Guest post by Robert Berry
Running the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail
Before my wife Deborah and I became parents, we were avid hikers, constantly exploring the outdoors. One memorable trek took us along the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail (OCA) on November 27, 2020, when we hiked from the Old Croton Dam to the Ossining stop. Though we didn’t know it then, that date would later become a symbolic marker in my journey to complete all 41 miles of the OCA.
Fast forward to 2024: we moved to Riverdale in the Bronx, and while I had hiked Van Cortlandt Park (VCP) a few times over the years, I soon realized just how much of the park remained undiscovered. In those first months, I focused on training for the New York City Marathon, pushing my toddler along the Old Putnam Trail into the South County Trailway in a jogging stroller. Completing my first marathon only fueled my ambition—I signed up for my first ultra-marathon, which led me to explore every official and unofficial trail in VCP. The OCA became a frequent extension of my long runs, winding up through Tibbetts Brook Park and beyond.
I had also logged miles in Rockefeller State Park and ran sections of the OCA multiple times in the summer of 2024 during marathon training. But it wasn’t until early 2025 that I set my sights on a new goal: completing the entire OCA Trail.
The 30-Day Quest
On January 29, 2025, I parked at the southern border of Van Cortlandt Park, determined to cover the lower 1.3 miles I always missed on my standard 8-mile weekday VCP loop. From there, I continued north through Tibbetts Brook Park to Yonkers and Midland Avenues. While researching the northernmost sections of the trail, I stumbled upon the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct—and when I saw that they awarded a patch for completing the trail, I knew I had to have it.
This wasn’t my first time chasing a challenge. Deborah and I completed the Catskill 3500 on November 9, 2019, and the winter patch on March 20, 2021. We had also climbed 28 of the Adirondack 46ers before putting that journey on hold to welcome our first child in early 2022. Now, the OCA would be my next great adventure.
On February 9, 2025—two days before my 44th birthday—I set out from home in Riverdale, running up to the OCA trail at North Broadway and Bishop William J. Walls. The sidewalks were buried under five inches of ice, and I had to break trail in nano spikes up to Lenoir Preserve. It was a breathtakingly beautiful morning, the kind that made every frozen step worth it.
From there, I chipped away at the trail in sections:
- February 11: Ran from home to VCP, through Tibbetts, and completed the gap between Tibbetts and my January 29 section—again in icy conditions.
- February 13: Covered the stretch from Lenoir Preserve to Memorial Park.
- February 15: Ran from the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan up to West Gun Hill Road in the Bronx, completing the entire OCA trail in New York City in one day.
- February 23: Ran from Memorial Park to the Scarborough Presbyterian Church, battling a mix of mud and ice.
- February 27: The final stretch. From the Old Croton Dam to Scarborough Presbyterian Church, running through deep mud and finishing at 3:30 PM.
Thirty days, forty-one miles, one historic trail traversed from start to finish.
More Than Just Miles
The OCA is more than a running route—it’s a path through history, a connection between city and countryside, and a testament to endurance. Every run brought a new challenge, whether it was ice, mud, cold, or wind. But with every step, I felt more connected to the landscape, to my past as a hiker, and to the drive that pushed me to keep exploring nature.
Maybe, Deborah and I will pick up where we left off with the Adirondack 46ers someday. But for now, I’ll wear my OCA patch on my hiking pack with pride, knowing that in just one month, I ran through history—and made some of my own.
Best regards,
Robert Berry
