There is not much of the aqueduct system that still remains today other than some stone ventilators and other support structures here and there, to remind you of the 41 mile system that once existed. After leaving the OCA trail, we had a quick ramble through some farms en route to Swan Lake, which is more or less the hub of the park, with a variety of trails branching out in all directions. 

Part of the group headed back to the car via the Overlook Trail, and part of the group added on a 5-K loop beyond the lake before heading back. We all reunited back at the parking lot behind Sleepy Hollow High School, where Debbie P treated us to some amazing (and well-deserved!) homemade banana chocolate chip cookies before heading back to the city. Another amazing run with an amazing group of Flyers!

Anagha A. Snatches a Cookie Before the Group Devours Them All
As Debbie P and Eric F Look On With Smiles
(Having Already Consumed Quite a Few!)

If you missed this one (or if you were there!), save the date June 22 for the next Flyers trail run!

-Felicity L