Blue Hills Trail Races – Discontinued
With regret, we have decided to discontinue the Blue Hills Trail Races, which we had hoped to resume this coming April after the COVID-related cancellations in 2020 and 2021.
The main reason for reaching this decision is the lack of sufficient parking at our race site, next to the Trailside Museum on Route 138. The Route 138 parking area (including the lots both north and south of the Museum) is the principal public access to the Great Blue Hill section of the Blue Hills Reservation. Ever since we started the Blue Hills Trail Races in 2006, parking has always been “tight,” and is the reason we had to limit race registration to 250 entrants.
The parking issue has become more serious in recent years, for the best of reasons. The Reservation’s popularity has increased, as more and more people in the Boston area have experienced the Reservation’s outstanding natural and recreational resources. Public use has surged much more since the COVID pandemic began in 2020.
As a result of the increase in public use, we don’t think that there would be enough parking for our participants, if we were to resume the Blue Hills Trail Races in 2022. Therefore, we have concluded that we should discontinue the event. Looking ahead to 2023, we’ll explore other options to hold a springtime race at a nearby location with sufficient parking. We have ideas, so…stay tuned!
Please note that the Houghton’s Pond Trail Races WILL continue to be held, with the 2022 event tentatively scheduled for October 2nd. The Houghton’s Pond parking lots are much larger than those at the Trailside Museum, so we don’t face the same issue at Houghton’s Pond, even with the increased public usage in recent years.
John Goldrosen, Colonial Road Runners
Race Director
PAST RACE RESULTS
2021 Race Not Held
2020 Race Not Held
