The   Race Around Briggs  was started in 1998 because the course is simply beautiful and should be shared with runners in the Hudson Valley.

The course is a loop in the rural, hilly section of Northern Dutchess County. Race founder, Van Talmage, lives on the course, and first ran it as early as 1974 *.

 

       The point of emphasis on this race is the hills you must climb to get to the finish line.

 

        Once, an old-timer from Red Hook, upon learning that RD Talmage lived in Milan, remarked: “Out there in the mountains, eh”. Sure enough, Milan has some small hills (Briggs Mt. is around 900 feet above sea level), but the key to this race is that the Roeliff Jansen Kill cuts through Jackson Corners, and this is the lowest  point in this part of town.

 

        The race starts at 720 feet of elevation, drops a little, rises a little, and then drops a lot as you get toward the Roe Jan. After that, it is up hill on the way home. There are three distinct climbs that will get your attention.

 

       The race features views of the Catskills and Berkshires, wooded terrain, empty roads and a fairly serious hill climb in the second half of the race. It is mostly flat for about three miles, then a serious short uphill, a long downhill , and then several climbs during the last three miles to get back to the starting line. Total distance is 7.2 miles.

 

 

 

RACE AROUND BRIGGS

                   Some History

*  He has a vivid recollection of running at 10 AM on a hot July morning with a youngster for IBM, and simply NOT being able to make it up the hill just before mile three. 

 

 

    The race attracts between 40—80 runners, depending on weather, among other things. For the last three years the race has been held the first weekend in April, so chances of a good running day are high. There has never been snow, but there has been heat.

 

     On several occasions, it has been part of the Onteora Runners Club Grand Prix.

      Because of the hill climbs and the non-standard distance, the, race is often run as part of the training program, or warmup race after the winter. It is great race to run prior the Kingston Classic (held two weeks later). The hills here in Milan make Kingston’s flat course seem easy, thereby allowing you to have the burst of  speed that makes Kingston interesting.

 

Over the years they have been two types of runners who come to the Race Around Briggs: those who do it once, and those who come again and again. They must like the hills.

     The first race was held in 1998 as a prototype. Matt Beatrice won at the leisurely time of 53 minutes. Doug Freese, John O’Meara, and Tony Bowe were all runners in the inaugural event. And, of course, Tim O’Shaughnessy was there to help and run as he has been every year so far.

 

    As we went along, we learned a number of things: 

 

              *  the downhill around mile 4 is steep and

                  can be injurious to your knees. Be careful

 

              *   On warm days, we need more water

 

              *   Sundays have less traffic than Saturdays

 

           

A few years back, the race director introduced the Club Trophy, a bragging rights award for the Club that wins the team competition. In this contest, a team must have 15 members (more can run). The place of finish is the score for a given team member. First 15 team members for each club are totaled with low score the winner. Note this is not cumulative times but rather total of finishing positions of the team.

 

      As it turns out the official scorer, aka the race director, introduced a round of confusion with the team scores in the last two years. After both the 2006 and 2007 races, he announced (unofficial) team results along with other awards. In both cases, when the numbers were officially counted, the results were different. 

 

       This year, the RD promises to do a better job at the scoring table.

 

      Again, because of the hills, this race is for those who take running seriously. It  is not for first time racers. But it is a great race, a great course, and lots of fun. Walkers are invited t o join in, and actually leave 30 minute early so that they finish approximately at the same time.

 

 

Van Talmage

Race Director

Update 2-29-08  for information or comment email  webmaster @racearoundbriggs.com