Paine to Pain Trail Half Marathon

Mid-pack runners should expect their time to be a minute per mile slower than road pace (~12%). The first half is more technically challenging than the second half, and will slow you down more than a minute per mile.
You will find porta-potties, number pick-up, water and baggage check all within spitting distance of the actual start line.
The race starts in multiple waves to avoid trail congestion.
Mile 0.0 – 0.75
The race starts with a musket shot and a charge up Broadview Avenue through rows of high school cheerleaders, with a ½-mile climb at a 3.6% grade (100 feet in elevation). This hill, Paine’s old farm, spreads out each wave before the first trail is entered.
0.75 – 3.6
Our first wooded area is the Leatherstocking Trail, the most technically challenging part of the course. This is a 2.8-mile linear park that is often rocky and hilly. This trail brings us past Larchmont and into Mamaroneck.
There are a number of wooden catwalks, some old and some new (including Paine Bridge), but all of which are slippery when wet. Single file only on the catwalks and stay in the center, as running on the sides can jar loose boards and create hazards.
3.6 – 4.0
A short, steep uphill road (8% grade) connection (Rockridge Road –> Deerfield Lane) will bring runners toward Old White Plains Road and a small entrance to Saxon Woods.
The first water/aid stop is at the top of that hill. So you get to drink while sucking wind. You’re welcome.
4.0 – 6.0
After a twisty ¼-mile section of single track we built in 2005, we hit the main Saxon Woods trail and head right. (This deviates from the blue-star blazed Colonial Trail.)
The P2P trail loops around the southern part of Saxon Woods, over a stream, and through a boulder field.
We head north, parallel to Mamaroneck Avenue and the Mamaroneck River (seen down the slope to your right), along the park’s eastern border, across a driveway to the park’s pavilion and through a tunnel under the Hutchinson River Parkway. The Hutch bisects the park, dividing it into southern and northern halves.
6.0 – 7.5
The Hutch tunnel brings us to the northern section of the park.
We skirt the Saxon Woods pool and soccer field area (a prime spot for spectators due to easy car access), enter Scarsdale, and then head west into the heart of the northern section.
The 150-foot hill over rocky terrain is challenging. We exit the park by taking the trail next to the 18th fairway of the golf course.
The second water/aid stop is by the golf club house on Mamaroneck Road.
7.5 – 10.5
The race rejoins the blue-blazed Colonial Trail and heads southwest on the Hutchinson River Trail (our third park, an old bridle trail in the woods next to the southbound Hutch) through Scarsdale.
There’s a stream crossing with stepping stones. The trails are now easier.
10.5 – 11.5
We cross an entrance/exit ramp for the Hutch (at Mill Road) and enter Twin Lakes Park in Eastchester. Our track will take us to the right onto a wide, dirt road in the woods abutting California Road.
The third water stop is near the Mile 11 mark, near the Twin Lakes stables. Please give a shout out to our Girl Scout volunteers.
11.5 – 12.5
After skirting a reservoir and passing through a second tunnel under the Hutch, at the Eastchester/New Rochelle border, we emerge into Nature Study Woods, our fifth and final park.
Much of this area was a former right of way for the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway. Some artifacts still exist in the woods. It’s a popular running spot for nearby Iona College, New Rochelle High School students, and your not-so-humble Race Director.
12.5 – 13.1
We exit the woods at Webster Avenue and Flandreau Road. The race finishes with a ¼-mile run down Flandreau, hopefully flanked by cheerleaders welcoming you home, and then entry into the football stadium at New Rochelle High School (McKenna Field), and a ¾-lap spin on the track.
Recovery and awards
Claim your medal, relax on the football field, eat food, rehydrate, listen to music, cheer on other runners and socialize, use locker rooms for toilets/showers, get a post-race massage, reclaim your baggage, work on your tan, take photos, kiss the Race Director, watch children race around, visit sponsors, and hang out for the awards ceremony.