Nittany Valley Half-Marathon
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Route: | The Nittany Valley Half-Marathon | ||||||||||
| Mileage: | 13.1 | ||||||||||
| Hillage: | Long stretches of relatively flat ground, with a gentle, hubris-inducing downhill near the beginning at mile 3, a long, steep downhill (the great Rock Road Ravine) after mile 7; two tough little uphills after mile 9 and 10, and a final, soul-crushing climb to finish the race.
Total elevation change: Over 300 ft.
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| Description: | The course mixes mostly suburban and rural road running on mostly macadam surfaces. The Nittany Valley Half-Marathon starts on the northeast end of the parking lot of the Ag Arena on the north side of Park Avenue near Beaver Stadium. The first nearly 3 miles of the course is done by traversing a loop of the University service roads behind the Ag Arena twice. This section of the course is fairly flat and has a couple of sections of gravel road. Start at the east end of the paved Ag Arena lot. Proceed north on the gravel road to Orchard Rd, which is an east-west road at this point. Turn right on Orchard, then left on Wiley Place, then right on Pasture View Rd. Take Pasture View Rd and follow it, staying right until it bends left for about 50 ft and then as it bends right in front of some farm buildings. Do not head downhill! Then go right on Farm Ten Rd and then zig-zag right-left onto Orchard Rd, which is heading south here. Continue south on Orchard and then make the right onto the gravel road that passes a nursery. Continue on this road until it meets the gravel road the race started on, then make a right. This is one loop. Repeat, then continue on the gravel road north to the east-west part of Orchard Rd. Make a left. The course then heads west out Orchard Rd onto Fox Hollow Rd, turning north. The course heads down a gentle hill on Fox Hollow, goes under the Rte 322 Bypass, and makes a slow climb toward Toftrees. The course then takes the big bend near Toftrees as Fox Hollow becomes Fox Hill Rd. From here the course continues straight, onto Airport Rd, past the airport all the way to Rock Rd. This section is mostly a long, gradual uphill. The course then goes right at Rock Rd. and heads down the Rock Road Ravine. Note to Clydesdales: You need to train for this section by doing leg presses, or your quads will be killing you later in the race. The terrain starts sinking on Fox Hill Rd, but really gets going a bit past the turn onto Rock Rd. From this point, it's nearly a 300 ft drop, most of it pretty steep! At the bottom of the hill, there is a bridge over Spring Creek. The route does not cross the bridge, but goes right and follows Rock Rd., which follows the creek for a while and later becomes Houserville Rd. Just before the point where Houserville Rd. crosses Trout Rd. is the 10 mile mark. Only 5K to go! At the "Y", the route bears left and goes up a steep hill into Houserville. This is the first hint of the final torture ahead. In Houserville, the route takes a right on Puddintown Rd. The route continues on Puddintown Rd. to the intersection with Orchard Rd., making a right. Here begins the final excruciating climb. Over the course of 1.24 miles, the course climbs 160 ft up Orchard Rd, making a left on Park St. (still climbing), and a left on Porter Rd. (still climbing). In spots, the grade on Orchard is over 5%. While you're staggering up Orchard Rd., the Centre Community Hospital is on the top of the hill to your right. You'll wish you were there! After cresting the last short hill on Porter, the course makes a left on the road next to the new baseball park, then another left onto a road into the Centre County Vistor's Bureau parking lot, where you'll see the finish line. | ||||||||||
| Remarks: | The Nittany Valley Half-Marathon began in 1984. That year, the Half-Marathon was run concurrently with the final running of the Nittany Valley Marathon. In the last few years, due in part to great promotion and excellent weather, the race has grown to nearly 700 runners. This puts it among the largest races in the region. The Half's course was redesigned in 2005 in order to make traffic control near the start and finish a bit easier. The first 3 miles of the current course are a bit flatter than the old course and the 'gift' of a sprint down '4 Hills' is gone, but the truly challenging parts of the course are all still there. Some of the following remarks are plucked from the NVRC Nittany Valley Half-Marathon web site:
"I thought the course was good and challenging. I wouldn't change a thing." "You have redefined the meaning of 'somewhat challenging'." "It's a very tough course, especially after about mile 7. "I was looking for God during the last mile, but I didn't see him. I guess he finished ahead of me too." --- Albert Mabus, last male finisher at the 2001 NVHM | ||||||||||
| Map: (Click for a much larger zoomable image) |
There is also a very good map of the course at runningmap.com, including a satellite view. | ||||||||||
Profile: |
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Added: 11/00
Updated: 11/07
Park Hills Bike Path Loop
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Route: | Park Hills Bike Path Loop | ||||||||
| Mileage: | 5.3 - 5.5 | ||||||||
| Hillage: | Rolling hills, but none that are too steep. Elevation change: 171 ft.
