Let us know if you have questions – ravenrocksrun@gmail.com.
The Challenge: Walk, hike, or run 100k during the month of November 2022. Distance can be done anywhere, the only requirement is that it be on your feet.
The Rewards:
Below are the badge images and names from last year and further down are the descriptions of the achievements. We are open to suggestions on adding more badges – especially if you are outside of the local Raven Rocks / Ward Pound Ridge area! Maybe an international badge if you run a Raven related course outside the USA!
Badge descriptions:
– Run 10k on the Raven Rocks Run course (raven badge)
– Run 5x 10k on the Raven Rocks Run course (ultra raven badge)
– Run 10x 10k on the Raven Rocks Run course (full flock badge)
– Take a selfie at the Raven Rocks Overlook and send it in (photographer badge)
– Submit a photo of yourself on a run with your “I Voted” sticker (bald eagle badge) or if you can’t vote in the election, next to someone with an “I Voted” sticker.
– Submit a photo of you running on Thanksgiving (turkey award)
– Photo of a raven anywhere (citizen award) (merged with traveler badge)
– Do a run in the dark to Raven Rocks (night owl badge)
– Do a run at dawn to Raven Rocks (cobweb crew badge)
– 200k distance in November (snowy owl badge)
– 300k distance in November (white raven badge)
– Read a stanza from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” poem and send us a link. Use SoundCloud, YouTube, Facebook, or whatever audio service you want. (wise owl badge)
New badges last year include the “Peeter Badge” named for Peeter Muursepp who during 2020’s Raven 100k Challenge did 33 loops of the 10k Raven Rocks course. Get 33 loops or more to earn the badge. Last year Peeter upped the ante with 62 Raven Rocks 10k loops during the month of November. That’s more than 2 per day! If you surpass it with 62 (or more) and the badge name changes to your name. But we think Peeter is safe since that is a huge number. Only 3 people have ever earned this badge.
Jacob Benesch proposed a badge last year for anyone doing 5x Raven Rocks 10k course in one day (50k total). We already have a badge named the Ultra Raven Badge (5x over the course of a month), so we named a new badge called “The Raven Rockstar Badge” which is shown on the sample above. Only 3 people earned this badge in 2021.
Let us know if you have any questions about the Raven 100k Challenge for November 2022 – email ravenrocksrun@gmail.com. Thanks!
See you on the trails!
Rob
The Raven Rocks Run is a challenging 10k trail run at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River, NY.
Race is in-person Sunday, November 13th, 2022 starting at 9am.
The race will start in the Meadow near the fallen oak tree and its massive remains. The course passes by the spot where the Leatherman’s Loop begins. Instead of heading towards the river as the Loop does, the Raven Rocks Run 10k course climbs and climbs up to the two highest points in the park (Raven Rocks Overlook and the Fire Tower Summit) before heading back for a (mostly) downhill and (relatively) flat finish.
The course passes by the site of the former Blue Trail fire tower which is the highest point in the park. We are working towards getting back the tower to its former spot in the park. See Course Map page for course details.
More information about the race and tower project is on the About page and the FAQ page of our ravenrocksrun.org website.
One of our limitations is a cap on 10k runners at 350 — so sign up early. We have gotten close to that number the last few times we put on the race — so it could get full, or it may not. Depends on the runner demand!
Trail Runners,
The Raven Rocks 10k Trail Run is BACK for a SEVENTH YEAR! 🙂
Date is Sunday, November 13, 2022 @9am. Woo hoo!
We are bringing back the Raven 100k Challenge with all of the fun elements from the last 2 years — plus we’re looking to add a few more activities to the 100k challenge during the month of November!
You can sign up for one or the other — or do BOTH!
Early bird (before 10/1) signups get the early bird discount. Signups for both events at the same time also get a discount which appears at checkout.
Shirts this year will be one design and available either on long-sleeved cotton shirts (traditional) and/or short sleeved tech fabric shirts (new!). You can purchase one, both, or neither shirt. If you are a purely virtual Raven 100k Challenge runner, we will mail you your shirt (if ordered) along with your finisher “woodallion.”
As always, these Raven events support the Friends of Trailside Museum and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. We encourage runners to join as members of the museum during registration to support their non-profit educational and conservation purpose.
This year we are also planning to support the Friends of the Cross River Mountain Fire Tower. We will be working with the Westchester Parks Foundation and will be raising funds to support Westchester County and NY State in the restoration of the fire tower to Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. That fundraising account will be set up soon with a range of support levels. More to come on this news!
