MAY 3, 2026 - CHARLES RIVER MARATHON

HERTER PARK, BOSTON, MA

REGISTRATION OPENS DEC 2025

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Overview

// 2025 RESULTS & PICS //

Join us for CRM2026. our 10th annual Charles River Marathon! CRM is held on a flat, fast BQ-eligible course, attracting runners from across the United States and overseas to Boston's beautiful Herter Park. Over 49% of our 2022 finishers qualified for the 2023 and 2024 Boston Marathons!

The race is comprised of ten laps on a flat, fast 2.6 mile loop on paved paths around Boston's scenic Charles River, starting and finishing at the DCR’s Herter Park in Boston, MA. Our course is USATF-certified (MA23005JK), and eligible as a qualifier for the 2027 Boston Marathon.

Cost & Perks

COST:
This is a fundraiser event for @racecancer, and all participants will receive a personal fundraising page. For each entry, there is a race entry fee plus a $50 fundraising requirement. The fundraising minimum can be satisfied via a donation during the registration process.

Marathon Entry Fee:
$60 until Jan 1
$70 in January
$80 in February
$90 in March
$150 in April (No fundraising required)
$160 (No fundraising required)

$50 fundraising requirement: (waived for entrants after April 30)
Additionally, each entrant should raise at least $50 via their personal fundraising page (created at registration) by March 31st. Entrants may add a donation during the registration process to apply towards their fundraising requirement, or make the donation on their own fundraising page.

PERKS:
Race entry includes a finisher’s medal, an embroidered hat, and a CRM shirt.

Entry fees are non-refundable. Failure to meet the fundraising minimum by the deadline forfeits your race entry.

Number Pick-up & Schedule

NUMBER PICK-UP :

You can pick up your race bib and swag either Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning.

Marathon entrants: you must show your photo ID to get your bib.

*** TENTATIVE ***
Saturday, May 2nd: 1:00PM to 4:00PM - Studio Allston Hotel, across the street from start/finish
1234 Soldiers Field Road, Boston, MA 02135

Sunday, May 3rd: 6:30AM to 7:30AM - Registration tents at start/finish area
1175 Soldiers Field Road, Boston, MA
If you are picking up on Sunday, please arrive by 7:15AM at the latest!

RACE DAY SCHEDULE:

6:30 am – Check-in opens
7:00 am - BYOB station opens (just past start line)
7:30 am - Check-in closes
7:50 am - Start-line staging and pre-race announcements
8:00 am - START (Marathon)
11:30 am – Awards Ceremony at Start/Finish – Overall Winners (top 3 women & men)
12:30 pm – Awards Ceremony at Start/Finish – Age Group Winners (1st place)
12:30 pm - Time limit for runners age 59 and under
1:00 pm - Time limit for runners age 60+

Course & Hydration/Nutrition

COURSE

The marathon course is USATF certified (certificate #MA23005JK) and thus eligible as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. The race is comprised of ten laps of a 2.6 mile course. The course is primarily flat, running along the river. There's a short (about 50 feet long) climb with a sharp left to cross the Eliot Bridge, which feels steep later in the race. Other than that, it's flat and crazy fast.

We will have portable toilets on the course at H2O-2 and H2O-3, as well as at the start/finish line. There are also portable toilets along the path near the Northeastern University Boat House as well as near Charles River Canoe and Kayak.

2023-2024 course // 2022 (detoured) course // 2017-2021 course // 2017-2021 course preview video

Self-Serve BYOB Station: There will be a self-serve bring-your-own-bottle station (four tables) near the start line on the left. We'll have tape and sharpies to mark your bottle with your bib# and last name. We'll also have some colored tape to help you further identify your bottle from others. If possible, place just one bottle on the table; you can have someone else refill it or replace it with a full bottle during the race. You may place two bottles if they're small (less than 20oz). If you place more than two bottles, they will ALL be removed.

During the race, grab it and go--no need to stop, because you can drop the bottle in one of our two drop zones which will be marked with signage further (~100 & ~200 meters) down the course. Volunteers will return all bottles to the table so it's there for your next lap.

Save yourself some time by labeling your bottle with your last name and bib number before you arrive.

BODYARMOR Hydration Stations: There will be three BODYARMOR Hydration Stations on the 2.6 mile loop: two along Greenough Boulevard, and one at the start/finish line. The station at the start/finish line will have BODYARMOR Orange Mango sports drink and spring water. The stations on the Greenough Boulevard side of the course (H2O-2 & H2O-3 on map) will have BODYARMOR Orange Mango sports drink, as well as spring water.

