Fred Almgren Memorial "Mayday" Race

Recent History

In 2022, the 46th race was won by the Rutgers Math team, with a time of 3:15. This was the slowest winning time in the history of the race!
The annual Almgren "Mayday" Race was not held in 2020 or 2021, due to the global pandemic.
In 2019, the 45th race was won by the Princeton Math team, with a time of 2:49. Their photo is on the right. There were 8 (or 9) teams in the race; many teams split and re-merged. There was some confusion during the race. The RU Math Undergrad team had two problems: The runner on leg 1 decided to walk, and the leg 2 runner had to run leg 1 backwards to find him. Their runner for leg 4 started 2 minutes early, so their team's times were adjusted. In addition, the RU Math fun team runner for leg 7 showed up 4 minutes after their runner for leg 6 finished.	The 2019 winners: Princeton Math

In 2018, the 44th race was won by the Rutgers Math team, with a time of 2:53. There were 7 teams competing, including Rutgers, Princeton and Columbia Math. It was a very close race that year, with many lead changes between the top 3 teams. The runners in leg 2 had to climb over a downed tree, and geese chased runners in leg 7.	The winners: Rutgers Math

In 2017, the race was won by the Princeton Math Team, with a time of 3:01. There were 7, 8 or 9 teams in the race, depending on your definition of team. One team disappeared near Griggstown, and went to lunch. A bystander spontaaneously ran leg 4 for a Physics team in boots. To round out the fun, the Princeton Math A and B teams shared the first and last runner, creating a virtual gap of 22 minutes.

The winners: Princeton Math

In 2016, the 42nd race was won by the Rutgers Physics teams, with a time of 2:52. There were 9 or 10 teams competing. This was the first race held in the rain since 2009, and a few runners were chased by geese. A one-person "team" formed spontaneously at 10-mile locks, and completed the last 8 miles to the surprise of the timers.	The winners: Rutgers Physics (speedy, classical and party teams)

In 2015, the 40th race was won by the Rutgers Math and Rutgers Physics teams, who tied. The winning teams crossed the finish line in a time of 3:03:40, hand in hand. There were 9 teams, including the Slowly Converging Zombies, who chased Team Morel and ate part of a timer, causing a loss of data.	Tied for the victory: Rutgers Math and Rutgers Physics

The race was just a few days after a major storm (see photo); parts of leg 2 were badly damaged, and leg 6 was rerouted through South Bound Brook. In addition, Rutgers Math started running at the wrong location (Alexander Road) and crossed the starting line (Washington Road) over 11 minutes after everyone else.

In 2013, the Rutgers Mathematics team won the 38th Fred Almgren Memorial "Mayday" trophy, with a time of 2:58. There were 9 teams competing, and the Princeton Math team took second place.

In 2012, the Princeton Economics team won the 37th annual Fred Almgren memorial race trophy, with a time of 2:43. There were six teams competing, and the Rutgers Math team took third place.

In 2011, the 3-person Princeton Physics team won the 36th annual Fred Almgren memorial race trophy, with a time of 2:39. The Rutgers Math team took second place, and 8 teams competed.

In 2010, the Princeton Running Club won the 35th annual Fred Almgren memorial race trophy, with a time of 2:37. The second and third place teams were Princeton Physics (2:54) and Rutgers Math (2:58), and 11 teams competed. Teams had syncronization issues this year. The Rutgers Math teams were absent at the start of the race, showing up about 90 seconds later. The Princeton Fun Math runner for leg 6 started 16 minutes before the leg 5 runner arrived. Neither event affected the team standings. In addition, this was the hottest race since 1978 (when several runners suffered heat stroke); fortunately everyone adjusted their pace this year and we had no casualties.

		This was the soggiest race in years, due to almost steady rain, but the towpath was in remarkably good shape. One team's fourth leg was delayed by 7 minutes, as their designated runner took off in the wrong direction and had to be replaced. In addition, the clock timing the end of the race broke before the times could be adjusted, so the final times reflect our consensus best guesses.

The 2008 Almgren "Mayday" Race was held on Sunday May 4, There were 11 teams (second most ever), and the winner was the Rutgers Math Fast Fourier Transform team with a time of 2:48. The race was one of the closest in years, with 5 lead changes overall, and the top three teams finishing within one minute of each other.

The 2007 race was held on Sunday, May 6th, from Rutgers to Princeton. There were fifteen teams competing (a new record), and the winner was the Princeton Computer Science Team with a winning time of 2:47. The race was made especially interesting this year because of the poor condition of the towpath after a recent storm, with runners jumping over trees and skirting washed-out sections in places.

The 2006 race was held on Sunday, May 7th. There were three teams competing, and the winner was the Princeton Psychology Team Green with a winning time of 2:59. (This team was an amalgam of Psychology and Economics graduate students.}

The 2005 race was held on Sunday May 1st from Rutgers to Princeton. There were eight teams, and the winner was the Rutgers Physics team, with a time of 3:00. In addition to the math teams from Rutgers, Princeton and the Institute for Advanced Study, there were two Physics teams, a Computer Science and an Engineering team.

The 2004 race was held on Sunday May 2nd, from Princeton to Rutgers. There were three teams, and the Rutger Math team defended their title, with a time of 3:11 for the 25.1 mile course. This was the slowest winning time in the 29-year history of the race.