See you on the trails!
….Rob Cummings, Raven Rocks & Raven Challenge race director
The Raven Rocks Run is a challenging 10k trail run at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River, NY.
The race will start in the Meadow near the fallen oak tree and its massive remains. The course passes by the spot where the Leatherman’s Loop begins. Instead of heading towards the river as the Loop does, the Raven Rocks Run 10k course climbs and climbs up to the two highest points in the park (Raven Rocks Overlook and the Fire Tower Summit) before heading back for a (mostly) downhill and (relatively) flat finish.
The course passes by the site of the former Cross River Mountain Fire Tower which is the highest point in the park. We are working towards getting back the tower to its former spot in the park. See Course Map page for course details and the fire tower’s former (and if we can make it happen the future) location.
More information about the race and tower project is on the About page and the FAQ page of our ravenrocksrun.org website and also the crmfiretower.org information site.
We are looking forward to November when we will run this event for the SEVENTH time!
Important: We have preliminary approval, but our race plans are contingent on final permit approval from the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation. If the COVID-19 situation changes and this approval is revoked and we are unable to offer the in-person event, we will still have the virtual event. We will also offer a 10k race registration fee refund (minus the charge that goes to the processing company) or race deferrals to 2023 for runners if the race is called off by the county. If we have placed the shirt order we will send the race shirt via mail to runners.
The Raven 100k Challenge is simple: first, register for the challenge. Then run, hike, or walk 100k during the month of November 2022.
Note: You can register as late as November 16 and enter your mileage to date when you register.
This works out to an average of around 3k per day or 25k (15 miles) per week.
If you complete the challenge, you will receive a wooden finisher medallion with achievement badges custom to your Raven Challenge journey. Shirts are optional.
The Raven 100k Challenge supports the Friends of Trailside Museum and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, a 501(c)3 not for profit organization based at the Trailside Museum at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.
You can also join the Friends of Trailside Museum and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation for 2023 membership during signup. One of the most popular levels is the $100 “Wood Turtle” membership which gives the member a parking pass for the park either for the rest of 2022 or all of 2023 depending on when you join during the year.
In addition to running, walking, or hiking 100k during November, there are several bonus achievement badges you can unlock if you are able:
We are working to display the badges on your results page.
We will incorporate the badges on the physical wooden finisher “woodallion” that we create and send to you once you complete the Raven Challenge. See sample from 2021’s Raven Challenge here.
Any other badge ideas? We are open to suggestions.
In addition, we will have awards for:
-First 3 men and First 3 women to 100k
-Top 3 men and Top 3 women in total kilometers.
IMPORTANT: Anyone in contention for these Top 3 awards must make their entries in a timely manner: All entries must be made within 36 hours of your run/walk.
This is to prevent participants from “batch entering” their results.
Keep your results up to date if you are in the running!
Note: In order to win these awards distance submissions need to be verifiable via GPX files.
See instructions submitting results on RunSignUp Raven 100k Challenge page.
For those in the area near Ward Pound Ridge Reservation we have a special treat in mind that will lead to a bonus badge. If you opt-in via the status form (to be sent to participants in the challenge in November), then after you pass the 50 kilometer mark on your Raven 100k Challenge posted stats, we will send you your own coordinates via “What3Words” app to somewhere in the park where we have hidden a small challenge surprise for you to find. It will be obvious once you get there, but not easy to find unless you have the coordinates.
Everyone will have a different and unique spot somewhere in the park. Some will be further off-trail than others depending on how familiar you are with the park. Let us know when you find your halfway bonus (or if you can’t find it! – we don’t want to leave the challenge items out there!)
→ Sign up for the Raven Rocks Run and/or the Raven 100k Challenge Today!
You can participate in either event – they can be completely independent of each other. Or you can participate in both events. There is overlap in the 100k challenge and the 10k race since one of the Raven Challenge badges is awarded for completing the Raven Rocks Run course.
We are super happy to be out running on trails with you all! See you out there…
If you like to plan your races in advance, sign up now at the early bird rate! Plus there is a special combo discount if you sign up for both events at the same time.
Raven Rocks 10k Run will be held Sunday, November 13, 2022. The Raven 100k Challenge is set for Nov 1-30, 2022. Both events are open for registration now!
RegisterThanks for supporting the race and the Friends of Trailside Museum and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation!
