MASS Gathering Memorial Day Races

Course highlights

Runners in the half marathon — like those in the other races — will follow an out-and-back loop course that starts and finishes near Ski Butternut, a ski resort just outside of Great Barrington’s downtown area. Hosted in conjunction with the Mass Gathering Music Festival, the Memorial Day Races provide runners and music fans a chance to partake in both throughout the weekend, especially as Saturday runners receive admission to Mass Gathering that day.

From Ski Butternut, half marathoners take off west on State Road toward the downtown area of Great Barrington. Around mile 2, the course veers north onto Stockbridge Road and continues north for the next mile and a half before turning left onto Park Street and left again onto Division Street.

By the time runners turn onto Alford Road and pass the outskirts of Bard College at Simon’s Rock, the course is already halfway through, and the last half of the course consists of running through downtown Great Barrington and back toward Ski Butternut, retracing the first two miles as the last two miles.

Along the way, runners will be able to see much of what makes this area such a scenic treasure, from the tree-covered hills and mountains in the distance to the meadows and farmland that add to the beauty of the Berkshires.