The point-to-point, net downhill New England Green River Marathon course travels from Marlboro College in Vermont to the finish in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Though it's mostly downhill (net drop of 1.450'), the course does have some uphill sections. The road surface is mostly packed dirt-and-gravel with a few sections of pavement until mile 21, after that there are 5 miles of pavement at the end.
How does the New England Green River Marathon Rank?
The New England Green River Marathon was the 158th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 150th largest in 2022.
This year 17.5% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 20.3% of runners qualified for Boston in 2023.
This gives the New England Green River Marathon the 54th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 64th highest percentage so far in 2024.
Its Course Score of 101.71 ranks it as the 17th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 1st fastest course in Massachusetts.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are above the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the New England Green River Marathon a PR Score of 99.50. This PR Score ranks it as the 70th fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 2nd fastest in Massachusetts.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
New England Green River Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 1655 feet (504m) Min Elevation: 175 feet (53m)
Hotel & VRBO Accommodations for the New England Green River Marathon
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How Fast Can You Go?
If you ran the New England Green River Marathon in 4:15:00, what would your time in other marathons be?
See how your race times would compare on other marathon courses with our time conversion tool.
BC's review of 2024 New England Green River Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
Big PR day! Course is definitely fast AF. Couple hills at the end (one of which they call Heartbreak Hill) definitely beat me up a bit that late in the race, but overall you're cruising downhill or poppin over slow-rollers throughout most of it. The beginning is STEEP. I took others' advice and didn't push it on those descents which worked out well considering I passed ppl at the end who were complaining about shot quads. Stunning course, almost all in the shade (except the last few miles on pavement which was a grind... but always is post 22mi in a marathon). 100% recommend this race - either for a PR or just for enjoying the scenery.
Race Tips
See above - don't overdue it on those first steep downhills and bake in slower miles for the last couple hills.
Bill Elliott's review of 2023 New England Green River Marathon.
4 /
5 Stars
Review
Great marathon, well organized. Nice and small and quiet. Good logistics at the beginning and end. Peaceful terrain.
Race Tips
Not sure how you can prepare for the beginning of this marathon. It's a very sharp downhill and takes a toll on the quads trying to hold up. Just be aware that it starts with a fairly significant downhill that is not kind. When you do reach an uphill, it's a welcome one to have other muscles do the work.
Very few porta potties on the course. Water stops are frequent enough, but you should plan on bringing water for in between those stops.
EH's review of 2022 New England Green River Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
This is a fantastic course for spectators -- one of the best. I have taken the kids to watch their mom twice now. The scenery is spectacular, and we have enjoyed our trips immensely.
Race Tips
As a vehicle-borne spectator, it is best to do a little advanced route planning as the cell service is spotty and the roads sparse. Finding our way to the next vantage point has been one of the best (and most scenic) parts of each trip, but it is also a little nerve wracking, since it is possible to drive down tiny unpaved roads with no certainty of one's direction.
Arrive a bit early to check out the university / scenery. Pack your own coffee and food.
Stephanie's review of 2021 New England Green River Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
Gorgeous course, best volunteers, and an amazing event! Nice early start to beat the heat. Beautiful views of the river. One of the best!
Race Tips
Be prepared for the downhills! This is not an easy course. Your quads will feel it if you haven't trained on downhills, plus a few big up-hills in the 2nd half. Course description on their website is perfect. Not many spectators due to the nature of the course, so you can have time where you are running alone. But lots of water stops, and an awesome post race event!
Tons of parking at the finish, and shuttles to the start. Just be prepared that you have to be ready to get on the shuttle at 5am!! But super easy process. No stress!
CD's review of 2018 New England Green River Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
The people who organized this race on did an amazing job. They put so much time and effort into the race as a whole, as well as the website and contacting the runners and keeping us up to date in the months and weeks leading up to the big day.
The website has a section that describes the course, and the amount of detail is unreal. It goes into incredible detail about almost every mile of the course, including describing a sharp downhill section, when and where the path changes from packed dirt and gravel to pavement and vise-versa, where the hills are, how much of an incline each hill has, where to keep a close eye out for traffic, etc. It also has a wide variety of course maps, which I was really happy about. It’s a net-downhill race, which was big draw, but they made sure to mention that runners should take the three main hills very seriously (they were not kidding). I felt *extremely* prepared for this race just from reading the course description. The first 20 miles are shady and cool, as they run along a little road next to the Green River. The final 5 miles are a brutal dash to the finish on hot, unshaded pavement. I’m all fairness, the website did warn us about it, but dang are those last five miles hot and miserable!
One of the best things NEGRM did, which I have never seen before, was to name the aid stations in alphabetical order. Each station was named after a local animal, which was relevant to the course purpose and very cool. The names made it really easy to figure out how many stations were left during the run, as long as you could remember that the last station was K for Kestrel. This was SO HELPFUL. I wish every single race did this.
The volunteers at each station were so enthusiastic and kind and helpful, and the woman at the end handing out the medals was the happiest and most enthusiastic person in the entire world and she made me feel so proud to be crossing the finish that I wanted to cry a little. Every single person involved in this race was so clearly excited about it and heavily invested in making sure it was a wonderful experience, and they were 100% successful. I will absolutely be back to run this race again. I'm also glad that they want to keep this race pretty small (2018 was capped at 350 runners). If you want to run this course, keep an eagle eye out for sign ups because they will go FAST.
Race Tips
When they say there are legit hills, despite this being a net downhill course, they are not kidding. There are three major hills and they are not fun.
