The best weekend in Northport: the 2022 Cow Harbor run and parade are here

The Great Cow Harbor 10K Run returns this weekend, with 5,000 participants taking to the nationally recognized and acclaimed Northport Village course on Saturday, September 17. The Cow Harbor Day Parade and festivities will follow on Sunday.

The 2022 run is the USATF (United State of America Track and Field) 10K Road Championship, and has attracted elite runners from across the country. The first place prize, awarded to a male and female, is $7,500. This year, there’s also a course record bonus of $2,500, with the time to beat being 32:18 for women (previously run by Erika Kemp of Massachusetts) and 28:22 for men (previously run by Ryan Hall of Washington).

The race has a staggered start, a process implemented by race coordinator John Pitfick in 1985, which allows more people to safely run the course. Each runner is assigned a color and number series that indicates where he/she will start, and is based on a predicted finish time. Bib pickup takes place on Friday, September 16, at the William J Bronson School between 5:30-9:30pm and on Saturday morning from 6:30-8am. Runners will receive their bib numbers on Friday morning via text or email, and report to the appropriate numeric table to retrieve their bibs.

The race schedule begins at 7am Saturday morning, with announcements and instructions taking place before the race. Laurel Avenue and Main Street will be closed to traffic at 7:15am and runners will make their way to the staging areas at 8:15am. The first group of runners will be released at 8:30am, with a new group released every minute thereafter. The 2K Fun Run (or walk) begins at 8:48am and is open to children and parents.

All course roads will be closed to traffic from approximately 8:10-10:30am. The race route includes Laurel Avenue, Scudder Avenue, Bayview Avenue, James Street, Ocean Avenue, Eaton’s Neck Road, Waterside Road and Main Street.

The award ceremonies will begin at 10:45am, on the gazebo in Northport Village Park. The top 10 male and female awards will be distributed at that time.

But the fun doesn’t end there. There will be a concert in Village Park on Saturday at 8pm and a lighted boat display at the Village dock, setting the tone for another day of entertainment. Cow Harbor Day takes place on Sunday, September 18, starting with a parade at noon, followed by rides, music, sidewalk sales, food vendors and more until 5pm.

The Cow Harbor festival is an event sponsored by the Incorporated Village of Northport. There are no corporate sponsors for Saturday evening or Sunday’s events; the activities and events following the race are organized by a small committee of volunteers recruited by the Cow Harbor Committee chairman, who is appointed by the Village board.

For more information, including a list of FAQs for runners, visit the official Cow Harbor race website here. For detailed information on the entire weekend, include a schedule for Sunday, click here.