No Place Like Holmdel

Take a new, different look at Holmdel Park, the site of the current New Jersey state championship cross country course since 1979. In the next four weeks, Holmdel Park will host the Shore Conference, State Groups and Meet of Champions races.

By " Scott Clayton " Senior Staff Writer

            Everyone who has ever run a cross country race at Holmdel Park has a story to tell about it. For nearly three decades of New Jersey high school running, the current five-kilometer layout at the park has been the course that determines just how successful the fall season has been. Holmdel Park has been an opponent every bit as tough as the greats that have run there.
            Many would argue that when the trails were refurbished with cinders in 2000, that Holmdel lost a lot of its quirkiness. Some notable veterans " performers and coaches alike " argue that the "new" course is good for a 15-20 second advantage over the times from the 1980s and 1990s.
            Now that I've been a close observer of Holmdel Park races for the last six years, it seems as though the intimidation that the course once held has waned. Maybe that's just because I've seen the course records come under siege.
            Personally, I could almost pinpoint my final time for a Holmdel Park race from the top of the start hill, when about 4,500 meters still remained in front of me. For a kid from the flatlands of Southern Ocean County, the course was that much in my head. When I struggled up that first hill, it was going to be a long day, which was the case more often than not.
            There is no doubt that Holmdel Park is not the most spectator-friendly cross country course in New Jersey, but it remains the truest test of the skills that measure greatness in the sport. Thousands of parents line the start and finish areas every year that have never taken a glance at "The Bowl." Legendary Christian Brothers Academy coach Tom Heath may have never seen a race finish at Holmdel Park. Heath goes where he needs to be, which is atop the hill, where he can catch his runners at two crucial moments of the race.
            For a look at what those moments might be, take a look at the video series above. We tried to capture the different parts of Holmdel Park - "The Start Hill," "The Meadow," "The Bowl," "The Back Woods" " and provide some commentary on those crucial stretches with some of the more knowledgeable cross country folks at the Shore. Enjoy what we hope is a unique perspective on the course that has become more tied to a high school sport in New Jersey than any other location has to any other sport.