Dear Raven 100k Challenge Participants,
Thank you for signing up and participating in the second annual Raven 100k Challenge this past November 2021.
Your distance, along with the badges you earned, is engraved in your custom woodallion which just finished up production on Friday and will be mailed out to you this coming week. If you want to see the badge descriptions, click here.
The second annual event was a success with 83 runners, hikers, and walkers ranging in age from 12 through 74. Click here for links to photos contributed by participants during the month.
Through this event — combined with the Raven Rocks 10k Run on November 14 — we raised $7,920 to date for the Friends of Trailside Museum and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.
The Friends group supports the mission of education, conservation, and environmental action through the Trailside Museum and Ward Pound Ridge programs. If you haven’t yet joined as a member for 2022 you can still do it at https://runsignup.com/ravenrocks/donate through January 15, 2022. Membership makes a great gift too!
We are already looking forward to November 2022 for the 3rd Raven 100k Challenge – and the 7th Annual Raven Rocks 10k Trail Run. Mark your calendars for November 13, 2022!
Thanks again for your support. If you have any questions or need to get in touch, our email address in ravenrocksrun@gmail.com.
Rob Cummings
Race Director, Raven 100k Challenge and Raven Rocks Run Trail Race
PS: Be sure to check the 2021 Raven 100k Challenge highlights below.
Some highlights from the Raven 100k Challenge include:
Longest distance covered and reported in November 2021
| Jacob Benesch – 1st overall male – 694.1k | Mary Rubini – 1st overall female – 330.4k |
| Peeter Muursepp – 2nd overall male – 676.9k | Mea Sgaglio – 2nd overall female – 326.6k |
| Wolfgang Klein – 3rd overall male – 354.1k | Andrea Mindell – 3rd overall female – 312.7k |
| Eugene Leeds – 4th overall male – 334.7k | Ana Hoffmann – 4th overall female – 300.4k |
| Paul Woolley – 5th overall male – 330.7k | Karen Haitoff – 5th overall female – 236.7k |
First to 100k Milestone in November 2021
| Jacob Benesch – 1st male to 100k (tie) | Mea Sgaglio – 1st female to 100k (tie) |
| Wolfgang Klein – 1st male to 100k (tie) | Andrea Mindell – 1st female to 100k (tie) |
| Peeter Muursepp – 3rd male to 100k | Ana Hoffmann – 3rd female to 100k |
Next year we plan to have the 7th annual Raven Rocks Run 10k Trail Race at 9 a.m. on Sunday, November 13, 2022. We will also bring back the Raven 100k Challenge as well for a 3rd year. Anyone who signs up for both events at the same time will get a break on the dual registration. There also will be a super early (bird) raven discount when registration opens in early 2022.
Thanks again for being a part of this event!
*the Full Flock badge (10x on the course) supersedes the Ultra Raven badge (5x on the course) which supersedes the Raven Badge (1x on the course).
Check ravenrocksrun.org/photos for links to pictures (from this year and past years)of the Raven 100k Challenge and the Raven Rocks Run.
The weather was chilly upon organizers arrival, with temperatures in the high 20’s. However, the sun soon came out and the sun warmed up the day.
The main event tent was set up on the Wednesday before the race, but fierce storms with high winds on both Friday and Saturday put an end to that plan, knocking over the tent and damaging some of the rigging. A crew was on standby ready to to an Amish Tent Raising at the crack of dawn on Sunday if necessary. But we ended up not needing the large shelter on race day due to the sunny weather. We had registration underneath some pop up market tents and the food and drink was open air.
Over 300 runners finished the 6th running of the Raven Rocks 10k course. Thanks to everyone who came out to run, volunteer, and cheer.
Edmond Dee of New Rochelle, NY came in first in the men’s division with a time of 49:45. Christopher Irwin of Cortlandt Manon was close behind at 49:52 after coming in 3rd in 2019. Jacob Benesch of New York, NY was third with a time of 50:49.
Joelle Reeves of Brooklyn was first overall in the women’s division with a time of 51:38. Madeline Villalba (55:14) of New York, NY was second and Lindsey Felling (57:24) of Fairfield, CT came in third.
Kase Atkinson of Cross River was the youngest male runner at 11 years old.
Miriam Wilson of Pound Ridge was the youngest female runner at 13 years old, finishing in 1:15:20 as a first-time runner in this race.
Rob Fryer (1:20:44) of New Caanan was the oldest male finisher on the day at 74 years young.
