Camping Before the Race
Starting in 2019, we got approval to allow camping at Thomas Paine Cottage the night before the race.
We are still in the experimental stage. If we screw this up—by being loud or drunk—they won’t allow it again.
You can add camping when you register, for a maximum of two people per registration. (Or return to your registration if you are adding camping afterwards.)
This next part is critical because the "campground" is the actual start area for the race. And the staging area sits on a residential street. You'll be so close you can hit a house with a Nerf Ball. (Please don't try.)
The location is 20 Sicard Ave., New Rochelle, N.Y.
So, here are THE RULES:
Limit of 30 people. Price is $15 per person, with the funds going to the Thomas Paine Cottage.
Tents go on the large grassy area in front of the (unused, squeaky clean) port-a-potties. There are no designated "sites." Use your judgment to keep elbow room between tents. You can set up starting at 5 p.m. on the Saturday before the race.
We'll open a couple of toilets for you the evening before.
There's a hose for water. (And there will be showers at the finish line in the high school locker room.)
No open fires. Camp stoves are OK.
Parking is on abutting Paine Avenue, as we arrive early and need Sicard Avenue to unload. Also, do not park on Broadview as that is the race course, and I'll burn your tent down (with you in it) if you try such a trick.
There's plenty of modest eateries on North Avenue (Iona College is right there). We highly recommend AJ's Burgers, as the food is good, varied and AJ has been a P2P sponsor for many, many years. Please say hello for me if you go.
Wakeup time is early. We arrive for setup at 5:30 a.m. (so you can't park on Sicard) and must be done by 7 a.m. when the first runners come streaming in. Tents must be packed away by 7 a.m.
Don't get drunk.
Don't be loud.
Expect the police and neighbors to come check you out, like animals in a zoo, as this isn’t a real campground.
Last updated: April 18, 2025