Paul P's Memorial Miles Log: Rockland County 26th Annual Alumni Run

26th ANNUAL BILL MARKIEWICZ

MEMORIAL ROCKLAND COUNTY

ALUMNI X-COUNTRY RUN (3.0 MILES)
THANKSGIVING SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2008
BEAR MOUNTAIN STATE PARK AT NOON, EVENT HELD RAIN OR SHINE!

Memorial Milers participate in an annual tradition of insanity!

Memorial Miler Paul with daughter Jill and Sister Janet

Rockland Alumni Cross Country Run: A Harrier Tradition.

(Adopted from 2001 article written by Jamie Kempton)

A Thanksgiving tradition dating back to 1983 continued on the hills and footpaths of Bear Mountain State Park this Saturday with the 26th running of the Rockland Alumni Cross Country Run/Bill Markiewicz Memorial.

The alumni harriers make their annual pilgrimage to Bear Mountain to tackle the 3-mile course that is used for high school competition. The race is held, rain or shine, at high noon on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Many people run cross country for the purity of the sport, and this event is a purist’s dream: no entry fee, no T-shirts, no awards, no frills.

What it does offer, however, is an opportunity to circle historic Hessian Lake (of Revolutionary War fame), ascend the infamous, steep “ski slope” (former site of world-class ski-jumping competitions), swing past the Bear Mountain Inn - a cornerstone hearth of the Palisades Interstate Park system - and finish the tour on the Great Lawn in front of the inn.

The race is named in honor of Bill Markiewicz, a well-respected former cross country and track coach at Clarkstown North High School who died of cancer in 1991. The event is open to alumni from high schools everywhere, not just those from Rockland County. Over the years the Alumni Run has attracted entrants whose high school affiliation spans more than 20 states and several countries.