Squatchayanda Full Moon Ugly Sweater Night Trails

It’s about time. The weathaas finally turned. SWEATAA WEATHAA! SWEATAA WEATHAA! SWEATAA WEATHAA! Join Sassquad at the beautiful Wawayanda State Park in Hewitt, New Jersey this December for an epic night of trail running under the full moon and stars! Come run or hike 8 miles or 4 miles. The December Squatchayanda is a UGLY SWEATER party! That’s right, embrace the SWEATAA WEATHAA and bring your favorite ugly sweater. Ugliest sweater will take home a squatchtastic award! U.G.L.Y., you ain’t got no alibi, you’re ugly, hey hey, you’re ugly! We are proud to partner with Bigger Than The Trail (BTTT). for this trail party. BTTT is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that is using trail running as a platform to advocate for mental health.

If you’ve never ventured out on the trail after dark, this is the perfect opportunity to jump into the Squatchtastic world of night trail running! Each runner will take home a unique finishers’ item along with their handcrafted wood medal, and the top male and female finishers for each distance will receive a special award. We will have a squatchariffic post-race party around a bonfire with roasted marshmallows and hot chocolate (BYO-mug!).

When you get to the park, follow signs for “Wawayanda Beach”. The start/finish will be at the beach. Check-in will be open from 4:30PM-5PM. All runners will start at 5:30PM. All runners are REQUIRED to have a headlamp and/or flashlight. Runners are strongly encouraged to bring an extra headlamp/flashlight and extra batteries. We will not have extra to give out and we cannot permit you to run if you do not have a light. If you fail to bring a headlamp, not only will you not be permitted to run, but you’ll also have to answer to David S. Pumpkins. **This is a cupless event; please bring a water bottle/cup. And please bring a mug if you would like to enjoy some hot chocolate after the race** YOU MUST ENTER THE PARK THROUGH THE MAIN ENTRANCE ON WARWICK TURNPIKE, WHERE THE PARK OFFICE IS LOCATED. THE UTILITY ENTRANCE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PARK WILL NOT BE OPENED. IF YOU GO TO THAT ENTRANCE, IT WILL TAKE YOU AT LEAST 15 MINUTES TO GET TO THE MAIN PARK ENTRANCE ON WARWICK TURNPIKE!

There are restrooms at the “Boat Launch”. The entire 4 mile course is runnable with very minimal technical terrain; there is 379 ft of gain and all of the trails are doublewide. Runners will start and finish at the Boat Launch parking lot and complete the counterclockwise loop one time for the 4 mile race and 2 times for the 8 mile race. 8 mile runners need to start their second loop by 6:45PM. If any 8 milers do not make it back to the start by 6:45pm, they will be dropped down to the 4 mile event.

Start on the Double Pond trail and make a hard left at the Historic Furnace. This is the only pavement stretch of the loop is about 3/4 of a mi. Cross over Wawayanda Road and bear left to get on Old Wawayanda Rd, which is a grass and packed gravel trail. Turn left on the “Old AT” trail that parallels the AT. Make a left on Iron Mountain Trail and take that all the way back to the Boat Launch parking lot. You will cross back over Wawayanda Road one more time to get to the parking lot.