HILLSBOROUGH YMCA HOP 5K

The Hillsborough YMCA Hop 5K brings families and the community together in a fun race that encourages everyone to strive for and reach a personal fitness goal. This event has continued to grow over the past 25 years and has become a fun, spring fitness tradition in the Hillsborough community.

The generous support of Hop 5K sponsors, and proceeds from the event, contribute to the Y’s ability provide financial assistance so that vital programs and services are accessible to all. Together, we transform lives by ensuring that everyone has the resources, opportunities, and support needed to thrive.

The 5K:
- Start at the Hillsborough YMCA (19 East Mountain Road) and cruise through fast and flat neighborhoods before finishing at the Hillsborough Municipal Building (379 South Branch Road). 
- Receive a commemorative shirt and bib. 
- USATF Certified Grand Prix Event with a NET DOWN HILL COURSE. 
- Awards for top 3 (male, female, nonbinary), top parent/child teams. Age groups: 8 and under, 9 to 11, 12 to 14, then 15 to 90+ in 5-year age groups (male / female)
- Both competitive and walker friendly! 
- Registration fees are $30 through 4/30, then $35 until race day

The Virtual 5K:
- The perfect event for those who want to support the Hillsborough YMCA but cannot join us on race day and/or prefer to complete the distance at their own time and place.
- Receive a commemorative shirt and bib.
- Log your 5K results on our website to be a part of the virtual race community.
- Registration fees are $30 through 4/30, then $35 until race day

Top Male Records

2024 Eric Scully (15:32)
2011 Jordan Magath (15:35)
2005 Ken Rolek (15:55)
2011 Brian Crowley (15:58)
2015 Stephen Rathbun (16:01)

Top Female Records

2011 Lara Shegosky (18:30:34)
2013 Lara Shegosky (19:06)
2012 Lyndsay McMeen (19:06.30)
2014 Lara Shegosky (19:07)
2003 Erika Johnson (19:12)

RACE TIME
Saturday, June 6th, 8 AM Start, Rain or Shine, Roads will close in the surrounding area at 7:45!

RACE LOCATION 
The race starts at Hillsborough YMCA, 19 East Mountain Road, Hillsborough. It ends at the Hillsborough Municipal Building, 379 South Branch Road, Hillsborough. The distance between the start and finish is 1/2 mile. 

BIB & SHIRT PICK-UP
On Friday, the night before the race, all registered runners and walkers can pick up their shirts and bibs from 5:00- 7:00 p.m. at Hillsborough YMCA, 19 East Mountain Road. Anyone who can't get there Friday can pick up their items on race morning from 6:30 - 7:30 a.m. * Non-members please bring a government-issued photo ID for entry into the YMCA facility.

PARKING
We ask that you carpool when possible as parking is limited. Race day parking is available at the YMCA (start line) and at the Township Municipal Building (finish line). Please refrain from parking along the race course or in the shopping center lot across the street from the Y. Parking is available along Van Bolton Road, Oak Terrace, Buckland Drive, April Valley Drive, Cedarview Court, Beechwood Circle and Wescott Road.

IN-PERSON REGISTRATION
You can register online up to and including race morning. There is no paper registration. 

RESULTS
Click here. 

BATHROOMS
Indoor bathrooms are available for all participants at the YMCA (start) and the Municipal Building (finish). Please note there is a set of bathrooms on either side of the multipurpose room. * Non-members please bring a government-issued photo ID for entry into the YMCA facility.

BAG CHECK
There is no bag check on event day. 

WATER STOP
There will be one water stop on the course near mile 2. Participants are always encouraged to carry their own water in a reusable bottle to help us reduce the environmental impact of the event.

COURSE MAP
This is a USATF Sanctioned Course & Grand Prix Event. There will be a lead bike and sweep vehicle. All turns are marked with volunteer course marshals to direct you. Please remember that you could have some traffic within the neighborhood so be mindful of cars. https://runsignup.com/Race/YMCAHillsboroughHop/Page-2

AWARDS
We have 1st, 2nd and 3rd Overall Male, Female and Nonbinary awards.

We have awards three deep -  8 and under, 9 to 11, 12 to 14, then 15 to 90+ in 5-year age groups (male/female)

The Hoppy Award will be provided to the Hillsborough School with the most participants. 

