“River Rock N Run” 5K Relay Race To Benefit Local Food Bank
Some of my friends are organizing a 5k relay race to benefit the local food banks and I want you to know about it! Long-time runner Adam Nalven is putting together the “River Rock N Run” 5K Relay Race in Brick, New Jersey on Saturday, November 4th at 9am. As the name implies the run is based out of the River Rock Bar and Grill on Route 70 in Brick.
Team members and friends having fun at previous years’ 5k.
100% of the proceeds of the River Rock N Run go to Fulfill (formerly The FoodBank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties). In 2022 $4000 was raised for Fulfill. The money lands at Fulfill just as the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons begin. It’s a very busy time for local food banks who are partially supplied by Fulfill.
What’s a 5K? What’s a relay?
For people who aren’t runners, a 5K is a pretty short run. 5 kilometers is only 3.1 miles. You can do this! Not only is this not too long, the “River Rock N Run” is a relay, which means you can split the run with another person. Each team member would run half or about 1 and a half miles. People can take on the full 5K themselves or split it with a team member, handing off a baton half-way through the race.
Teams cheering each other on at a previous years’ 5k Relay in Brick.
This running event is more a fun run for a good cause than any super-serious event for hard core runners. It’s perfect for the novice runner or walker. People come up with fun team names and have a blast coming up with signs and cheering each other on. Some of the fun team names from previous years were the stepsisters who ran together as, “Sisters From Different Misters” and a pair of airline pilots who went with a “Top Gun” theme complete with matching shirts. Then there was the two math teachers who won the co-worker division as “Mathletes”.
Relay runners having fun at the River Rock N Run 5K Relay.
See? It’s a fun run for a good cause. Plus, after the race the River Rock puts out a spread and it’s perfect time for a cold one. That’s the River Rock N Run 5K Relay. Get out there and rock it!
Here's What's Up With Carl Craft's Wicked Mountain Biking Adventure
I started riding my bicycle in the woods when I was about 8 years old. My dad got me a classic BMX bike, ironically it was black and yellow just like the WRAT logo colors, and I immediately got it out into the woods and ride-aways near my house. I’d be out there for hours, building ramps and jumps and berms.
These days, my mountain bike is black and red and I ride it on the trails of Allaire State Park, Hartshorne Park, and other fun local spots. For about a decade or so, I’ve heard of a place in Vermont that had a hundred miles of linked mountain biking trails called “Kingdom Trails“. I always wanted to make a trek to this area but the distance (almost 8 hours by car) and my life hadn’t allowed me the chance. Well, 2023 was the year that I seized the opportunity, and – holy moly – am I glad I did.
My favorite ski film producer, Warren Miller, has a famous line that he put in every one of his ski films, “If you don’t do it this year you’ll be a year older when you do.”
What I found at Kingdom Trails were super cool and welcoming people, a lifestyle of fitness and bicycling, pretty good restaurants, fantastic local beer, and the best network of mountain bike trails I have ever found. I’ve ridden a lot around here in my local Jersey Shore stomping grounds and enjoyed every muddy moment but this trail network is totally sick. I’m not even sure the pictures on this page do it justice.
What is “Kingdom Trails”? KT is a network of connected mountain bike trails in and around the town of East Burke, Vermont. A few years ago some mountain biking enthusiasts met with local landowners and convinced a lot of them to allow mountain biking trails on their land. The trails would be maintained by the KT organization, a non-profit, with the goal of attracting crazy mountain bikers like me to the area; thereby supporting the local economy.
They claim to have over one hundred miles of connected mountain bike trails set over two or three ridges in an area of Vermont called, “The Northeast Kingdom“. The trails are really well marked with signage similar to a ski area. They have a pretty sick app, part of the Ondago system, so it’s fairly easy to find your way.
Here are a few short fun facts from my summer trip.
I stayed at the Wildflower Inn. Comfy bed, a little outdated; but comfy bed. Great sunsets and an on-site bike shop with a bar out the back window.
I stopped by a few local restaurants that I enjoyed including this one, this cool market made a killer club sandwich, and this one was okay, and this market had a good local beer selection.
My favorite local brewery was Frost Beer Works.
And, I hope to be back one day because I barely got to half of the hundred miles of trails during my short stay.
When Carl is not working at the greatest rock radio station known to mankind; a station known around the globe; a station that has the best music, co-workers, advertisers and most importantly THE BEST F'N LISTENERS you may find me doing any one of the following: Riding or making mountain bike trails. playing with his kids. playing sand volleyball on 5th Ave, cooking amazing food, including on his sweet smoker grill, going to concerts, swimming in the ocean, going to amusement parks with his kids, and other stuff that rocks!