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| Description: | Start on the bike path on North Atherton across from Rec Hall. Head north to Park St. and make a left. At the end of Park St, pick up the cinder trail. At the bottom of the hill, bear right onto the paved bike path. From here, the bike path follows an old railroad bed as it goes by the College Heights neighborhood on the right and the Teaberry Ridge development on the left . The path leaves the railroad bed as it bends around the back of the Radio Park Elementary School and turns to parallel Circleville Rd. Be watchful of cars as the path crosses Corl Rd. at the intersection of Circleville Rd! The bike path continues along the back of the homes along Circleville, up a steep hill, and then down to the intersection of Circleville and Park Hills Ave. Make a left at Park Hills Avenue, being careful as you cross Circleville Rd. Continue on Park Hills as it climbs a hill and makes a wide arc to the right. Make a left on Park Lane, and then a right a block later at W. Aaron Drive. About 100 yds later, there is a bus stop shelter on the right. Make a right at the driveway of the apartment complex that is just past this shelter. At the end of the driveway, behind the complex, is the start of the Tudek Park spur of the bike path. Take the bike path down the hill through Tudek Park and continue as it winds through another apartment complex. At the corner of Circleville and Corl Roads, carefully cross Circleville Rd. and make a left on the main bike path. Continue back to Rec Hall the way you came. Variation: Tudek Park has a macadam-paved bike path running down the center of the park. It also has a cinder-paved path that skirts the perimeter of the park. Either leg of the perimeter path is just a longer way through Tudek Park. If you make a left on the cinder path at the beginning of the Tudek Park spur (just behind the apartments on W. Aaron Drive), it adds about 0.2 miles to the run. Making a right instead also adds about 0.2 miles. | ||||||||
| Remarks: | The Park Hills Bike Path Loop is a nice tour of a good portion of Ferguson and College Township's bike path system. About 4.5 miles of this 5.3 mile loop is on the bike path. The Loop intersects large parts of the Bike Path Loop (which also takes in portions of Circleville Farm and the Penn State Golf Course) and the Wal-Mart Loop (which is largely on residential streets). For those who like running on the bike path, but don't like the uneven ground of the golf course and Circleville Farm, this route is for you. | ||||||||
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| Profile: |  |
Added: 5/01
Tudek Park
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Route: | Tudek Park |
| Mileage: | Various |
| Hillage: | Tudek Park is set on a hill in the Park Hills neighborhood of State College. The main macadam bike path going through the center of the park is one long hill with an 85 ft elevation change in 0.4 miles (a 4% grade). This path is steepest near the top (north) end. The east dirt path breaks from the macadam path at the top and rejoins it part way down the hill. The west dirt path is longer, taking a long, rolling route from the top of the hill to the bottom. |
| Description: | Access Tudek Park by car from Martin St near Aaron Drive. A marked access drive goes west to the parking lots and pavilion area. You can also access the park from the parking lot area of apartments on Aaron Drive, from a path into the Park Hills neighborhood that meets the west dirt path, and from a sput of the Blue Course/Circleville bike path at the corner of Blue Course Rd, Circleville Drive, and Teaberry Ridge Rd. The map below gives the mileage associated with the three main paths in Tudek Park. Depending how you piece together your run and how many loops you do, you can have a heck of a hill workout. |
| Remarks: | Tom Tudek Memorial Park is on 62 acres of land, most of it donated to Ferguson Township by Mr. and Mrs Robert Tudek in memory of their son. The park has a pavilion, rest rooms, soccer fields, basketball courts, a community garden, a butterfly sanctuary, and a dog park, along with many acres of open fields. |
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Added: 06/07
Walmart Loops
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Route: | The "Wal-Mart" Loops | ||||||||||
| Mileage: | Summer Route: 6.0 - 6.2 Winter Route: 5.8 | ||||||||||
| Hillage: | Rolling Hills, some steep. Elevation change: 222 ft.
