Every year, thousands of runners flock to the Sunken Meadow cross country course in order to race and/or train. On behalf of myself and the many runners/coaches whom share the same concern as I, would like to bring attention to the dwindling safety of our beloved cross-country course. We, the running community, urge the park management of Sunken Meadow to play its pivotal role in repairing the trails of the park, as done in past years. The erosive quality of Sunken Meadow has always been quite apparent. This has generally been due to its highly sandy structure, tall hills, and close proximity to the Long Island Sound. However, in the past, the park management has always worked hard to keep the course stable and safe. Every year before and during the cross-country season would start, park management would fix many of the current issues of the course. They would cover the trail in a layer of gravel, which would allow for much more stable and safer footing while running. Also, many of the roots and large loose rock would be removed.
It wasn't until post Hurricane Sandy, that the management of the park became stagnant. Since the hurricane, various storms have only contributed to the erosion of the course. The run off from the storms has led to long, wide ditches that form on the sides of the hills. These are then often full of and surrounded by large amounts of loose sand and rocks. The park management has yet to fix a majority of these problems, which it normally would have prior to the hurricane. The department only makes slight repairs to the course when major cross country meets are being held at the park such as NY state championships and Eastern Regional's. These repairs are often just cover-ups that temporarily mask the problems of the course. This has caused the course to become rapidly more dangerous, and has majorly decreased the safety of the runners who use the course. It has been observed by many of the coaches of Suffolk County, that the amount of injuries and fall downs during races has significantly increased these past two years.
