TRENTON — Cross country racing is back at Cadwalader Park for a second straight fall.
The historic park welcomed Trenton, Hamilton West, Nottingham and West Windsor-Plainsboro North on Wednesday to the capital city for the first two Colonial Valley Conference batch meets this season.
“Our historic park has hosted cross country races for more than 100 years, and it’s exciting to see today’s high school athletes carrying on that tradition,” mayor Reed Gusciora said.
XC racing made its comeback to Cadwalader last fall for the first time since 1999 with a pair of meets. This time around there is a second layout known as the “Championship Course.” The course features the challenging hilly terrain Cadwalader has always been known for, but incorporates a longer loop and 200 meter home stretch past the John A. Roebling statue.
Having both the Championship and Dual Meet layouts enables flexibilty to configure the course for different race sizes and styles, including batch, divisional, and championship meets.
Cadwalader has a long history of cross country running that dates back to the 1900s. High school competition began there in 1920 with NJSIAA races, and in 1963 the park hosted Mercer County’s inaugural XC Championship. Work to design and build the new course began in 2022 and has made it possible for the city to host interscholastic running again after 25 years. The project was a collaboration between the City of Trenton Department of Recreation, Natural Resources, and Culture, Trenton Central High School Athletic Department, and the Cadwalader Park Alliance.
“Thanks to the partnership of the city’s Parks Department and Trenton Central High, runners from across the region will once again compete in the capital city — on a course that continues to set the standard for Mercer County,” Gusciora said.
The second batch meet takes place on Sept. 9. Ewing will serve as the host team, with Trenton, Princeton High and Steinert also participating.
Wednesday’s race was the season opener. The cross country season runs until Nov. 15 with the Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park.
Other host venues in Mercer County include Veterans Park in Hamilton, Mercer County Park in West Windsor, Rosedale Park in Pennington and the Robbinsville High course. The CVC Championships are scheduled for Oct. 23 at Thompson Park in Jamesburg.