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| Description: | Start in front of Rec Hall and run northwest on the walkway that passes the Nittany Lion Inn heading toward Park Avenue. Carefully cross Park Avenue and immediately go left on North Burrowes. Two blocks later, go right on Adams Avenue. Take Adams all the way to McKee St. and take a left. Pass Joe Paterno's house (the last house on the left before Sunset Park) and then head down the bike path that begins at the end of the parking lot for Sunset Park. This bike path connects the neighborhoods of College Heights and Overlook Heights, but crosses a deep ravine (part of "Big Hollow"). After the climb at the far end of the bike path, take a right on Curtin St, which continues the climb even more. At the end of Curtin St., make a left on E. Aaron Dr., then a right on N. Allen St. Make a left at the end of N. Allen St. on Suburban Dr. Almost immediately on the right is a footpath connection to Vairo Blvd. Follow this to Vairo and make a left. Just past the apartment complex on the right, make a right on Waddle Rd. At the top of the hill, go left on Clearview Ave. Near the end of Clearview, it veers to the left. Instead of bearing left, go straight through the cul-de-sac behind the Sheetz convenience store and carefully cross N. Atherton St. Take Park Forest Avenue (immediately across from the cul-de-sac) up the hill to Park Lane and make a left. Take Park Lane to W. Aaron Dr., making a left. About 100 yds later, there is a bus stop shelter on the right. Make a right at the driveway of the apartment complex that is just past this shelter. At the end of the driveway, behind the complex, is the start of the Tudek Park spur of the bike path. Take the macadam bike path down the hill through Tudek Park and continue as it winds through another apartment complex. At the corner of Circleville and Corl Roads, carefully cross Circleville Rd. and make a left on the main bike path. Run on the bike path all the way to Park Ave, taking Park Ave up to N. Atherton St. and Rec Hall. Variation: Tudek Park has a macadam-paved bike path running down the center of the park. It also has a cinder-paved path that skirts the perimeter of the park. Either leg of the perimeter path is just a longer way through Tudek Park. If you make a left on the cinder path at the beginning of the Tudek Park spur (just behind the apartments on W. Aaron Drive), it adds about 0.1 miles to the run. Making a right instead adds about 0.2 miles. Winter Route: In the winter, the bike paths can become snow-clogged, icy, and impassable. The winter route avoids all but a very short "portage" over such treacherous paths. From Adams Ave., take N. Allen St. to its end. At this point, there is a way to wind through the various parking lots, etc., to where N. Allen St. starts up again in Overlook Heights. You actually have to run on the sidewalk on N. Atherton St. for half a block in order to cross the old Big Hollow railroad bed. Continue on N. Allen St. At E. Aaron Dr., continue on N. Allen St. as described above. On the return trip, instead of going through Tudek Park, keep going on W. Aaron Dr. Cross N. Atherton St. and make a right on N. Allen St., returning to Rec Hall the way you came. | ||||||||||
| Remarks: | This route is called the Wal-Mart Loop because it skirts the Wal-Mart plaza on N. Atherton St. Waddle Rd. and Clearview Ave. traverse two sides of the plaza's lot. The Wal-Mart Loop intersects large sections of the Bike Path Loop and the Park Hills Loop. Over two miles of the route is on macadam-paved bike path, and most of the rest is on quiet residential streets. Be careful crossing busy roads such as Park St. near Penn State, N. Atherton St., Vairo Blvd., Waddle Rd., and Circleville Rd. | ||||||||||
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| Profile: |  |
Added: 5/01
Toftrees-Village-at-Penn-State ("Geezer Farm") Loops
- Details
- Written by Dave DeGroote Dave DeGroote
| Route: | Toftrees-Village-at-Penn-State ("Geezer Farm") Loops | ||||||||||||
| Mileage: | 8.0 to 8.6. (The Summer Loop is 8.0 miles. The Winter Loop is 8.6 miles. ) | ||||||||||||
| Hillage: | Shorter loop has gentle grades. Longer loop has one steep hill. Elevation change: 239 ft. for Summer Loop and 266 ft for Winter Loop.