GU Energy: Starting at 8:30AM, H2O-2 will have Gu Energy Gels - VANILLA, and H2O-3 will have Gu Energy Gels - COLA. Starting at 9:00AM, H2O-1 will have Gu Liquid Energy COLA.

Awards & Rules

MARATHON AWARDS:
Top 3 overall (women & men)
Age group awards (women & men): 18-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60+.
Overall awards are based on gun time. AG awards are based on chip (net) time. Prizes can only be claimed at the awards ceremony.

MARATHON RULES:

Time limits: Due to permitting restrictions and volunteer constraints, CRM has a time limit of 4 hours and 30 minutes for runners age 59 and younger. For runners 60 and older, the time limit is extended to 5 hours. Any runner completing the race before the finish line closes (~1:10PM) but after their time limit will display in results with "time cut" as their finishing place.

Dogs and strollers: Sorry, while dogs and strollers are typically welcome in our events, we can’t allow either in this event.

Headphones: For safety reasons, we strongly discourage the use of in-ear and over-ear headphones at CRM. We too love running and riding with music, and encourage you to check out open ear (aka bone conduction) headphones.

Pacing: We acknowledge that recruiting friends to help pace you during a marathon is common practice, and especially tempting on a ten lap course. We’ve capped the field size for safety reasons due to narrow paths, especially along the bridges. We may have pace groups if there’s enough demand. If you want someone to pace you, they must be an official entrant or you risk disqualification. For more info, refer to USATF rule 144 (page 58.) Since most runners will be chasing a BQ at this event, we expect there will be a USATF official in attendance.

Pacers

We expect to have pace leaders for the following groups, aiming for a finishing time 30-60 seconds faster than the 2026 BQ times listed below. Some groups are harder to fill than others and we can't guarantee coverage for every group for the entire race. If you know someone who can help, please direct them to our pacer sign up page.

Pacing: We acknowledge that recruiting friends to help pace you during a marathon is common practice, and especially tempting on a ten lap course. We’ve capped the field size for safety reasons due to narrow paths, especially along the bridges. If you want someone to pace you, they must be running as an official entrant or registered pacer, or you risk disqualification. Our pacers are capped at seven laps. No pacer is authorized to run more than seven laps. For more info, refer to USATF rule 144 (page 58.) Since most runners will be chasing a BQ at this event, a USATF official will be in attendance.

Volunteers

We love our volunteers!
This race would not be possible without the generous support of over 30 volunteers. If you're running, please thank them! If you'd like to volunteer, THANK YOU! Please sign up here.

Volunteer roles and responsibilities typically go something like this:

Registration

Registration volunteers assist with setting up the registration area, which includes tables, signs, bib numbers, safety pins, pens, and race swag items which may includes t-shirts or other wearables. As runners arrive, volunteers will help runners retrieve their number from a list, get their bib number, distribute safety pins, and distribute appropriate swag items. After registration is complete, volunteers will clean up any remaining items and store them until they can be returned to the truck. Tables used for registration are often used for the post race party, and often re-arranged rather than put away.

Bag Check

Volunteers will help with checking in runners bags in the Bag Check area. Before the race, volunteers will help set up a secure area that is large enough to arrange many bags. Materials needed include bag tags, markers, and trash bags. Runners will be given a tag to write their bib number on which should be attached to their bag. Bag Check volunteers will take the bags and arrange them numerically so they can be easily found when the runners return. The bag check area must always be attended and secure.

Course Marshals

Course Marshals assist with setting up the signage and cones along the course before the race. During the race, course marshals direct the runners along the correct course and ensure the safety of the runners by alerting other walkers, cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. After the race is complete, course marshals help clean up the signage, cones and any other materials along the race course.

Water Stations

Water Station volunteers assist with setting up the water stations along the course before the race starts. Water stations are equipped with tables, paper cups, gloves, water, and trash bags. Water should be pre-poured into cups (half-filled) before the runners arrive. Some volunteers should hold out half-filled cups and offer them to runners as they pass as others fill additional cups. After the last runners have passed, volunteers should clean up all cups and place them in garbage bags. All materials should be broken down and returned to the Start/Finish area.

Start/Finish Crew

Volunteers assigned to the start/finish area will assist with setting up the start/finish line banners, signage, cones and other materials. Volunteers will help runners line up for the race and ensure the race starts smoothly (with the assistance of the race director and staff). When the first male and female runner finishes, volunteers will hold a finish line tape for the runner to run through. After the race, volunteers will help clean up the start/finish area and load race equipment and materials into a truck.