FoxWall Run For The Hill Of It presented by UPMC St. Margaret Hospital

Welcome to Steel City NROTC's 4th-Annual Lieutenant Colonel Christopher "Otis" Raible Run to Remember! The mission of this event is to ensure that LtCol Raible is not forgotten by the community that he gave his life to protect through the promotion of community engagement, health and wellness, and patriotism and that his values of duty, bravery, and sacrifice are forever valued and emphasized.

Exciting Features of This Year's Event:

• Official event timing by Gingerbread Timing, a high-quality, veteran-owned, timing service located in Western PA with services including:

• Fully automatic timing leveraging RFID-equipped runners' bibs

• An LED-leaderboard at the finish line

• Live results posted directly to this webpage

• Virtual Participation

• Participants wishing to support the Mission from afar will receive a private Strava Club invite where they will be able to compete with other participants from anywhere around the globe. We will provide instructions on how to create a Strava account if you do not already have one. If you do not wish to participate via Strava, please email [email protected] to receive further instructions after signing up.

• Participants will be mailed an official event t-shirt

• Virtual Participants can record their time anywhere, but need to run between November 7th and November 9th to be officially considered for the virtual competition

• The top male and female virtual runners will be recognized and awarded!

• What's New

• A brand new event t-shirt design!

• Race finishers can look forward to a new finisher medal at the finish line

• An expanded lineup of food vendors for this year's event

• Register before Oct 10th to get a t-shirt with registration

• New Competition!

• New this year! During the registration process, participants can make and join their own teams. The team that has the most participants registered by Race Day, November 8th, will win 500$!

• For ROTC and JROTC Units

• This year, we’re introducing a new option for unit participation. Instead of individual registrations, units can register collectively for $75 and will receive a Commemorative LtCol Raible 5K paddle in recognition of their support.

• Unit registration will be submitted as a 75$ registration fee through the race website. Please email [email protected] with your unit name and point of contact to confirm your participation.

• Individuals who wish to receive a t-shirt and finisher medal may still register separately.

• Additional unit-based prizes may be introduced depending on participation levels. Details to be announced.

What Comes with a Registration?

Registration includes an event t-shirt unique to this year, access to the participant village, pre- and post-race snacks, and more! The participant village will be filled with games, raffles, and prizes so be sure to show up ready to have fun and support a great cause. After the race, not only will the winners be announced and prizes distributed, but there will also be a ceremony to honor LtCol Raible, so please feel free to stay for the whole time no matter if you win or lose. [NOTE that participants must sign up before October 10th in order to be guaranteed to receive a shirt in their desired size. All participants who sign up after this date are not guaranteed a shirt (or for it to be in their size if they do receive one).]

Are you ready to launch your running to the next level in 2026? Join us for the first ever Sidewinder in Montour Woods Conservation Area, with proceeds benefiting the Hollow Oak Land Trust*. Choose your distance: Half Marathon (hikers welcome), 20 Mile (hikers welcome), or the full 50K and expect a well-marked route, solid aid, and a welcoming first-year vibe.

Interested in volunteering at the race? Please fill out this form.

About the Course:

Typical Western PA trail conditions: twisty dirt singletrack with plenty of roots, windy switchbacks, and rocky sections that keep you on your toes. The course will consist of three parts: Liftoff, Orbit, and Final Approach.

Liftoff

Starting at Clearview Shelter in Moon Park, Liftoff is a 1.36 mile segment that will connect you from Moon Park to Montour Woods. Expect a nice flowy, downhill section connecting to a wooden boardwalk to start your race and ensure that all systems are go.

Orbit

Time to start into Orbit, consisting of a 9 mile loop around the Montour Woods Conservation Area. Orbit will take you through all the must-see sites in Montour Woods. You’ll cruise through the reclaimed concrete clearing of the old Nike missile site, pop out under the powerline, wind up and down and around the mountain, settle into a scenic stretch beside Meeks Run (with a waterfall spilling over rock ledges and a cave feature that feels like a hidden trail secret), and pass an old oil well tucked along the trail. Aid stations will be available approximately every 3-4 miles along the loop. One Orbit loop for the half marathon, two for the 20 milers, and three for those completing the 50K.

Final Approach

50K and Half Marathon: As the end of your journey draws near, you will climb into your Final Approach, a 2.87 mile, mostly double track loop around Moon Park. The loop gives you that perfect ending, knowing your journey is coming to a close and you're about to achieve your goal.

20 Mile: As the end of your journey draws near, you will climb back to the finish line, the same 1.36 segment as Liftoff but in reverse. An uphill push to the end, you'll be digging deep to finish strong and achieve your goal.

Vertical Gain per Distance:

50K: ~4500 ft

20 Mile: ~3200 ft

Half Marathon: ~1900 ft

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*Hollow Oak Land Trust partners with municipalities—including Moon and Robinson Townships, Coraopolis Borough, and the Avonworth Municipal Authority—to create interconnected greenways that link parks, conservation areas, and communities. These greenways serve as both wildlife corridors and trail connectors, expanding access to nature while protecting habitat and improving environmental resilience.

Swag

T-shirts are only guaranteed if you sign up by July 5, 2026.

Awards will be given to the top male and female finishers of each distance.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the timing cut-off for the race? All three distances will have a cutoff of 10 hours.

Will the race be timed by a timing company? Yes, Miles of Smiles will be timing the event.

Are there nearby hotels? Yes, there are plenty of nearby hotels in both Robinson Township and Moon Township.

When will packet pick-up take place? We will provide more details on this later, but are anticipating packet pickup to be available the night before the race and the morning of.

parkrun is such a simple concept: turn up every Saturday and volunteer, walk, jog or run 5k.