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| Description: | Both the Winter Loop and the Summer Loop start and end at the Rec Hall. Start by taking the sidewalk that leads to the Nittany Lion Inn north to Park Ave. Cross Park, head to the right and then immediately go left on North Burrowes. Two blocks later, go right on Adams Avenue. At this point the routes separate. Winter Loop: This portion is very much like the Winter Route of the Heritage Oaks Loop. Make a left on North Allen St. Take N. Allen to its end at Cherry Lane. Continue straight into the strip mall parking lot, making a left and then heading toward N. Atherton. Make a right on N. Atherton and follow the sidewalk a block and a half to East Clinton Ave. Go right, then immediately left onto the continuation of N. Allen St. At the end of N. Allen St, make a left onto Suburban Dr. Almost immediately is a very short trail that leads to the right abut 50 yards to Vairo Blvd. At Vairo, go right. Take Vairo up the long hill into Heritage Oaks. Make a right at Oakwood Avenue and follow that road around a long loop. When Oakwood doubles back on itself, go right for a short block to Waddle Rd. Take Waddle Rd a little over a quarter mile. Be careful in this section because you will cross two ramps for Rte 322. Obey the traffic lights. At Toftrees Avenue, make a right and then run in the bike lane. Immediately after making the right, you will see the Toftrees Rail Trail, which crosses Toftrees Avenue. This is where the Summer Loop meets the Winter Loop again. Summer Loop: From where the two Loops separate in College Heights, take Adams all the way to McKee St. and take a left. At the end of McKee St is the Sunset Park Bike Path, which leads down a steep hill. At the bottom of the hill, make a right on the Toftrees Rail Trail. Take this trail for about 2.5 miles to Toftrees Avenue. Toftrees Avenue is where the Summer and Winter Loops meet again. Take a right at Toftrees Avenue. Continuing: Stay on Toftrees Avenue for just over a mile to Presidents Drive. Make a right, even though the sign says “No Outlet”. You are now in the Village at Penn State. Keep an eye out for Old Men In Hats Driving Buicks With Their Blinkers On. The road progresses past some townhouses, then heads toward larger multi-story condos. You will loop around to the front of these condos in a wide, clockwise arc. At the front of the Village, make the left onto the access road that leads down the steep hill to Fox Hollow Rd. (If you run this route in reverse, this is a very challenging hill.). Make a right on Fox Hollow, pass under the Bypass bridge, then make a right on Big Hollow Rd. You are now finishing up by doing the last 2.7 miles of the 4 Hills Loop. Take Big Hollow to the base of “4 Hills”, just over half a mile away. Then follow the road as it swings left and heads up the four-humped monster. At the top of the bonus fifth hill, make the right on Services Rd. Then head left on Bigler Rd. Cross Park Ave., then go right on Curtin. Finish by running back to Rec Hall, about ¾-mile away. | ||||||||||||
| Remarks: | The route gets its popular moniker from the fact that it takes you through the Village at Penn State, a University owned retirement community for well-off alums. Okay. The name is a little politically incorrect. But most of the runners who enjoy the route are AARP Card-eligible. The summer loop is 8 miles, while the winter loop, which keeps you off of snow-covered trails, is 8.6 miles long. The route is basically a combination of the 4 Hills Loop and the Toftrees Rail-Trail Loop (or, during the winter, the Heritage Oaks Loop) with a big hill thrown in the middle. | ||||||||||||
| Map: Click for Larger View) |  | ||||||||||||
| Summer Loop Profile: |  | ||||||||||||
| Winter Loop Profile: |  |
Added: 03/07
Arts Festival 5K, 10K, and 10 Mile Courses
- Details
- Written by Administrator Administrator
| Route: | Art's Festival 5K, 10K, and 10 Mile Courses | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mileage: | 5 kilometers (3.1 miles), 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and 10 Miles. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hillage: | Mostly gently rolling, but a few challenging hills.
Largest Climb: 90 ft The 5K is mostly flat. There is a nice downhill on Porter Rd just before the first mile mark and a couple of short climbs, one on Hastings Rd just after Mile 1 and the other just after the water stop at Mile 2. The 10K mixes things up quite a bit more, with several rolling hills right from the get-go. The biggest challenge is on Park Avenue on the north side of the Golf Course, a 90 ft climb in just over a quarter mile before the 4 mile mark. In the first 4.5 miles, the 10 Miler is a lot like the 10K, with a couple of easy loops added at the beginning. It rejoins the 10K course with 2.5 miles to go. The intervening 3 miles takes you off campus a bit on a long bike path excursion. The terrain in this section is a slight climb followed by a long, gradual downhill and a flat mile or so before the final climb as the course links back to the 10K course. |
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| Description: |
Note: These courses were precisely measured. Map distances shown at the mapping web sites links are approximate, but close to these precise measurements. Mile Marks:
