Here is another short run adjacent to the Einstein/Jacoby Medical Center. It is especially useful for those who have had a long day and are forced to run after dark. Basically, it is a zig-zag pattern in the neighborhood west of the Einstein/Jacoby campus that is bound to the north by Pelham Parkway South and to the south by Morris Park Ave. The western boundary is Williamsbridge Road and Eastchester Road is on the eastern side of the route.
This neighborhood is very safe and well-lit. To give you an idea of what to expect from the neighborhood, it is filled with single-family homes valued in the $500,000 to million dollar range. After rush hour, the streets are pretty quiet and your only real concern about running these streets is cross-traffic on the cross streets (Lydig, Neill, and Rheinlander Aves.).
While the streets on this route function almost like a private running route late at night, it is always advisable to run with night lights and reflectors. To give you an idea of what might be appropriate, we can look at what the Ragnar Relays always require for its night runners. They require at least three pieces of safety gear for night runs: headlamps, reflective vest/harness, and a tail light. (Great, inexpensive gear can be had from Amazon – especially for those of you who are Prime members see these links for options – headlamps | reflective vests/harness | tail light). Of course, all three of these items may be considered overkill for most, but I always like to run with at least a vest/harness and a tail light at night while running against traffic. But that’s just me. To each their own!
Route Description:
(Run 8/14/17) This route starts outside the driveway of 1935 Eastchester Road near the intersection of Stillwell Ave. and Eastchester Road.
Head south to Morris Park Ave. and turn right. Follow Morris Park Ave. to Williambridge Road and make a right.
In about a half mile, you will reach Pelham Parkway South where you will turn right. At the end of the block you’ll make your first zig – a right on Yates Ave. What’s nice about this street and the one to the east of it is that there is a bike line painted into the road that you can run in or you can also opt to run on the sidewalk.
Head back down to Morris Park Ave. and zag to the left and left again on Hering Ave. On a side note, if you end up registering to vote in the Bronx, you’ll pass your polling station on the corner of Hering Ave. and Neill Ave. – P.S. 108. But for now, you’ll really want to continue up Hering until you hit Pelham Parkway South to zig to the right and come back down Tenbroeck Ave.
Take Tenbroeck Ave. back to Morris Park Ave. and zag to the left and left again onto Seminole Ave. Follow Seminole Ave. to Neill Ave., make a right and follow the road back to Pelham Parkway South.
Make a right on Pelham Parkway South and continue about a quarter mile to Eastchester Road and make a right. Follow Eastchester Road back to the starting point for a 3.65 mile run.
Make it a 5-miler! If you want to run further, tack on a full loop of the Einstein/Jacoby campus for another 1.35 miles.
From the starting point, continue south to Morris Park Ave. and make a right.
After about a quarter mile, make a right on Seminole Ave. and follow it around the campus to Pelham Parkway South and make another right.
Head to Eastchester Road and make a right and continue back to the starting point at the 1935 Eastchester Road driveway.
Mileage:
3.65 miles for the zig-zag route or 5 miles if you tack on the full Einstein/Jacoby Medical Center loop.
Elevation:
Nothing too crazy. Varies from 22 to 89 feet with gradual inclines.
0 hills for a ratio of 0.00.
0.2. I had the one guy standing in front of his house this evening catching a smoke. Otherwise, I am sure future runs will bring this number down to zero.
0.00. None of this course is within a half mile of a major freeway but it just barely qualifies on the Eastchester Road side.
Safe after dark?
Safe during the day and safe at night in terms of both traffic and crime.
Just don’t try to include Stillwell Ave. between Eastchester Road and Pelham Parkway South in this route to bring it to a full 4 miler. Curiously, the crime and traffic safety issues on this small pocket of street skyrocket compared to the rest of the neighborhood. Just ask the student who was propositioned by the man in the windowless van (160627_CampusAlert) or read up on the recent criminal activity on this street. Yes, that’s right, just a block from the 49th precinct!
Crowd Scene?
Not very crowded inside the neighborhood. A little bit of traffic on Williamsbridge Road as you run through the Williamsbridge business district.
Running Surface:
Sidewalk and asphalt.
Changing Station?
There is a Starbucks on the corner of Morris Park Ave. and Eastchester Road with serviceable bathrooms.
Points of Interest:
You’ll run past some interesting houses and through the length of the Williamsbridge business district where you might find you very next takeout meal experience.
Along with getting a round-trip view of the campus, you get a mini-tour of the fine establishments and institutions along Eastchester Road including the NYPD 49th Precinct, Apple Grocery, Dolphin Fitness, GiGi’s Pizza, Denigris Dominick (tombstones), Enterprise Rent-a-car, Good to Go, Tana Thai, Dunkin Donuts, and Starbucks.
Good for Groups:
Narrow sidewalks make this ideal for 2 up to 4 runners.
Safe from Cars:
Most of this route intersects with low traffic roads. You don’t cross any major roads but you do cross a few low-volume roads.
One caveat as you cross the four entrances to the Einstein/Jacoby Medical Center campus – watch out at the stop sign crossings around the Jacoby campus. Most drivers are not used to watching for runners crossing and will treat the stop signs as suggestions as they speed through their turns.
Prospects for a Break-Free Run:
Very good. You are crossing mostly lightly used intersections during this run and you will only probably need to stop sporadically.
Friends Run Into During Run:
0
Is there a route you’ve always wanted to run, but wanted someone else to run it first in case of hidden axe murderers or marauding street cat gangs? Let me know in the comments and I’ll try to cover it! Or is there any other route criteria you’d like me to cover? If so, drop me a comment below.
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