Forbidden Run Fest

Forbidden Run Fest is a trail-and-gravel running day in Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Valley Park, with 10 km, 10 mile, and half marathon options based at Houston Recreational Center. The field is capped at 750 runners, so it feels more like a focused park race than a huge city event. It is built for road runners who want their first taste of dirt, while still giving experienced trail runners enough speed, rocks, and climbing to stay interested. Aid stations come every 2 to 3 miles and stock water, Gatorade, and snacks. The routes use Forbidden Drive, a wide gravel road inside a park of more than 2,000 acres and 50 miles of trails. The running starts on mostly smooth compacted dirt, then mixes long gravel stretches with short single-track sections and rocky climbs. The 10 km is the beginner-friendly choice, the 10 miler adds a mile of downhill single track and an out-and-back on Forbidden Drive, and the half marathon uses about eight miles of gravel plus five miles of technical single track. All distances finish with a rocky quarter-mile climb called Mount "What the heck," then the day continues with live music and fresh pizza after the race.