CRM Invitational - RACE Cancer Foundation

SEP 13, 2026 - CRM INVITATIONAL

HERTER PARK, BOSTON, MA

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

Day

Hour

Minute

Second

2025 CRMI RESULTS HERE

RUNNER SIGN-UP

VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP

PACER APPLICATION

Overview

2026 RESULTS

The 2nd annual Charles River Marathon Invitational (CRMI) is held on the same course as the Charles River Marathons, but geared towards runners who've completed a marathon within 20 minutes of their BQ time since Jan 1, 2024. We will also offer a limited number of time-waived entries for fundraiser runners. This flat, fast, certified course attracts runners from across the United States and overseas to Boston's beautiful Herter Park. Over 73% of our 2025 finishers qualified for the 2026 Boston Marathon!

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 Boston Marathon.

Cost & Perks

COST:
The CRMI entry fee reflects the charitable focus of the event, and its small field of entrants (capped at 200.)

Sign up opens Monday March 30, 2026 at 5PM EST

BQ+20 RUNNERS: (no fundraising req'd; must meet eligibility requirement)
$250 through April 15
$275 April 16-May 31
$325 June 1-30
$400 July 1-Aug 30
$500 Sep 1-12

FUNDRAISER RUNNERS: (time-waived, $1,000 fundraising requirement*)
$75 through May 31
$100 June 1-30
$125 July 1-July 31

*All fundraiser entrants must create a personal fundraising page at givebutter.com/crmi and raise at least $100 within 10 days of registration, and $1,000 by August 15th.

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.

BQ+20 Eligibility

BQ+20 ENTRY:

In order to participate in CRM Invitational, you must have completed a USATF certified (or foreign equivalent) marathon since Jan. 1, 2024, with a finish time within 20 minutes (20:00) of your 2027 Boston Marathon Qualifying Time. The BQ+20 result is subject to review and verification. Only a certified full marathon distance will be accepted for eligibility. Times from indoor marathons or virtual marathons are not accepted for eligibility purposes.

FUNDRAISER ENTRY:
A limited number of time-waived entries will be available to runners who commit to fundraising for charity.

Time-Waived Fundraiser Entry

FUNDRAISER ENTRY:
A limited number of time-waived entries will be available to runners who commit to fundraising at least $1,000 for RACE Cancer Foundation. After registering as a fundraiser, you will receive an email with instructions on creating your fundraising page. All time-waived fundraiser entrants should raise at least $1,000 on their CRMI fundraising page by August 15th, 2026, or forfeit their entry into CRMI.

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.

Saturday, Sep 12th: 1:00PM to 4:00PM - Studio Allston Hotel
1234 Soldiers Field Road, Boston, MA

Sunday, Sep 13th: 5:45AM to 6:30AM - Registration tents at start/finish area
1175 Soldiers Field Road, Boston, MA
If you are picking up on Sunday, please arrive by 6:15AM!

RACE DAY SCHEDULE:

5:45 am – Check-in opens
6:00 am - BYOB station opens (just past start line)
6:30 am - Check-in closes
6:50 am - Start-line staging and pre-race announcements
7:00 am - START (Marathon)
10:30 am – Awards Ceremony at Start/Finish – Overall Winners (top 3 women & men)
11:30 am – Awards Ceremony at Start/Finish – Age Group Winners (1st place)
11:30 am - Time limit for runners age 59 and under
12:00 pm - Time limit for runners age 60+

Course & Hydration/Nutrition

COURSE

View interactive course map here.

The marathon course is USATF certified (2026 certificate #pending) and thus eligible as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. The race is comprised of a .31 mile opening loop near the start/finish, followed by ten laps of a 2.59 mile course. The course is primarily flat, running along the river. There's a short (about 50 feet long, 20' elevation gain) climb with a sharp left to cross the Eliot Bridge, which will start feeling 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 near 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.

2023-2025 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.

Hydration Stations: There will be three 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 Powerade sports drink and spring water. The stations on the Greenough Boulevard side of the course (H2O-2 & H2O-3 on map) will have Powerade sports drink, as well as spring water.

GU Energy: Starting at 7:30AM, H2O-2 will have Gu Energy Gels - VANILLA, and H2O-3 will have Gu Energy Gels - COLA. Starting at 8:00AM, H2O-1 will have Gu Liquid Energy COLA.

Awards & Rules

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 but after their time limit will display in results with "time cut" as their finishing place.

No dogs or strollers:
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 do not allow the use of in-ear and over-ear headphones at CRMI. 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 are recruiting pace leaders for the following groups, aiming for a finishing time slightly more than five minutes faster than the 2027 Boston Marathon Qualifying Standards. 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. Pacers are expected to run 5 or 10 laps at an even, consistent race and aim to finish within a 30-second window faster than their assigned pace group goal time. Pacers who run the full race and meet this standard will receive a $50 cash stipend and an official finishing time. Pacers who run 5 laps and meet this standard will receive a $20 cash stipend. All pacers will receive an exclusive @racecancer pacer shirt and hat. 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. 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!

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.