You start at the Middle School (Golf Road). This building (which is opened for runners on HTD) was built in the 1920’s and served as the high school and later junior high school. Completely renovated it is now the Middle School.
Down Golf, right onto Leedom and left onto Mill Road.
You will run a large portion of the race on Mill Road – one of the older roads in town it shows on the old maps but only became a township road in the late 19th century. More on the name later. On your left as you turn onto Mill is Haverford High School it was built in 1956 to accommodate the post war population boom. It was renovated in the late 90’s.
Half mile in you cross Earlington Road. Another of the early streets, it is a major north/south arterial road. For your safety, its traffic is controlled by a police officer. As you run down to the Karakung, on your left will be Trinity Christian Church. The Church serves Mandarin speakers and has services in English and Mandarin. Until 2012 it was the Jewish Community Center serving congregation Bnai Aaron. Its sanctuary has a beautiful stain glass window of Mt. Sinai. A large portion of the race is run along Karakung Drive. Karakung is the native American name for what becomes Cobbs Creek. The park surounding you is Powder Mill Valley Park. Just after you turn onto Karakung you past Lakeside Avenue. Where is the lake? At the turn of the 20th century the builders of what is now the Route 100 high speed line wanted to attract people out to the suburbs. They built an amusement park and had a lake for boating. The park only survived a few years but the P&W line (Philadelphia and Western) became an important part of suburban development. The Beechwood-Brookline station is up the steps on your right.
Your halfway point is just before Manoa Road - another of the original highways this is an important east/west artery. There is a much-neglected memorial just to your right that recounts the park’s development.
The bridge over Cobbs Creek is newly rebuilt and will reopen October 2019.
On your return, you will get views of Karakung creek. The two-mile mark is just before Nitre Hall. You will come back to Mill turning left and running under the P&W. On your right is a historic house dating back to 1725. It was home to many of the local mill owners and Mill Road was once Dickinson Mill Road (Dickinson was one of the last millers). It is now being restored by the current owner.
You are almost home now – once you recross Earlington you have a half mile left. Relax your shoulders, check your breathing – if you have begun to pant, take deeper breaths. The 3-mile mark is at the end of Leedom, turning onto Golf Road you have .1 mile. If you can, sprint those last yards in. You have run deep into history, run where the Lenni Legape hunted and have come back out into the 21st Century. Bask in you accomplishment and go enjoy the rest of Haverford Township Day.
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