PAPER CHASES: The early roots of running in Mercer County

Published 5/14/26

Paper Chases were distance running contests held in Mercer County around the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th.

Otherwise known as the game of "Hounds and Hares" a paper chase is a long distance competition where two or three runners called hares leave a trail of papers on the ground. The papers are then tracked by pursuing runners called hounds.

In fact, the cross country term harrier comes from the root word hare. A hound--or one who chases a hare--is a harrier.

The goal of the paper chase is for the runners to catch and touch a hare before they reach their destination at the end of the course. The hares are usually given a 3 to 5 minute lead at which time the pack of hound runners are allowed to start. The route the hound runners take is determined by following the trail of papers left by the hares. Many times weather elements such as wind can make it quite challenging for runners to follow the trail of paper.

Author Norman Bingham Jr elaborated on the rules as they stood in 1895:

 THE BOOK OF ATHLETICS AND OUT-OF-DOOR SPORTS, published 1895.

Originally developed in England around 1800, Paper chases started to appear in New Jersey as early as the 1870s. One of the first held among NJ school boys was in Bridgeton in 1878.

The Bridgeton Pioneer, Nov 14 1878

In Mercer County, Paper chases were contested as early as 1892 in Trenton by the City Troop:

Trenton Times Nov 25 1892

Princeton University's Cross Country team held a 4 mile paper chase in the fall semester of 1899.

Daily Princetonian, Volume 24, Number 83, 30 October 1899

Princeton University's John F. Cregan (L) and J.M. Perry (R) who acted as the hares in the 1899 Tiger Paper Chase

In Trenton, during the fall of 1907, a Paper Chase was held near Cadwaleder Park:

The Trenton Times, Nov 29, 1907

Within a year the popularity of cross country grew in Mercer County and paper chases were held in Trenton on a consistent basis. Every Saturday afternoon in 1908 the Trenton YMCA held a paper chase in Cadwaleder Park.

Trenton Sunday Advertiser, Nov 21, 1908

Lawrenceville Prep's varsity cross country team put on a paper chase in 1914.

The Lawrence, Oct 7 1914

Lawrenceville Prep's Richardson (L), one of the hares, and xc team captain Slaymaker (R) who was leader of the hounds in the Paper Chase of 1914.

Paper chases stayed common throughout the county in the 19'10s and early 1920s before their popularity waned. The last documented paper chases in Mercer were held by the Princeton University ROTC in 1928.

Perhaps it's time for a renaissance...

© 2026 Mercer County Track & Field Hall of Fame

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