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Marathon Details - Watchung Winter Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > NJ > Summit > Watchung Winter Marathon

Watchung Winter Marathon

Watchung Winter Marathon & 50K, Half Marathon, 10K

Summit, NJ USA

~~January 8, 2022~~ - CANCELLED

http://www.sites.google.com/site/njtrailseries/watchung

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Marathon Results

By Year:

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

trail marathon, single track, groomed trails, bridles paths and short paved sections

Contact Information

Name:	Rick and Jennifer McNulty
Address:	POB 127 5 St. Johns Ave Mount Tabor NJ 07878
Phone Number:	973-627-2575
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (4)

Course 4.3

Organization 4.0

Spectators 1.5

Write a review

Number of comments: 4

D. M. from NYC (2/13/2018) "Great NO FRILLS winter trail run" (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 4-5 Watchung Winter Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I've run this one 4 or 5 times now and will keep showing up. I think I might have reviewed it before but wanted to again after finishing the 2018 version. In a very good way, this race is intentionally no-frills. It's incredibly well organized for how cheap it is, but don't expect a medal or t-shirt or crowd support. There is 1 aid station (though some years there was a mini water station half way) but the short loop course (10K) brings you through a parking lot several times so you can use your car as an aid station, or just put one on the grass for yourself. The course is challenging but not crazy. Only 1 steep hill climb that's worth walking up, everything else is runable. On the years I've done this in good weather with no snow, it's taken me around 4 hours (I run around 3:10 on a road marathon) and on years with snow it's more like 5 or 5.5 hours. I clearly need to start running it in trail shoes, I've only ever race it in road flats but whatever. This is a super fun race to test your fitness right at the stat of the year and it's really low key/low stress. I'd recommend it as a nice winter challenge. The other nice thing is being a 10K loop you can just do as many loops as you want. Some people do a 10K, some 1/2 marathon, some do 18 miles, some do a marathon and a handful do a 50K-ish distance. I've always stuck to the marathon distance.
R. G. from New Jersey (1/15/2016) "Make sure you know his is a WINTER TRAIL marathon" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Watchung Winter Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 COURSE: The course is a winding trail through the Watchung reservation. It is not for first time trail runners...it is a technical, partly single track trail. There are lots of rocks, mud, frequent elevation changes, turns, sometimes snow, and, the markings are not always completely obvious. If you LIKE trail running, and don't mind inclement weather, you may love it. ORGANIZATION: The race directors seemed like nice people, but they were not very helpful in explaining the course. I heard many people ask about the course, and it was almost as if the race directors were bothered by it. If it's a trail, and, if you changed the course from the published route on your website, you should expect many people will ask you about it. They marked the course pretty well, and had cool aid stations. SPECTATORS: Finally, you're in the woods, so you're not going to see spectators. But at the start and half way point of each loop there is a great place for spectators. And if you're doing the marathon, that's 4 loops, so you can see people 4 times, easily, or 8 times if they do a short drive. ADDITIONAL POINT: The directors run this for charity. All money, not just profit, ALL of the $25 'entry' fee is actually donated to the NJ Battered Women's Shelter. Which is SUCH an amazing thing to see them do.
c. b. from New Jersey (12/15/2014) "Brrrrrrr" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Watchung Winter Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 4 degree start and ankle high snow. One of the hardest of my 30 races to get ready for as it was brutally cold. 4 laps for the marathon and you were able to pass your bag/car to change clothes and grab food. It did warm up to a balmy 12 degrees by my forth lap. This is super no-frills and that's what I love about the NJ trails series. Overall it was a great experience and oddly enough I over-dressed and had to strip off everything by the 2nd loop to change all my clothes. I'd do it again in a heartbeat! loved running thru the snow and not seeing anyone for miles at a time! Fun!!
Dave Mendelsohn from Brooklyn, NYC (1/10/2014) "Cold, snowy, miserably awesome" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Watchung Winter Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This was the second time I raced the Watchung Winter Marathon (and my 40th-something marathon). I had a miserably awesome time with a 1 degree F start and ankle-deep snow on a single track hilly trail. Run this race if you want an oldschool-feeling trail race. It's no frills but really well organized with a great 'legit runner' crowd and a cool RD. Fast people, slow people, they're all friendly people out there to run and not out for a t-shirt or finisher's medal. There are no crowds, it's in the middle of a nice nature reserve. You complete a loop 4 times for the marathon (there's also a 50k).