The finishing times of registered teams will be added together to compete for top Mom/Son, Mom/Daughter, Dad/Son, Dad/Daughter awards. 

The awards ceremony will be at 9 AM near the finish line. Awards will be announced but anyone who wishes to leave early is welcome to pick up their award in advance of the ceremony.

RECORDS
Click here for full list of course records.

DOGS & STROLLERS
As a USATF sanctioned Grand Prix event, dogs on leashes and strollers are not permitted in the race. 

GREEN LIVING FAIR
After the award ceremony, stay to enjoy the Green Living and Wellness Fair held at the municipal building and get tips on living a healthy lifestyle. Read more here. 

RACE TIPS

• Line up at the start according to your predicted pace per mile. Runners in the front who are not a sub 6:00 min/mile runner may slow the start of the race and be a hazard. Walkers please line up behind runners. 
• If you must stop during the race, please move to the side of the road to avoid accidents or tripping.
• At the water stop, please move to the side if you are stopping.
• If you need medical attention, ask any course marshal to call 911. 

Still have a question?  Email courtney-newman@comcast.net 

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNTIES 

The long-standing community tradition of Hillsborough YMCA Hop is back! We invite you to be a part of this event taking place on Saturday, June 6th, 2026, by sponsoring the 5K. The generous support of Hop 5K sponsors, and proceeds from the event, contribute to the Y’s ability provide financial assistance so that vital programs and services are accessible to all. Together, we transform lives by ensuring that everyone has the resources, opportunities, and support needed to thrive. 

2026 Options Coming Soon

Click here for 2023 race results. 

The Hillsborough Hop takes place on a USATF Certified Course.

USATF-Certification # is NJ23012JLW, expiring 12/31/2033

This is a NET DOWNHILL course. 

See PDF below for best resolution course map or visit USATF link here. 

PACKET PICKUP

Those working Friday, packet pickup is from 5PM to 7PM @ Hillsborough YMCA. Please plan on arriving by 4:40 PM

Those working Saturday, packet pickup is from 6:30AM to 7:30AM @ Hillsborough YMCA, but will go right up until the race start at 8 AM because people are always running late. Please arrive at 6:15 AM so we are ready for the crowds. 

We will be inside the gym at the YMCA. 

In advance of your arrival, please go to the app store and search RunSignUp and download the app RACEDay CheckIn. It is a green logo.  I have had several people wait to do this onsite when they arrive to volunteer and run into all sorts of issues remembering their apple ID, etc. Please, please do it in advance and reach out with any issues. 

Once the app is downloaded, there is a Find Your Race search box. Search HOP. (it will not appear until 6/1)

You will be prompted with a password which is case sensitive, it’s “Courtney!”

After entering the password, the database of participants will load to your phone. You do not need to do anything further. I’ll show you how to use it when you get there. 

We are doing dynamic bib assignment which means we have not assigned bibs to participants in advance of the race. You’ll remember the old days of printed spreadsheets in alphabetical order, finding the name, finding the bib. Now they just get assigned the next bib in your pile and we type that bib number right into the phone. It’s critical that if one person is picking up multiple bibs that we write their names on the back so they don’t get mixed up and mess up scoring. 

Half of us will be working participant check in, the other half shirt distribution. So participants will get their bib and the person checking them in will yell back to the shirt picker the size they need. They must take the shirt size that they registered for. 

At this time, we plan on having race day registration but will be online only so participants will automatically appear in your app. 

We order shirts in advance of the race so we expect to be low on inventory. If someone registers and does not get a shirt, it’s not a mistake. 

COURSE MARSHALS 

You will be assigned to a location on the course before race day. Please be in place by 7:45 AM and text me the crossroads at 908-872-0217 upon your arrival. I will be ensuring all marshals are in location before starting the race. Please DO NOT send just “Hi I’m here” as I’ll have no idea who you are. Again, text something like “Amy, Conover / Peterson”. 

In advance of your arrival, please see your crossroads and reference the course map here. Those stationed at Peterson and Conover should pay close attention as these roads cross in more than one area of the neighborhood. 

When possible, please park out of the way of the race participants on side roads near your location. 

Please wear visible clothing and a safety vest if you have one. 

