Last Saturday I ran one of my favorite races, Treetops to Rooftops. This run begins in Highland and crosses the river to Poughkeepsie via the Walkway over the Hudson. It’s an “out and back” run and I pretty much love everything about it – the friends I run it with, the small size of it (less than 375 finishers), and most especially, the phenomenal view of the mighty Hudson.
This year’s run felt as if it came a little early in the morning with the 8:00 start time. I can appreciate trying to avoid the heat, but 9:00 would have been so much more civilized! To make a race time that early, I made some arrangements that allowed me to spend the night in Highland. I so appreciate the flexibility of a reasonable divorce, particularly when it frees me up to spend a bonus evening hanging out with my friends.
Arriving the night before the run had another benefit – dinner from the Gunk Haus. From my home in the DelSo, I can easily walk to a dozen places to eat. My friends’ home is definitely more rural with only one place reachable on foot, but it’s a good one. The folks at the Gunk Haus took a decrepit building and have steadily renovated it, thoughtfully adding a deck, landscaping and a counter for takeout (including growlers!) and baked goods (like pretzel bread). I have nothing but respect and admiration for what they created and I have had very good experiences there over the years. Friday night’s salad and burger hit the spot and the salted caramel brownie was insanely decadent. You’re familiar with carb loading, no?
The starting line was only about a 10 minute drive from home. Of course this meant that we were a bit cavalier about getting there and we arrived with very little time to spare. My usual pre-race rituals (warming up alternating with lots of peeing) were curtailed and I didn’t even visit the port-a-potties once. The course is fairly flat, but starts with a short hill to climb. I placed myself in the rear of the pack of runners and spent the next almost 28 minutes doing my best to get in front of as many participants as possible. Ultimately, I finished 171st in the field and 11th out of 45 in my age/gender group, a result with which I’m content.
If you’re looking for a scenic race with a fairly small field, Treetops to Rooftops might just be the race for you. There are other races during the year which use the same course, including a 5 miler I’ve done which crosses the river east on the Walkway before heading south through Poughkeepsie and finally back west over the Mid-Hudson bridge. Check out the local road runners group for additional opportunities.
DelSo 