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D. M. from NYC (2/13/2018) "Great NO FRILLS winter trail run" (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 4-5 Watchung Winter Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I've run this one 4 or 5 times now and will keep showing up. I think I might have reviewed it before but wanted to again after finishing the 2018 version. In a very good way, this race is intentionally no-frills. It's incredibly well organized for how cheap it is, but don't expect a medal or t-shirt or crowd support. There is 1 aid station (though some years there was a mini water station half way) but the short loop course (10K) brings you through a parking lot several times so you can use your car as an aid station, or just put one on the grass for yourself. The course is challenging but not crazy. Only 1 steep hill climb that's worth walking up, everything else is runable. On the years I've done this in good weather with no snow, it's taken me around 4 hours (I run around 3:10 on a road marathon) and on years with snow it's more like 5 or 5.5 hours. I clearly need to start running it in trail shoes, I've only ever race it in road flats but whatever. This is a super fun race to test your fitness right at the stat of the year and it's really low key/low stress. I'd recommend it as a nice winter challenge. The other nice thing is being a 10K loop you can just do as many loops as you want. Some people do a 10K, some 1/2 marathon, some do 18 miles, some do a marathon and a handful do a 50K-ish distance. I've always stuck to the marathon distance.
R. G. from New Jersey (1/15/2016) "Make sure you know his is a WINTER TRAIL marathon" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Watchung Winter Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 COURSE: The course is a winding trail through the Watchung reservation. It is not for first time trail runners...it is a technical, partly single track trail. There are lots of rocks, mud, frequent elevation changes, turns, sometimes snow, and, the markings are not always completely obvious. If you LIKE trail running, and don't mind inclement weather, you may love it. ORGANIZATION: The race directors seemed like nice people, but they were not very helpful in explaining the course. I heard many people ask about the course, and it was almost as if the race directors were bothered by it. If it's a trail, and, if you changed the course from the published route on your website, you should expect many people will ask you about it. They marked the course pretty well, and had cool aid stations. SPECTATORS: Finally, you're in the woods, so you're not going to see spectators. But at the start and half way point of each loop there is a great place for spectators. And if you're doing the marathon, that's 4 loops, so you can see people 4 times, easily, or 8 times if they do a short drive. ADDITIONAL POINT: The directors run this for charity. All money, not just profit, ALL of the $25 'entry' fee is actually donated to the NJ Battered Women's Shelter. Which is SUCH an amazing thing to see them do.
c. b. from New Jersey (12/15/2014) "Brrrrrrr" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Watchung Winter Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 4 degree start and ankle high snow. One of the hardest of my 30 races to get ready for as it was brutally cold. 4 laps for the marathon and you were able to pass your bag/car to change clothes and grab food. It did warm up to a balmy 12 degrees by my forth lap. This is super no-frills and that's what I love about the NJ trails series. Overall it was a great experience and oddly enough I over-dressed and had to strip off everything by the 2nd loop to change all my clothes. I'd do it again in a heartbeat! loved running thru the snow and not seeing anyone for miles at a time! Fun!!
Dave Mendelsohn from Brooklyn, NYC (1/10/2014) "Cold, snowy, miserably awesome" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Watchung Winter Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This was the second time I raced the Watchung Winter Marathon (and my 40th-something marathon). I had a miserably awesome time with a 1 degree F start and ankle-deep snow on a single track hilly trail. Run this race if you want an oldschool-feeling trail race. It's no frills but really well organized with a great 'legit runner' crowd and a cool RD. Fast people, slow people, they're all friendly people out there to run and not out for a t-shirt or finisher's medal. There are no crowds, it's in the middle of a nice nature reserve. You complete a loop 4 times for the marathon (there's also a 50k).

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Marathon Details - Watchung Winter Marathon