The roads are not closed to traffic in the neighborhood, but community members will be reminded of the race by variable message boards and a Nixle alert. Remind any motorists to proceed slowly or ideally wait until there is a safe break in participants to proceed. It is not your job to enforce traffic, simply inform them. Do not throw yourself in front of any vehicles! 

Encourage participants by cheering when you can. 

Water is just past mile 2. 

Please bring your cell phone. Call 911 for any emergencies and then Courtney Newman @ 908-872-0217 as soon as you can. It’s not your job to determine what is an emergency so if there is a medical concern, please call for help. For all non-emergency situations, please call Courtney. 

The course will be marked with arrows. There will also be a lead bike to guide the runners. Simply direct the runners the direction that the lead bike went. 

I expect participants to run between 5- and 20-minute miles so you can determine your estimated work time based on your location on the course. For those very early in the race, you may be able to see the last participant and can leave your post when they pass. For all others, please use your best judgment. Sometimes we can just ask the person in last to inform the marshals they are in fact last. 

FINISH LINE

Please arrive by 7:30 at the Municipal Building. 

General Safety:  Your job is to keep people moving through the finish line chute and out of the way of incoming runners. People love to stop and celebrate when they hit that line. Keep them moving. You may need to be forceful. 

Monitor Refreshments:  We have the refreshments in the sponsor area to ensure people visit the race sponsors. Just walk around and ensure only those with race bibs are taking the food and that no one is stocking up for next week’s lunches. You may need to be forceful but hopefully not. The Green Living & Wellness Fair is occurring simultaneously, so we don’t want people attending that event eating the food for our race participants. Signage that states “FOOD FOR RACE PARTICIPANTS ONLY” will be on tables but no one reads. 

Provide Water: You can greet finishers with fresh water but please stand back from the finish line, so they come to you. 

WATER STOP

Please arrive at 27 Peterson Drive by 7:15 and begin to set up the water station. Prior to your arrival we will drop off 4 tables, 6 garbage cans, gallons of water and 500 cups. 

Please look at the course map and park off the course. Lane and Lewis would be good parking places.  

Set up the tables and pour cups about 2/3 full and hand them to participants. It’s a good idea to prefill the table with cups of water before the participants arrive. The first participant should come by around 8:10 and the last around 8:45. Not everyone will take water. Be sure not to get in the way of runners but be on the side with your arm out offering cups of water. 

You will also be provided garbage cans and bags. Please place them further up to give the participants distance to drink before disposing of their cups. Remind participants that garbage cans are up ahead in hopes that they use them. Inevitably some will throw them to the side. When possible, please pick any dropped cups that could cause another participant to trip. This should be done only if you don’t get in the way of the participants.  

Please keep the area around your table neat. After the race, be sure your area is clean of litter. You’ll want to walk about 50 feet up the road and check both sides of the road, lawns, etc. The last thing we want is the YMCA to receive complaints about trash in the neighborhood. 

Encourage participants with some cheering - one mile to go!

When the last participant has passed, break down your tables and stack your garbage. A truck will be there later to pick it up. You do not need to wait. 

Please bring your cell phone. Call 911 for any emergencies and then Courtney Newman @ 908-872-0217 as soon as you can. It’s not your job to determine what is an emergency so if there is a medical concern, please call for help. For all non-emergency situations, please call Courtney. 

AWARDS

Please arrive by 8:40 and start organizing the awards if it is not done so already. The awards ceremony starts at 8:50. Once verified, I’m okay giving out awards to those who need to leave sooner than our awards ceremony. 

The Hoppy Award will be provided to the Hillsborough School with the most participants. 

We have 1st, 2nd and 3rd Overall Male, Female and Nonbinary awards. These participants will get an award (glass of some type).

Age group awards (glasses) are top 3 (male / female): 8 and under, 9 to 11, 12 to 14, 15 to 90… all the way to 90+. 

The finishing times of registered teams will be added together to compete for top Mom/Son, Mom/Daughter, Dad/Son, Dad/Daughter awards. Each team gets 2 glasses. 

CLEAN UP

After the awards ceremony which starts at 8:50 and goes until 9:10, this is an all-hands-on deck effort to break down the race site and return everything to the YMCA.  Please meet at the Municipal Building near the finish line at 9 AM and be ready to go. Parking in the area will be limited at this time.