On Saturday May 10, 2003, the race went from Rutgers to Princeton. There were six teams, and the winner was Rutgers Math with a time of 3:07. In second place was Columbia University, which competed for the first time since 1979.
In 2003, the race was 25.5 miles. The first leg was shortened by about 0.2 miles, and the second leg was lengthened by 0.15 miles, due to construction blocking the towpath.

On May 5, 2002 the race went from Princeton to Rutgers, ending with a picnic in Johnson Park. There were 8 teams, and the Princeton Physics 'A' team defended their title, with a time of with a time of 2:34 for the 25.1 mile course. The Rutgers Undergraduate team ran the third leg in the wrong direction, and their team time was computed "virtually."

On May 6, 2001, it went from Rutgers to Princeton, ending at Alexander Road, near the picnic area. There were 9 teams, including two Physics teams (one from each school). The winner was the Princeton Physics team, with a time of 2:38 for the 25.7 mile course.
There was also a bicycle team for the first time.

The D&R Canal

Leg one (3.7 miles)	(remeasured in 2002)	0.0
	0.0 3.7 Landing Lane Bridge, New Brunswick (parking lot across canal road)
	0.2 3.5 Milepost 41-03
	1.2 2.5 Milepost 40-4 
	2.0 1.7 DeMott Lane (access point, parking lot)
	2.2 1.5 Rough paving
	3.5 0.2 Route I-287 overpass
	3.6 0.1 Five Mile Locks (access, limited parking)
	3.7 0.0 Spillway (actually 3.66 miles)
Note: the exchange often happens at Five mile locks, not the spillway
This makes legs 1&2 change length by 0.05 miles.

Leg 2 (4.15 miles)	(remeasured in 2002)	3.7
	0.0 4.15 Spillway
	1.6 2.6 Bound Brook bridge
	1.7 2.4 South Bound Brook Lock, parking and picnic area
	2.5 1.6 Route I-287 overpass  
	3.6 0.6 Milepost 34-10
	3.9 0.3 10 Mile Lock Footbridge (with stairs), No Parking
	4.15 0.0 10 Mile Lock, Parking Area "NJ Water Supply Authority"

Note: Before 2000, when the Parking area was built, the exchange 
took place at the 10 mile lock Footbridge, so legs 2 and 3 were 
about 3.9 and 3.6 miles long.

Leg 3 (3.3 miles)	(remeasured in 2002)	7.8
	0.0 3.3 10 Mile Lock, Parking Area
	0.6 2.7 Zarephath (Pillar of Fire) access, No Parking
	1.2 2.1 Weston Causeway, Manville Road (access, parking)
	3.3 0.0 East Millstone (Amwell Road)

Leg 4 (2.1 miles)				11.2
	0.0 2.1 East Millstone (Amwell Road, parking)
	0.2 1.9 Milepost 30-14
	1.2 0.9 Milepost 29-15
	2.1 0.0 Blackwell Mill's Road

Leg 5 (4.2 miles)				13.3
	0.0 4.2 Blackwell Mill's Road (parking, picnic area)
	0.1 4.1 Milepost 28-16
	1.1 3.1 Milepost 27-17
	2.1 2.1 Milepost 26-18
	3.6 0.6 Griggstown Causeway (parking, picnic area, canoe rental)
	4.1 0.1 Milepost 24-20
	4.2 0.0 Griggstown Locks

Leg 6 (4.4 miles in even years, 4.3 in odd years)  17.5
	0.0 4.4 Griggstown Locks (limited parking)
	0.9 3.5 Milepost 23-21
	1.4 3.0 Little Valley Footbridge (access, limited parking)
	1.9 2.5 Milepost 22-22
	2.4 2.0 Route 518, Rocky Hill (access, parking)
	2.9 1.5 Milepost 21-23
	4.3 0.1 Exchange point in odd years
	4.4 0.0 Kingston Lock, at Route 27

Note: Distance is 4.37 from Kingston Locks towards Griggstown Locks,
but the exchange point is different in the other ("down") direction.

Leg 7 (3.3 miles in even years, 3.9 in odd years)  21.9
        0.0 3.3 Exchange point in odd years
	0.1 3.24 Kingston Lock, at Route 27 (parking lot)
	1.8 2.5 Milepost 18-26
	2.3 1.0 Millstone River Aqueduct (access at footbridge)
	2.7 0.6 Harrison Street, Princton (access, No Parking)
	3.3 0.0 Washington Road, Princeton (limited parking down the road)
						25.1 miles
1999/2001/03/05/07/09/11... end:
	3.9 0.6 Alexander Road, Princeton (0.6 miles further than usual)
						25.7 miles

Usual End of Race.				25.1 miles
End of race in 1999/2001/03/05/07/09/11...:	25.7 miles
End of race in 2003 (due to construction)       25.6

Notes. 
1) All markings "No Parking", etc. are according to State Park guidelines.
Several new access points and parking areas have been added since 1976.

2) When the canal was in operation, the towpath had no trees and was muddy.
There are numerous trees, and tree roots are a danger for runners.
Especially on the legs from Bound Brook to East Millstone.
During 1999-2000, almost the entire trail was given a sand topping.

3) The course was re-measured in 2001 and 2002; several inaccuracies
were corrected, including: 
Leg 1 changed from 3.8 to 3.66 miles (Milepost 40 appears to be mislocated)
Leg 2 changed from 4.0 to 4.15 miles
Leg 3 changed to 3.33 miles
Distance in legs 6&7 adjusted for different exchange points