EVENTS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 8-9am — HARVARD FRESHMAN PARENTS WEEKEND CAMPUS JOGGING TOUR
This is open to everyone, not just freshmen and parents. Chris Guenard '12 (Cabot House), Taylor Shimberg '12 (Winthrop House) and Molly Siegel '10 (Quincy House) will lead this event. HUPD will likely be on hand too. We'll take the parents on a nice, leisurely jog at this peaceful, early morning hour, passing by most of the Harvard Houses (River and Quad), the athletic facilities, and at least 3 of the graduate schools. We'll start and finish at the John Harvard statue in the Yard, and we'll cover less than 4 miles in about 50 minutes. To see the approximate route, click here. Again, all are welcome, so please come join us!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1pm — HARVARD COLLEGE ALLIANCE FOR AFRICA 5K
The run will start and finish in the field area at the corner of JFK St. and Memorial Drive (by the river). The course will follow the bike path that runs along Memorial Drive upstream in the direction of Arsenal Bridge. This is an out-and-back 5K. All proceeds from the race go directly to support HCAA's programs in Africa. Registration fee is $10 with HUID, $15 for others, and includes a t-shirt. To register and for additional information, please click here.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 9am — 5K FOR PBHA
Come support our very own Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA)! The run will start and finish at Weeks Footbridge. There's no registration fee, but you can get an awesome PBHA t-shirt if you raise or donate just $50 to benefit PBHA's over 80 social service and social action programs. For more details and to set up a fundraising page, click here. Oh, PBHA will provide refreshments for everyone after the run, too!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 10:50am — BOSTON MAYOR'S CUP RACE (5K/8K, FRANKLIN PARK)
This is a big, fun race in Boston that's open to everyone! In previous years, Harvard runners have done this in groups. There's a 5K "open run" as well as two championship runs (5K for women, 8K for men). For more information, click here.

RANDOM LOCAL RUNS AND RACES
The Somerville Road Runners group maintains a great calendar showing area races and runs.

WEDNESDAYS or THURSDAYS 5:30pm — TRACK/INTERVAL WORKOUTS
Inviting others to do a track workout with you is a great way to meet other runners, even if you run at different paces for your workouts. Harvard's Gordon Indoor Track is open for general recreational use Monday-Friday 6:30-10:30pm. As an added bonus, Harvard's head track/XC coach has generously allowed HCMC to use the track starting at 5:30pm (not earlier) on Wednesdays and Thursdays, assuming the varsity team has finished practice by then (they almost always do). So, at least on those two days, you can finish a track workout in plenty of time to get back for dinner. If you have no idea how to do a track workout, it's simple! Just pick a workout from the "Key Workout Run #1" columns either here (for first-time marathoners) or here (for veteran marathoners). Each lap around Gordon Indoor Track is about 200m (1/8 mile). [Please understand that the Harvard Athletic Department may, at times, schedule special events that preclude our using the track. In general, though, Gordon should be available during the aforementioned times.]

MONDAY-FRIDAY 7am-2pm & 6:30-10:30pm, SATURDAY 8am-8pm, SUNDAY 8am-10pm — GORDON INDOOR TRACK
Gordon Indoor Track is available for you to use during these times, which are subject to change. You may be turned away if another event is going on when you arrive. Please note that there are many outdoor tracks nearby (Harvard, MIT, BU, Danehy Park, etc.)

EVERY SATURDAY, 10am — FRESH POND RESERVOIR "RACE"
This fun, organized, non-Harvard run starts at 10am every Saturday, rain or shine. It's FREE, FLAT, NEARBY, and requires NO pre-registration — just show up and run at your own pace, for either 2.5 miles (one loop around the reservoir) or 5 miles (two loops)! The start/finish line is in back of the giant water treatment plant (brick building/slate roof) on Fresh Pond Parkway, adjacent to the reservoir, at the far end of the parking lot. That's a mere 1.8 miles from Harvard Yard, 1.6 miles from Weld Boathouse, and embarrassingly close to the Quad. Lots of people bike there and back, or you can take the #72, 74, 75, or 78 bus. To see a map that'll take you from Harvard Yard past the Quad to the starting line via Concord Avenue, click here. To get to the starting line from Weld Boathouse — the shortest route from the river houses — click here. And remember, the top 5 female and male finishers each week get their names published in the Boston Sunday Globe!

EVERY WEDNESDAY 7am AND SUNDAY 8am — TUFTS PMC TRAINING RUNS
The Tufts Presidents Marathon Challenge has over 200 runners. The Tufts program was the brainchild of Tufts president (and Harvard Law School graduate) Larry Bacow, who often goes on these morning training runs and who himself has run the Boston Marathon repeatedly with his group. Don Megerle, who coordinates the Tufts marathon program, welcomes us on these runs. They start and end on the sidewalk outside Cousens Gymnasium, 161 College Avenue, in Medford. Cousens is a 2.6-mile run from Harvard (here's the map). The Tufts run itself can be anywhere between 5-11 miles (you choose). Bring a CharlieCard or subway/bus fare, because folks often like to take public transportation back to Harvard. The Davis Square subway stop (Red Line) is only 1 mile from Cousens, and the #96 bus provides door-to-door service between Tufts and Harvard (it stops about 1 block from Cousens). So, you can take public transportation either part of the way, or all the way, to/from Harvard/Tufts.

SATURDAYS or SUNDAYS (academic year only) — WELLESLEY RUNS
You can run the last half of the Boston Marathon route — all or part of it — on any weekend when Wellesley College is in session! The Wellesley Senate Bus runs on weekends during the academic year (excluding holidays and breaks). It is a Peter Pan bus (green and white) that leaves Harvard's Johnson Gate hourly and promptly, every xx:40, and it takes approximately 50-55 minutes to get to Wellesley College. There are restrooms on the bus and at Wellesley's student center. You can then run 14 miles along the Marathon route from Wellesley to the Finish Line at Copley Place, or you can run just 9.5 miles to the Reservoir T station, where you can take the #86 bus or the Green Line ("D" line) back to Harvard . . . or you can even run a bit less and take the Green Line back from Boston College ("B" line). If you want to run even less, you can disembark the Wellesley Senate Bus at the Woodland T station, which is also on the Marathon route but 4 miles closer to Boston, and start running from there. Regardless of which option you choose, you'll experience all of the famous Boston Marathon hills, including Heartbreak Hill. For many, this is an essential part of their Boston Marathon training! If you're unfamiliar with the Boston Marathon route, you might want to go with somebody, and you should definitely print and bring a cue sheet. Tickets for the Wellesley Senate Bus cost $4 and are available from Out of Town News in Harvard Square; you must purchase a ticket in advance but can do this anytime, because tickets don't expire. You should also bring subway/bus fare plus cash or credit card to buy a beverage at the end. This is a really sweet run!

OTHER DISTANCE RUNS
For longer runs, there are several really nice distance routes that are easily accessible from Harvard. These runs, which do not require public transportation, will take you out to very cool places such as (a) the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a.k.a. "The Fells" (which is all marked dirt trails/woods, including a hill with a great view of Boston); (b) the Boston Harborwalk (waterfront boardwalks/sidewalks); and (c) the Minuteman Trail (an old rail bed, newly paved with asphalt). If you want to do one of these runs but don't know the route, just ask on the listserv. Someone who's done it before might be really happy to accompany you (or get lost with you)!

  Questions? E-mail marathon@harvard.edu
  ©2009 President and Fellows of Harvard College