Running Routes
Rendez Vous location
On Saturdays, our meeting point is at the Fairfield street footbridge. We typically start running westward along the Charles River and we usually split into small groups depending on pace (and/or distance). Most of us will run for about 1h-1h30min, and make it back to the start point (or at a coffee place nearby; the after-run meeting point is agreed upon at the start). There are multiple opportunities to cross the Charles River and close the loop, and each bridge corresponds to a different distance. The map above is our bridge-to-distance cheat sheet for some of the most popular routes.
5-mile Routes (~8 km)
Keep running west along the Charles and cross the river at the River Street bridge (loop, total distance: 4.7 mi / 7.6 km) or Western Avenue bridge (loop, total distance: 5.1 mi / 8.2 km). These are the first 2 bridges you’ll find after the wooden underpass beneath the BU Bridge. Once you are on the north bank of the river, keep running east-ward and cross the Charles again on Mass Ave (close to MIT), and then left until you get to the Fairfield street footbridge.
6-mile Routes (~10 km)
If you are planning a 6 mile run, you can cross the Charles river at the John Weeks footbridge on the Harvard Campus (loop, total distance: 5.8 mi / 9.3 km). Alternatively, you can cross at the following bridge, i.e., the Anderson Memorial bridge (loop, total distance: 6.3 mi / 10.1 km). Once you are on the north bank of the river, keep running east and cross the Charles again on Mass Ave (close to MIT), and then left until you get to the Fairfield street footbridge.
Eliot Bridge and back (7.8mi / 12.6 km)
A popular, slightly longer running route is getting to the Eliot bridge and back. The Eliot bridge is located near the Harvard Stadium and connects Allston and Cambridge. You can run on the south bank of the Charles river, cross the Eliot bridge and make your way back on the north bank of the river until Mass Ave. The total distance of this route is 7.8 miles (12.6 km).
Alternative loops
While on your way back to the Fairfield bridge, you can extend your run by continuing on the north bank of the river past Mass Avenue. By crossing the river at the Longfellow bridge (assuming you are then running back to the Fairfield footbridge), you can add about 2.4 mi (3.9 km) to the total distance. Alternatively, you can cross at the Charles River Dam (Science Museum), which means adding 3.4 mi (5.5 km). This opens up several possible combinations… Two examples:
– Fairfield > Eliot > Science Museum > Fairfield: 11.2 mi (~18 km)
– Fairfield > Mass Ave (northbound) > Longfellow > Fairfield: 3.1 mi (~5km)
Longer runs to Watertown and Waltham
Running routes do NOT stop at the Eliot bridge: the Charles River running/bike path keeps going! You can continue west (for longer runs) towards Watertown, Waltham and Newton. For more info, please have a look at the wiki page.