Bay State Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Baystate Marathon is a road marathon in Lowell, Massachusetts, held in October by the Greater Lowell Road Runners under the motto "For Runners - By Runners". It was first run in 1990, and the organisers say it is one of the few remaining marathons put on entirely by volunteers rather than a for-profit company. A half marathon and a half-marathon relay start at the same time as the marathon, at 8:00 a.m. The marathon is a double-loop course that starts in front of the Tsongas Center, heads west along Father Morissette Boulevard, which becomes Pawtucket Street and then Middlesex Street, and continues out to Tyngsboro. Along the way it crosses the Rourke Bridge, the Tyngsboro Bridge and the Aiken Street Bridge, and passes the University Avenue (Textile) Bridge, where the canal empties into the Merrimack River. After the second loop the runners finish back at the Tsongas Center. The organisers describe a gradual hill near mile 2 as one of the few on the course, with a mild climb of about a quarter mile near mile 24. The race was set up to give runners a fast course on which to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and the course is USATF-certified. The minimum age is 16 for the marathon.