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Pennsylvania > "Sloppy Cuckoo Half" Trail Half Marathon
Philadelphia, PA • Sunday, September 22, 2013 • Course Map
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The fifth of six trail running events staged throughout the year in the Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania area by the locally-based Uber Endurance Sports -- a series that also includes Reading's 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Marathon & Half Marathon in June -- the "Sloppy Cuckoo Half" Trail Half Marathon makes its 4th annual running in 2013, along an easy, mostly flat out-and-back course through Philadelphia's Pennypack Park.
The race organizers for this race as well as for the 1/2 Sauer, 1/2 Kraut event have a great time both with the events themselves as well as the titles, naming their September half marathon race in honor of the aptly named cuckoo bird, which lays its own eggs in the nest of other birds.
"Is it just lazy, or is its own place too sloppy to raise little cuckoos?" the organizers joke, and add that they're bringing a little of that to Philadelphia by running a trail race near one of the country's largest urban metropolitan areas.
Runners start and finish the out-and-back course for the race near the Pine Road entrance to Pennypack Park, which marked its centennial anniversary back in 2005 as one of Philadelphia's historic city parks. Home to about 1,600 acres of wooded forests, wetlands areas and wide-open grassy meadows, the park also features a number of local historic landmarks, including what is reputed to be the country's oldest stone bridge still in existence, the Pennypack Bridge built back in 1697.
The course for the race takes runners along some brief sections of the Pennypack Trail, the improved trail that winds through the park largely along the Pennypack Creek. Much of the race, however, takes runners through the trails that make their way through the park's wooded forests, and organizers add runners can expect some creek crossings as well as rocks, roots and sand along the route.
The race finishes back near the Pine Road entrance to the park where the runners start, and the organizers also add that they'll be serving "Oktoberfest"-style refreshments at the aid station near the 3rd and 10th mile marker on the course, which will offer German pastries and pretzels, not to mention sports energy drinks!
Race
Weather & Climate
Located in Pennsylvania's southeastern corner, Philadelphia typically experiences mild to moderately warm weather in the early fall, and moderate rainfall (September is the city's third-wettest month of the year on average).
In September, the city's average monthly temperatures range between 61°F and 77°F -- on the day of the race (Sept. 22), the average low is 59°F and the average high is 75°F -- while rainfall totals average just under 3.9 inches for the month.
Course Map
View the race route map for the Sloppy Cuckoo Trail Half Marathon
Starting Time
9:00 AM
Fees
$45 for the half marathon, if registered by September 2, 2013
$50 after Sept. 2
Registration
To reserve your spot in the early fall 2013 running of Philadelphia's Sloppy Cuckoo Trail Half Marathon, register online at UltraSignUp.com.
Official Race Website
www.uberendurancesports.com
Leave a Comment
Ever run in Pennsylvania's annual Sloppy Cuckoo Trail Half Marathon? Share your impressions, stories and tips from the event.
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