Racefaster Half Marathon
Ridgewood, NJ
- Half Marathon
- Road (Paved), Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
Get ready to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Saddle River County Park as you run this flat, fast, course free from traffic! Starting and ending at the Ridgewood Duck Pond. The entire course will be free of motor vehicles, helping to make our event one step safer for all … MORE
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Was Expecting More
This was my first time running this race. I had knee issues a few weeks prior and the pain return during mile 10, Obviously no fault of the race, but … MORE
This was my first time running this race. I had knee issues a few weeks prior and the pain return during mile 10, Obviously no fault of the race, but impact on my performance.
The race good: Flat course through a park that was mostly closed to car traffic. Friendly pacers that were pacing times other than every 15 mins.
The Course: After the start, the course went down a road and through a parking lot. The parking lot was a mess as cars were trying to drive through it as runners were also. Surprised no one was injured. The park path at times became narrow, which made it difficult for the first few miles until the runners spread out. Afterwards, the park path became clogged with walkers, racers, other runners and cyclists. Numerous cyclists were annoyed that racers were in their way. The park was nice though.
The Swag: The long sleeve race shirt was nice, the race logo over the left breast and without a plethora of sponsors on the back. The finisher medal was very underwhelming. It was small, noted both the 1/2 marathon and 5K (which I didn’t even realize was being run, if it was). There were finishers after a certain time that received different finishers medal that had spinner. Not sure but it seemed that maybe they didn’t order enough and used medals leftover from a prior year?
After race: there did not seem to be much of after race activity going on.
Since I do not live super close or in a town directly surrounding the race, I do not plan on racing this one again.
I sure did Racefaster than yesterday
This race is located in northern NJ about 20 miles outside of NYC. I decided to do this race as it was on my way home from Bird-in-Hand. It is … MORE
This race is located in northern NJ about 20 miles outside of NYC. I decided to do this race as it was on my way home from Bird-in-Hand. It is also about 20-30 minutes from Metlife Stadium and I wanted to go to the Giants opening game and it was very convenient for that as well so it worked perfectly for my weekend plans. This is a fast, no frills race that is good for locals or if you are in the area but isn’t a destination race. There was adequate pre-race communication. I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express about 10 minutes away. The race is in a park and is mostly an out and back with a a small loop in the middle. The entire race is on paved paths in a park. There is the option for early packet pick-up but you can get it race day. I got it race day as I slowly made my way up to NJ after Bird-in-Hand. Race day packet pick-up was easy and included a bib and a long sleeved tech shirt with the race logo. The race had 300-400 runners so it was on the smaller side but not tiny and it made things pretty easy. We just lined up in front of the timing mat and left. There were two pacers to help spread things out but they were much faster than my pace. It seemed to be a pretty fast field so I stayed near the end. The park was quite pretty and it was a pleasant run but it wasn’t much different scenery than running on the rail trails near me. I always think it’s a bit boring when races are all on a public path but logistically it is easier and I prefer it to open roads as it is safer. The course is as the race name suggest very fast. There are no hills but a few inclines and declines. Less than 200 feet of elevation gain. It was perfect for a fast race for me. I was correct that most runners were faster as this course is set up more to get a good time than have a good time but there were a few slower folks and I had no issues in the back. There were 3 aid stations you pass twice so 6 totals and lots of bathrooms in the park. The aid stations however only had water. The course was also well marked and it was easy to figure out where to go. I had a very fast race. I didn’t break 3 hours which I thought was a bit of a stretch to be able to do in my 5th half marathon in 16 days but I was a few minutes faster than Sioux Falls and had my second fastest half this year. The finish line is a bit disappointing. You get your medal with the race logo which spins but it’s kind of small and cheap and mine broke. There was water at the end but no food. I had to go straight to Metlife Stadium as the game started at 1pm so I was starving so I wish there was food. I did make it to Metlife in time to park, get lunch at the concession stand and get to my seat before 1pm kickoff so this did work great with the football game. Overall I’d recommend this race to locals who are looking for a fast course or if you happen to be in the area. While I didn’t have any big issues with the race I don’t think it was special enough to recommend to 50 staters as a stand alone NJ race. I did the April Fools Half in Atlantic City and the Run the Vineyards half in Southern NJ closer to Philadelphia and I’d recommend those two races more (though I also did a trail half in NJ that I would recommend less unless you really like a challenge). However I would recommend this for 50 staters if you are looking for a double with Bird-in-Hand or love football and want to find a race you can combine with a game at Metlife Stadium.