Starting and finishing at the Tsongas Center, the Baystate Marathon is a double loop of a fast, flat course. The fast course, lots of competition, and favorable running temperatures make it a great choice for a New England Fall Marathon.
The Baystate Marathon was the 79th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 68th largest in 2022.
Last year 24.7% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 26.7% of runners qualified for Boston in 2022.
This gives the Baystate Marathon the 26th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 25th highest percentage in 2022.
Its Course Score of 98.92 ranks it as the 211th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 9th fastest course in Massachusetts.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are within the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Baystate Marathon a PR Score of 98.92. This PR Score ranks it as the 156th fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 7th fastest in Massachusetts.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Baystate Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 143 feet (43m) Min Elevation: 75 feet (22m)
This was my 2nd marathon, with the nearby Gate City Marathon in Nashua, NH being my other. The race was very pleasant in every way. I was able to grab my bib easily at the expo the day before, they gave us a really nice long sleeve shirt that will come in handy in the winter months. The start was easy to navigate with plenty of portapotties. There was a bag drop with a super quick pick up at the end. The water stations were plentiful and all had gatorade (I never felt like I needed water between stops with weather in the mid-40s). The post race area was pleasant and festive.
Admittedly this is nitpicking in my book, but it would be lovely if there were more pacers. The pacers were from 3 hrs to 4 hrs in 10 min increments. 3:55 would have been ideal, but had to choose between 3:50 and 4.
I'd say the only downside is the race does loop, but it didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would. It's a big loop and doesn't completely repeat the whole race, so something like the last 4 or 5 miles are new to you. Plus, the final 1/3 or so is the prettier part of the course (the far side of the river).
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There was great crowd support, and not just at the start/finish.
Race Tips
Don't know if this would apply all years, but there were strong winds this year and the direction they came in meant that there were headwinds when heading out from the Tsongas Arena and were tailwinds on the way back. This meant having tailwinds for the final 1/3 or so.
There are less crowded portapotties in the back of the starting area (follow the start line straight back). Also, take care of that business at least 30 mins before the start. It was SHOCKING how slowly the lines moved ~20 mins prior to start. People start really gathering in the start area 15 mins before the gun.
There were two water stations (actually the same one 2x) with Gu (vanilla w/ caffeine)
I arrived 70 mins early and the market st garage had a line going well out into the street. Wound up grabbing st parking instead right in front of the garage (free parking on Sunday)
Rick from VT's review of 2018 Baystate Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
Baystate's tag line "For Runners, by Runners" is spot on. This event is put on with utilitarian precision--everything you need and nothing you don't. The expo provided easy bib and shirt pickup. One note about the shirts--you are not guaranteed the shirt size you signed up for when registering. They seemed to have plenty though. They let me try on the shirt I "ordered" to see if it fit the way I wanted (it did), but they were willing to let me trade for a different size if I wanted to. The expo had a modest number of vendors and not many "freebie" items you might find at bigger events.
The start/finish area had a good number of porta-potties and the lobby area of the Tsongas area was open for morning bib pickup, inside plumbing, and warm/dry space to wait (morning temps in low 40s with threat of rain in 2018). Longer lines inside than outside until just before race time. For my last pit stop at 7:30 (outside) I waited about 10-12 min in line. The bag drop was very convenient to start line and was well run. Runners were self-seeded with pace-groups and general pace signs. It did not seem hard to get to the spot you wanted. I was planning for a 7:25/mi pace (<3:15) and I did notice that the 3:20 pace group was ahead of me for the first few miles (running 7:19/mi), but they dropped back by mile 3 or so. Other pace groups seemed more accurate from what I could tell (the 3:10 group was consistently a few minutes ahead on the road).
The course is flat and the event attracts a fast field. A number of runners (and clubs) come here to qualify for Boston. Very helpful for PR / BQ times (if that's your goal) as you'll have plenty of people to run with. This is a big focus of Baystate as they give out special key chains (in addition to finisher medal) for BQ and PR times. Bag pickup after the race was equally convenient. The timing tent had cash register-like printers so you could get a receipt with your splits and final time (about a 10-15 minute delay after you finish for the times to update). The rest of the post-race venue had good food (hot soup!), plenty of drinks, etc., but was not otherwise remarkable. All the volunteers I met were VERY friendly and helpful.
Nothing about this event is bad for slower or first time marathon runners. The same good organization and course helps everyone. But you won't find throngs of cheering fans or rock bands every mile to motivate you. It is spectator friendly if someone wants to see you run or hand you a bottle at some point--seemed common for some of the running clubs. I finished with a PR and BQ, and I think this event is designed to facilitate that for runners. Baystate met ALL my hopes and expectations.
Race Tips
I liked the double loop course and thought it helped with pacing and a fast time--that's a personal preference I suppose. Plenty of water / Gatorade stations that were run by local school track teams--they did a great job. Mile 7/17 station also had vanilla GU (w/ caffeine). The course was well-marked and had only a few turns. I thought it was very flat for New England (440' of total elevation gain over 26 miles from some rolling hills (mostly miles 3-8, 13-18 going out to Tyngsborough, and one little bit toward end), but nothing long or steep. The course is mostly "city" but did have some views of the river and bridges. I didn't really notice or care about the scenery; others might. The road surface was very good overall, but there were a few places with some minor pot holes to watch out for (mostly in Lowell itself). In some areas the entire road or lane was closed, but in other areas the course runs on the shoulder + a bit into the lane (marked off with cones). It only got "narrow" out toward the Tyngsboro bridge and not for very long. I never felt boxed in or unsafe due to traffic. An even pacing strategy seems matched to the course, but that too is a personal preference. I ran about 90 second positive splits (first half/second half), which I felt was very close to perfect for me as a runner.
I stayed at the Motel 6 i Tewksbury--cheap and utilitarian again! IHOP right there for pre-race dinner. It's NOT at all scenic or nice (right near Home Depot and Walmart), but I didn't feel unsafe nor was it noisy. Parking lot was well lit. It was about 12-15 min drive to the start.
I arrived at about 6:15 and driving/navigating in the dark was slightly harder than I expected (I don't know the area at all). One of the roads (French St?) was closed for the event so I ended up parking at the Joseph Downes Garage (7-8 min walk to Tsongas Center) rather than the closer (to the start) George Ayotte Garage. It ended up being better for leaving after the event though, so I'd actually recommend it. Flat fee of $5 for parking seemed fair. Free on street parking was probably available, but I didn't want the trouble of looking or worry of being wrong. I brought a yoga mat and spent time inside the area stretching, snacking and relaxing before packing up my drop bag and heading out to start around 7:30. You could probably arrive around 7 or 7:15 and still have plenty of time if that suits you.
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