Watershed 10K/5K Trail Run & Festival

SUMMER SOLSTICE TRAIL RUN FOR CLEAN WATER 

Join us for our 10th annual Solstice Trail Run on Thursday, June 20.  Run or walk on our beautiful trails on the longest day of the year, then join us for a post-race party with Antimo's pizza slices and beer and wine for sale.  Complimentary S'Mores around the firepit and snacks for the runners.  Registration opens at 4:30 with a 5:30 p.m. start time for the 15K, 6:00 p.m. start time for the 10K and 6:15 p.m. start time for the 5K.  Our post-race beer sponsor is Old Hights Brewing Company from Hightstown, New Jersey.

This year our giveaway is a collapsible reusable cup to use during the race or bring your own reusable water bottle. Kindly do not bring single use plastic water bottles.  

Sorry, no dogs allowed at this event.  VERY IMPORTANT - No unattended children are allowed.  Please plan accordingly so that you have someone looking over your kids while running.

Carpooling is encouraged to reduce carbon footprint and due to parking capacity.  Overflow parking will be located by the field and by the farm on Wargo Road.  These locations are marked on the map and signs will mark locations. 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This is a trail run.  Expect to run on uneven terrain with exposed roots and rocks.  If there is heavy rain before the event, expect the course to be muddy and plan accordingly.  Bring a change of shoes and clothes.  There are indoor bathrooms to change.

WHY IS THIS FUNDRAISING TRAIL RUN IMPORTANT?

We all need clean water. The Watershed Institute works to keep water clean, safe and healthy through conservation, advocacy, science and education.  The Solstice Trail Run raises critical funds for our mission. Our goal is to raise $30,000 for the event.

Become a Solstice Trail Run Fundraiser as an individual or team.   Here's how to do this with RunSignUp:

Go to this link to set up your fundraising page - https://runsignup.com/Race/Donate/31171/BecomeFundraiser 

You can also create brief message for your social media pages. Create a post and add the link to take them to your RunSignUp fundraising page. Add a photo if you like!

As this is a fundraising event to support the Watershed Institute's mission, all registrations will be considered a donation to the Watershed so no refunds will be given. Thank you for your support!   Together we can make a difference!

In memory of Isabella de la Houssaye 
The first annual Isabella de la Houssaye award will be presented to the top male and female finisher in the 5K race at the Solstice Trail Run on June 20. The award will be given every year to honor Isabella’s extraordinary life. She passed away in December of 2023, after a battle with cancer.

Isabella, a lawyer, and prolific endurance athlete, continued to go on daunting adventures around the world with her five children after being diagnosed with Stage 4 non-small-cell lung cancer.  Isabella, a non-smoker, felt it important to raise awareness of the importance of early lung cancer screening. 
She began her endurance athletic feats, on her own and with her family, in the 1990s and continued for decades. She climbed Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, with her children on separate ascents; finished more than 20 Ironman Triathlons; competed in many ultramarathons; ran in more than 70 marathons; and bicycled across Tasmania.                           

Isabella served on the Watershed’s Trail Run Committee from 2016-2023, providing insight and advice to the Watershed staff and volunteers on how to organize a successful running event. She ran the event each year and recruited her family and friends to join her Team Bella.  

According to her husband, David Crane, “the only fundraising race she ever actively helped organize was the Watershed’s annual Solstice Run. She loved the event not only because she believed passionately in the Watershed’s mission, and its contribution to land and habitat preservation and education in our area, but because it was the first race she participated in (successfully) after beginning treatment in the early spring of 2018. 
 
This year, Team Bella (family and friends of Isabella de la Houssaye) will be there to run in Isabella’s memory. To join the team, choose Team Bella on the Teams section of the registration site, Run Sign Up.