Pros: - Run on Memorial Drive: Beautiful views of Boston, flat (except for a few overpasses) - Relatively easy to get in and out. Race came with a parking pass … MORE
Pros:
– Run on Memorial Drive: Beautiful views of Boston, flat (except for a few overpasses)
– Relatively easy to get in and out. Race came with a parking pass at the start and it was surprisingly easy to get out when we were done despite plenty of folks still on the course.
– Cambridge HS sports teams cheering us on along the route made me smile!
-Finish area is exciting – the last 0.2 mi are lined with people cheering, very fun.
Cons:
– Mile ~ 6-8 are on walking trails along the Allston part of the river. This is beautiful but CROWDED, its also where many people start to slow down/stop. I gave and received a few heel clips.
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Fun, fast race - Would do again.
Pros: - Run on Memorial Drive: Beautiful views of Boston, flat (except for a few overpasses) - Relatively easy to get in and out. Race came with a parking pass … MORE
Pros:
– Run on Memorial Drive: Beautiful views of Boston, flat (except for a few overpasses)
– Relatively easy to get in and out. Race came with a parking pass at the start and it was surprisingly easy to get out when we were done despite plenty of folks still on the course.
– Cambridge HS sports teams cheering us on along the route made me smile!
-Finish area is exciting – the last 0.2 mi are lined with people cheering, very fun.
Cons:
– Mile ~ 6-8 are on walking trails along the Allston part of the river. This is beautiful but CROWDED, its also where many people start to slow down/stop. I gave and received a few heel clips.
10/10 half, highly recommend!
I ran this half in 2023 and it was an excellent experience. The weather was perfect, but this race lets you wait in the mall before the race begins which … MORE
I ran this half in 2023 and it was an excellent experience. The weather was perfect, but this race lets you wait in the mall before the race begins which would be so amazing if the weather was poor. It was a bit chaotic in the beginning with bathroom lines (tons of people still in line minutes before start time) definitely recommend getting your bib ahead of time, not driving if you can help it, and arriving early. The route is very scenic with lots of cheering spectators. A young football team cheered us on through the Harvard Stadium which was a sweet touch! I saw reviews for years past where there were issues with the water stations not being ready – this was not an issue today and I think they even added additional water stations at the end. My one complaint is that there is a 3 hour course limit with a hard stop at 10AM… but the race places you in waves to start based on pace (which I totally get) and as a slow runner I didn’t get to start until 7:07. It’s a little stressful for the slower runners that we don’t even get the full 3 hours. Overall, great, flat race that was really nicely organized!
Park at the Museum of Science
I was on call this weekend and wasn't planning to run any races but I decided to see what was around and saw that the Cambridge Half added a 5K … MORE
I was on call this weekend and wasn’t planning to run any races but I decided to see what was around and saw that the Cambridge Half added a 5K distance this year. The Cambridge Half/5K starts at the CambridgeSide Mall which is about 1 mile from my work and the race started at 7:20 and I needed to be at work at 9am so this was perfect. There is the option of packet pick-up either Friday, Saturday or race morning. I had to do it race morning but I would say try to do it earlier if possible. For the race they did have free parking at CambridgeSide but I know those parking lots are tight and had a plan to park at the Museum of Science if it looked like parking would be tough. The exit you take from NH goes past the museum first and then you turn left into Cambridge but there was such as traffic jam at the intersection I immediately knew to park at the Museum. It is not free but it made race morning so easy as it was super easy to park and only about 1/3 mile away. I had time to pick up my packet and bring it back to my car in probably less time than it would have taken to park at CambridgeSide. If you don’t mind paying for parking just do this option. If you really want the free parking arrive around 5:30am (I arrived at 6am and it was already a mess). Packet pick-up was very easy and I was surprised how smooth with how long everything else took. Packet included bib and the 5K had a nice long sleeve tech shirt. I then brought it back to the museum as I noticed huge bathroom lines at the race I used the bathroom in the museum while I was there. Great idea. Even if you don’t park at the museum I’d recommend taking a warm-up jog or walk to the museum and using their bathroom as the lines were ridiculous at the porta-potties and even worse in the mall and there was literally no one using the ones in the museum of science. The start area was honestly just a mess. This is a huge race and the start area just didn’t seem to accommodate everyone. I don’t know what could be done to fix this other than having a tighter cap on runners. The half starts at 7 and it started on time but a bunch of runners started late due to issues with parking and bathroom lines. Again these weren’t issues for