Charles River Marathon & 5K

The Charles River Marathon is a flat, fast BQ-eligible course and the kickoff event for Boston RunFest, a partnership between RACE Cancer Foundation and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation to bring a full day of charitable running events to Boston’s Herter Park. Over 47% of finishers in the 2017 Charles River Marathon qualified for the Boston Marathon!

The day starts with the Charles River Marathon and continues into the evening with the Starry Night 5K. The marathon course is USATF-certified and thus eligible as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. 100% of the proceeds of these events benefit RACE Cancer Foundation and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

Charles River Marathon – 7:00am, capped at 250 runners
The marathon course is a flat 2.62 mile loop on paved paths around Boston’s scenic Charles River, starting and finishing at the DCR’s Herter Park in Boston, MA. Marathon runners will complete ten laps (26.2 miles) of the course. The marathon will be held on a USATF-certified course, eligible as a qualifier for the 2019 Boston Marathon.

For 2019 we’ve eliminated the half marathon to allow more marathon participants.

Starry Night 5K – 5:30 pm, capped at 400 runners
The Starry Night 5K is held on the same loop as the marathon, and follows the same course as our Summer Series. The event, which includes a walk and post-race lantern lighting ceremony, is produced by and for the benefit of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.