The 15k out-and-back course. The 5k turns around just east of Club Way. (Click to enlarge)
A pair of events to benefit the Middletown Youth Athletic Association sends runners and walkers over one of the most scenic, and hilliest, routes in the Red Bank area Sunday morning.
The 11th annual Navesink Challenge, consisting of a 15k-run and a 5k walk-or-run, kick off at Bodman Park in the Navesink section of Middetown at 10 a.m..
Slogan for the race, sponsored by the Jersey Shore Running Club: “It’s a hill. Get over it.”
The incentives are several. In addition to the chance to burn off some excess Thanksgiving calories and raise money for an organization that makes baseball, softball, soccer and more available to township kids, the race offers long-sleeve technical shirts to the racers.
Afterward, from 12 to 2, there’s a free party at the Navesink Hook & Ladder company, with free Beach Haus beer to those over 21.
Registration is available for $30 Saturday at Road Runner Sports from 1 to 4 p.m., and for $33 on race day at Bodman Park starting at 8:30 a.m. One-hundred-seventy spots, which is limited to 900 participants, remained available Thursday.
The races have a Facebook page.