10K: (NOTE: Due to road construction on the University Park Campus, there will be a minor, accurately measured devation to the 2014 10K course not shown on the map below on the west side of the IST Bridge. This deviation will require moving the starting line back a bit. Details coming) Start on Porter Rd in front of Medlar Field, on the south side of Curtin Rd. Head south on Porter Rd. Go right (west) on Hastings near the Penn State Track. Follow Hastings as it meanders up over the hill. Continue as Hastings crosses University Dr. At the 5-corner intersection, bear left (west) on McKean. Take McKean to Mifflin Rd, about 350 ft before Shortlidge Rd, and go right (north) on Mifflin. Take Mifflin to Pollock Rd and turn left (west). The first water stop is at Pollock and Shortlidge (1.5 miles). Follow Pollock Rd to Burrowes, then continue west across the IST Building Bridge to the West Campus. At the far west end ot the IST Bridge is the second water stop (2.1 miles).On the west side of the bridge, go left and follow the extension of Barnard St south. Make the right onto the parking lot road about 150 yards later. Follow the parking lot road as it becomes West Campus Dr. When West Campus Rd. ends, continue on the dirt path that borders the golf course. Just before the bridge over Corl Rd, go right on the path that parallels Corl Rd. Continue on this path until it Ts at the north end of the White Golf Course. Make a right here and follow this path up the hill to Park Avenue. Continue on the path along Park to North Atherton St. Go right at North Atherton, following the path to White Course Drive. Cross White Course Drive, make a right, and follow the path along White Course as it bends to the left around the IST parking lot. At the plaza at the west end of the IST Bridge, you will pass the second water stop again, now at 4.5 miles. Cross the IST Bridge and then continue east on Pollock Rd to Shortlidge Rd. where the last water stop is (5.2 miles). Turn left (north) on Shortlidge Rd. and continue up the hill to Curtin Rd. Go right (east) on Curtin and head to the finish line at the east end of Beaver Stadium. Mile Marks:
10 Mile: (NOTE: Due to road construction on the University Park Campus, there will be a minor, accurately measured devation to the 2014 10 Mile course not shown on the map below on the west side of the IST Bridge. This deviation will require moving the starting line back a bit. Details coming) Start on Porter Rd near Medlar Field, on the north side of Curtin Rd. Head south on Porter Rd. Make an immediate right on Curtin Rd. Take Curtin to University making a left on the east sidewalk. Take University to Dauer Drive (1 block). Make a left. Take Dauer to Porter Rd and make a left heading back toward the starting line. Run this loop a second time by going left on Curtin, left on University, and left on Dauer. The second time at Porter, go right. Take Porter to Hastings Rd and go right on Hastings. Veer left as Hastings turns uphill. At the top of the hill, follow Hastings as it goes right. Continue on Hastings as it crosses University. At the five road intersection at Bigler Rd, make a left onto McKean. Take Mckean to Mifflin Rd, about 350 east of Shortlidge Rd. Go right on Mifflin. Make a left on Pollock. There is a water stop at Shortlidge and Pollock (3.2 miles). Continue on Pollock to Burrowes Rd. Cross Burrowes Rd and head over the IST Building Bridge to West Campus. At the far west end ot the IST Bridge is the second water stop (almost 4 miles).On the west side of the bridge, go left and follow the extension of Barnard St south. Make the right onto the parking lot road about 150 yards later. Follow the parking lot road as it becomes West Campus Dr. When West Campus Rd. ends, continue on the dirt path that borders the golf course. Just before the bridge over Corl Rd, there is a split between the 10K and 10 Mile courses. DO NOT bear right but continue over the bridge. Take the path until it T's at Blue Course Dr. This is about the half-way point, 5 miles. Make a right onto the bike path along Blue Course Dr. Follow the bike path along Blue Course for about a mile-and-a-half. After crossing Teaberry Ln, the path moves away from Blue Course and winds behind Radio Park Elementary and finally past homes in the lower section of University Heights. At about 7.5 miles into the course, the path T's. Go left up the hill to Park Ave. Coninue on the path along Park Ave to N. Atherton. Go right at North Atherton, following the path to White Course Drive. Cross White Course Drive, make a right, and follow the path along White Course as it bends to the left around the IST parking lot. At the plaza at the west end of the IST Bridge, you will pass the second water stop again, now at 8.2 miles. Cross the IST Bridge and then continue east on Pollock Rd to Shortlidge Rd. where the last water stop is (8.9 miles). Turn left (north) on Shortlidge Rd. and continue up the hill to Curtin Rd. Go right (east) on Curtin and head to the finish line at the east end of Beaver Stadium. Mile Marks:
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| Remarks: | The Art's Festival 10K course has moved frequently over over the years due to the continual on-campus construction boom. For 2007, we moved the starting line to the east side of campus to be close to one of our sponsoring organization, the State College Spikes. The Spikes' home, Medlar Field, will be the site of the Arts Fest Kids Races.The 10 Mile race was added back to the Arts Fest Schedule in 2013 after a 27-year hiatus. |
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| 5K Map: (Click on Map for link to zoomable map with satellite imagery.) |
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| 10K Map: (Click on map for link to zoomable map with satellite imagery.) |
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| 10K Profile: |  |
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| 10 Mile Map: (Click on map for link to zoomable map with satellite imagery.) |
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| 10 Mile Profile: |  |
Added: 06/02/04
Revised: 06/09/14