me since I utilized the Museum of Science instead for both. I can’t emphasize enough how much easier my morning was parking there. The 5K started at 7:20. The 5K wasn’t as large as the half with close to 1000 runners. The course was very nice. was essentially an out and back though it was out on one street and back on another so there was plenty of room. It was a well marked course and had 2 aid stations. There was perfect weather and it was a beautiful course along the Charles River with lovely views of the Boston skyline across the river. It was also pretty flat with about 40 feet of elevation gains that were just some inclines. It’s a fast course and I was happy to finish in under 36 minutes and I’m pretty sure it’s my fastest 5K in over a year. There is a medal for both distances with a smaller 5K medal. It’s kind of a plain medal but I’ve noticed most 5Ks around here don’t have any medals so I appreciated it. Post-race snacks were fine for a 5K with water bottle, banana and granola bar but would be disappointing for a half marathon. I had a nice time at this race and was happy to be able to get a 5K in this morning. I’d definitely do this race if I am on-call this weekend next year. However I’m not sure this would be my first choice half marathon this weekend if I had it off as it has a 3 hour time limit (although there were finishing times over 3 hours) and there are definitely races with easier parking logistics. Given the tight parking situation at Cambridgeside if you do this race either park very, very early or use the Museum of Science. If you are coming out of town I would try to stay at one of the hotels by the start. They are a bit pricey but would be much easier than trying to park and you can get to them from the airport by public transportation.
The worst half marathon production ever
I have been running races for about 12 years now, including 20+ half marathons, and the organization of that race was hands down the worst I've ever seen. The bag … MORE
I have been running races for about 12 years now, including 20+ half marathons, and the organization of that race was hands down the worst I’ve ever seen. The bag check alone would cause me to say this– we got in line 20 mins ahead of the start and still they managed to cause us to miss the start of the race. I should note that I have thyroid issues– my body temp plummets after the race and if I don’t get warm quickly I can end up shivering for hours. Not only were there no mylar sheets given out after the race, but there was another 20 min line to get my own warm layers. I also had to yell at some EMTs along the route that were not offering any assistance to a guy who had something seriously wrong with his knee– he was convinced he had to hop on one leg the 1.5 miles left in the race to get help. Then there was also promised port-a-potties at mile 11 that were just not there. Post race food was– a banana and a bottle of water. I will not be returning next year, despite living a 15 min bike ride from the start. They were playing with people’s health, and that’s just not ok.
Sunny Sunday, perfect for a PR
Flat course, some choke points. Not crowded, enough cheering. It was a beautiful Sunday, sunny, great views of the Charles and autumn leaves. MORE
Flat course, some choke points. Not crowded, enough cheering. It was a beautiful Sunday, sunny, great views of the Charles and autumn leaves.
But I want to be in the 50 yard line...
This race was a lot of fun I picked up a great long sleeve race shirt in blue with name of race on front and nothing on the back Thank … MORE
This race was a lot of fun I picked up a great long sleeve race shirt in blue with name of race on front and nothing on the back Thank you race sponsors for that On your bib you got three drink tickets and parking validation good for race day And four return trips yo the mall I was glad I allowed plenty of time on race day to get to the parking lot as it took 20 minutes to turn right They did need more pot a potties at the start of the race That would be my only complaint The race course was great It was flat the weather was perfect and you got a chance to see the highlights of Cambridge If you middle of the packer like me there were some sections when you were on the bike path where it was hard to pass but you couldn’t change that There was a great medal and the post celebration took two floors of the defunct sears store So you were inside after the race Great selection of drinks and food It was one of the better post race events They also went all out if you came as team So try and find 20 running buddies to do this race
I think it was the first one
Great race, good memories. I saw people wearing the jacket they gave out all over the place for years. Still have it in my closet. Look forward to running it … MORE
Great race, good memories. I saw people wearing the jacket they gave out all over the place for years. Still have it in my closet. Look forward to running it again.
1st 1/2 marathon in Cambridge
Very fast, good ambiance, great event. We love Cambridge MA. We look forward to the 2nd edition. Superb water stops and friendly crowd along the street of Harvard, Belmont and … MORE
Very fast, good ambiance, great event. We love Cambridge MA. We look forward to the 2nd edition. Superb water stops and friendly crowd along the street of Harvard, Belmont and Broadway.