Kelly Heller of Rockville, MD was the oldest female finisher at 68 years young.
Prizes for the overall winners and age group winners are a range of tart-style pies from local farmer’s market favorite Dutch Desserts (Key information: Dutch Desserts is a vendor at the Pleasantville farmer’s market on Saturdays from 9am-2pm!)
At the start line of the race during pre-race announcements, parks superintendant Jeff Main was awarded Bib #1 for his help at the park with all things race and trail related. Especially the post race amenities like the fire pit and picnic tables among MANY other things he gets accomplished for this race and the Leatherman’s Loop.
The Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation is led by Jeff Main at the park and helped by Mike, Chase, Kevin, Bobby and the rest of the crew who are all essential to the success of the race.
The Cobweb Crew is our early race morning volunteer run crew who know the course and make sure the pink course markings were still up and leading the runners to the right places. Many of these cobweb crew runners also ran the race – making their day a 20k!
One member of the 2021 cobweb crew – Jacob Benesch (red jacket in photo above)- ran the course TWICE before the race. And then came in 3RD OVERALL in the race itself. Then Jacob continued as we were awarding runner prizes and ran the course two more times for a total of 5 Raven Rocks 10ks on the day. Jacob earned his “Raven Rockstar” badge that day — and established it as a new badge for the November Raven 100k Challenge.
The course – which is run entirely on the trails of the reservation — starts in the large meadow about a quarter-mile into the park. It follows trails up through the covered bridge to the Michigan Road campground where it delves deep into the 4,300 acres of the park. The halfway point is the east-facing Raven Rocks overlook, where the race got its name.
Runners descend again before climbing back up to the highest point in the park, the location of the former (and future!) fire tower.
Runners then head back down on the blue trail to the sledding spot on Pell Hill. The final half-mile is along the Cross River back to the Meadow finish line.
Many runners have called it one of hardest 10k races out there because of the hilly terrain and the narrow trails. The course has over 1,000 feet of elevation gain and features a cliffside run, miles of single-track trails, a rock scramble, plus beautiful meadow runs.
The Raven Rocks Run is part of a series of local trail races called the Trail Mix Series.
Some of the other races in the series are:
The Trail Mix Series website has more information: trailmixseries.org including links to all of the races shown above.
In addition to running a race, runners were also able to join the Friends of Trailside when they signed up.
Ninety-three participants to date joined as members raising over $7,900.00 for the Museum in the form of memberships. The most popular membership level runners picked to join at was the $100 Wood Turtle level with 51 memberships at that level. Wood Turtle and above comes with a parking pass for entry into the park for all of 2021.
You can still join the Friends of Trailside and Ward Pound Ridge for 2022 through the Raven Rocks race website which will be processing memberships through January 15, 2022! (click here!). Your membership $ goes directly to the Friends group and is a 501(c)3 non-profit.
A team of runners known as the Leatherman Harriers Sunday Runners are key volunteers at the race.
Many of these volunteers also meet up to run the trails in northern Westchester year-round.
These volunteers set the course, staff the water station, handle registration, pre-run the course, sweep to make sure no injured runners are on the course, and clean up any traces after the run. We could not put on the event without them – THANK YOU!
Last but certainly not least, the Lewisboro Volunteer Ambulance Corps provided a standby team of volunteer EMS personnel and an ambulance just in case they are needed.
Proceeds go to Friends of Trailside, LVAC, and other local not-for-profits.
Thanks again for coming out to run and volunteer! See you on the trails…
….. Rob Cummings, Raven Rocks Run race director
Hello all who participated in the 2021 Raven 100k Challenge!
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December…
Thanks everyone for making this a fun month-long event. I am currently working on tallying the results and badge claims.
I need your help to finish it up.
Below is how I have things with participants, distances, and badges as of now.
Note: If your name does NOT appear in this list you have to submit your distance to the https://runsignup.com/ravenrocks/results page.
If you are on this list but your badges are not there you have to make your badge claims on this form https://ravenrocksrun.org/raven-100k-challenge-badge-submission-form/
Scroll right → to see more of the badge data in the table below →
Thanks for following up with this!
Once we have the woodallions etched we will send them out to you (along with your shirt if you ordered one) via mail, via meetup at a trailhead, or via pony express.
-Rob
Get your badge submissions in by this weekend — and your distances in BY TONIGHT!
Let us know if you are having trouble getting anything to us and we will help!
Thanks!
