25 Years Running
The rugged Navesink challenge race has featured hills for all its quarter-century history —and, in recent years, the hills.
Perhaps Thanksgiving and foot races haven’t always gone hand in hand, but they’re certainly entwined these days. A well-loved tradition is the turkey trot—a race, usually a 5K or longer, held on or around Thanksgiving Day. Thousands of such events take place all over the country, and quite a few in Monmouth.
On Thanksgiving weekend, the Jersey Shore Running Club (JSRC) hosts the annual Navesink Challenge, which turns 25 Nov. 30. It kicks off at Bodman Park in Middletown and takes runners on a scenic, challenging course through the streets for either a 5K or a 12K.
“It wasn’t created to be specifically a Thanksgiving race,” says Karen Kelly, who has been one of the Navesink Challenge’s race directors since 2019 and is a member of JSRC’s Board of Directors. “The club has many local running groups, and 25 years ago one of them met and ran in Bodman Park. It’s such a great course, everything took off from there.”
Kelly adds: “It’s become a holiday tradition for a lot of people. Families are home for the holidays, or traveling for the holidays. It’s a reason to gather.”
It certainly is. The Navesink Challenge caps registration at 1,100 runners and sells out nearly every year. Runners come from all over New Jersey and beyond. (Last year, 11 states were represented; a different year saw one participant travel London.)
“Kill the hill,” says the logo that adorns shirts and promotional material. Participants run on a path adjacent to Huber Woods, passing farms and amid beautiful fall colors, on roads that are famously difficult. The 5K trail has a turnaround point early on; the 12K route continues. It all keeps people coming back.
“Most races are on pavement,” says Kelly. “This one, you’re also running on trails and dirt roads. It’s hilly. It’s not for the weak of heart.” Still, she adds, “We see a lot of families running it together.” Last year, the youngest person signed up for the 5K was 4; the oldest was 88.
Planning starts in mid-August and is spearheaded by Kelly and her husband and fellow race director, John O’Gorman. They secure sponsors, work out permits, coordinate with the local police auxiliary and wrangle volunteers. (All of JSRC’s races are volunteer run.) “They’re not just races; we put on events,” Kelly says. This year she’d intended to wait until October to open signups, but she did it earlier because of high interest.
Race day itself is filled with memorable moments. For the past four years, the best time for men in the 12K has been achieved by one of two brothers from Middletown: Brian Hill in 2024 and 2023, and Troy Hill in 2022 and 2021 (Troy holds the current record time with an impressive 40 minutes and 23 seconds.) Remembers Kelly: “Last year, we had a group of 150 runners from an organization called Live Like Amy [in remembrance of Amy Lynn Gill, a Hazlet teacher who died in 2024]. They wanted to do something special in her memory. It became a huge part of that race. They raised over $3,000 for scholarships.”
That’s just one facet of the race’s community impact. The main beneficiary of the Navesink Challenge is the Middletown Youth Athletic Association, which runs Middletown’s Little League and the baseball fields at Bodman Park. “Since 2019, we’ve raised over $60,000 for them,” Kelly says.
And of course, there’s the climax of any race: the finish line, and what comes after it. Hot soup and drinks for all the participants, and then a celebration. (This year’s will be held at Birdsmouth Beer in Oceanport.) Reports Kelly: “There’s good food, great drinks and amazing camaraderie.”
