Where We Train

Our beautiful coastal arboretum campus is located in southeast Connecticut and we are very fortunate to have a variety of training locations at our disposal on a daily basis! Whether it’s a long run, hill workout, or tempo session, we’re able to get exactly what we need at our various picturesque training locations on and off campus!

CAMPUS TRAILS

Located right outside the backdoor of our Athletic Facility, we have a good network of soft surface trails that twist and turn on the edge of the Thames River. These trails serve as good place for shorter runs, warm up and cool downs for track workouts, or simply to add on a few miles to your run. Back in the early years of CCXC, these lower campus trails served as our home cross country course!

SILFEN OUTDOOR TRACK AND THROWING FIELDS

Our beautiful outdoor track and field complex is our home throughout the indoor and outdoor track seasons. Overlooking the Thames River, we are fortunate to be able to workout on this idyllic oval, as well as lower level throwing fields for shot put, hammer, disc, and javelin. In mid-April, we host a large and competitive two-day track meet known as the Silfen Invitational. It’s a meet that features elite mid-distance and distance events, as well as multis on Friday night. On Saturday is the main portion of our meet, which typically attracts over twenty teams on annual basis.

TEMPEL GREEN

This idyllic spot on our campus is home to our men’s and women’s soccer programs, as well as any student looking to toss a frisbee, catch up on some reading, or soak up the sun! A vast expanse of open fields, we tend to utilize this area for on campus workouts that consist of 800m or 1K repeats and a few hills thrown in along the way! Additionally, the green tends to be a perfect area for post-run strides and core!

Stenger Farm Park

A quick ride from campus, Stenger Farm Park consists mainly of a terrific, flat, and fast loop that is just over 800m. In the mid 20th century, the park was actually the used for harness horse racing, but today you will mostly just find Camels zooming by! Stenger is a workout location that we utilize for longer tempo efforts or faster race pace intervals when we really need to get the legs turning!

Harkness Park

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Considered one of the prettiest cross country courses in all of New England, Harkness Park is home-base for CCXC! A spot we typically visit on a weekly basis for workouts, the vast open fields, soft surfaces, slightly rolling terrain, as well gorgeous vistas, make Harkness a wonderful place to call home! In addition to being a premiere workout spot, we annually host a large and competitive cross country meet at Harkness in the middle of October. This is a meet that not only attracts the best competition in our region, but as well as teams from the Mid-Atlantic, South, Mid-West, and West regions!

Bluff Point State Park & Haley Farm

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Located just across the Thames River, Bluff Point and Haley Farm are two spectacular coastal reserve areas that are perfect for long runs or tempo work! Nestled right on the water, we’re consistently treated to excellent views of the Long Island sound as we make our way along the crushed gravel trails in both parks.

Airline Trail

Utilized primarily as a location for quality long runs in the fall and spring, the Airline Trail is a 56 mile rail trail that is located twenty-five minutes from campus. Typically, we will enter the trail in Colchester, CT and are treated to soft surfaces, beautiful panoramas of the surrounding forest, as well as some peace and quiet! The out and back nature of Airline Trail also allows us to get in any length of mileage desired for the day!

Pachaug State Forest and Yawgoog Trails

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Primarily a long run location for the men’s program of CCXC, Pachaug and Yawgoog are vast areas that stretch across lower southeast Connecticut and Rhode Island. Offering up miles of dirt roads and back country roads with plenty of hills, we’re able to get in countless miles without ever touching pavement or worrying about cars!

Mystic

Just down the road from our campus is the quaint and historic town of Mystic. A spot typically used to give ourselves a change of scenery, while not having to travel too far! It’s a spot that is perfect for long runs, as we will get in a good mix of scenic roads and trails all while taking in a little history along the way!