Screamin' Hill Scramble 5K

Screamin' Hill Scramble 5K takes place in Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey, on Saturday, April 17, 2027, with a single 5K (3.1 miles) starting at 9:00 a.m. The name is a fair warning about what the course involves: this is a scramble over hilly ground rather than a flat suburban loop.

Hilly 5Ks reward preparation that flat ones do not. Add one weekly hill session in the month beforehand, six to eight hard efforts of about a minute uphill with a jog back down, and practice running downhill relaxed rather than braking, which is where most runners lose time and beat up their legs. On race day, forget about even splits and pace by breathing. If you are running it for fun, the short distance means the climbs are over quickly.