For the second consecutive year, the City of Trenton’s Cadwalader Park will host high school cross country running competitions, while also debuting a new 5 km racing layout. Two “batch meet” races of the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) will come to the park on Sept. 3rd and 9th. Cadwalader Park is one of six CVC racing venues designated for 2025, and the only venue designated in the City of Trenton.
Event Details:
September 2, 2025
- Teams: Trenton Central High School (Host), Hamilton High School West, Nottingham High School, and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
- Time: 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Races will start at 4:00 pm.
September 9, 2025
- Teams: Trenton High, Ewing High School, Princeton High School, and Steinert High School
- Time: 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Races will start at 4:00 pm.
Location: Cadwalader Park (Please see the map below for the championship course.)
From 2022 to 2024, work to design and build a new cross-country course (featuring soft surfaces and two 5 km racing layouts) 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.
The second racing layout, set to debut this season, is known as the “Championship Course” and differs in key aspects from the other layout unveiled last year (the “Dual Meet Course”). Although both layouts feature the “roller coaster” hills for which Cadwalader Park is known, the championship design incorporates a longer course loop and a sweeping 200 m home stretch past the John A. Roebling statue. Having both layouts will enable the City of Trenton to flexibly configure the space for different race sizes and styles, including batch, divisional, and championship meets.
The park’s connection to high school cross country dates back over a century. In 1921, two years after the NJSIAA began declaring state champions in the sport, Cadwalader hosted the New Jersey State Cross Country Championship, with competitors from Trenton High and six other public and private high schools. In later years, the park hosted such races as the New Jersey State Prep School Championship (1920s), the State Conference “Triangular” Meet (1940s-1950s), the Mercer County Cross Country Meet (1960s), and the Greater Jersey Group 4 Southern Division Meet (1960s-1970s). It also continued to host batch meets until 1999, which resumed in 2024.
The return of competitions this season, along with the opening of the second racing layout, further enhances long-distance running opportunities in the City of Trenton, and strengthens existing running programs in the city and beyond.
Trenton Central High School, Hamilton High School West, Nottingham High School, and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North are scheduled to compete on Sept. 3rd. Trenton High, Ewing High School, Princeton High School, and Steinert High School will compete on Sept. 9th.
Work to prepare for the 2025 season was a team effort involving the City of Trenton, the CVC, and the Trenton Central High School Athletic Department. The Capital District Track and Field Officials, the Cadwalader Park Alliance, and Girls on the Run New Jersey East provided additional assistance.
The opening Sept. 3rd race will also be hosted by the Trenton Cross Country team, which has led efforts to design and build Cadwalader Park’s new course. Trenton will compete, but Ewing will host, on Sept. 9th.
Both the Sept. 3rd and 9th races will start at Cadwalader Park’s Gully Field, near the corner of Cadwalader Drive and Stuyvesant Avenue, and finish behind the John A. Roebling statue, inside the park’s “Outer Loop.” The meets will last from 3 to 6 p.m., with the first race starting at 4 p.m. (girls first on Sept. 3rd, boys first on Sept. 9th). A makeup day is planned for Sept. 30th, in case of any rain dates or cancellations.