Let’s Run Summer Race Series

I have been to quite a few races in this area and this may be one of my favorite race series. I can’t rank it actually very high because I felt like the race was made by the people at the post-​race party than the actual committee that puts the races on.
There are quite a few downsides for me.
— The races always start at 6:30pm and are in a location that is difficult to get to quickly if you don’t have a bike or car or work in the city.
–The races are EXTREMELY crowded, they may oversell these significantly.
— The timing is not done when you cross the start line and then finish at the end. That being said if you’re trying to avoid the crowds at the narrow start line, your time comes out worst. If you’re a fast runner, no problem.
— I agree with people the food is generally cold and can be a bit bland.
— There is no shirts included with the race price and for the fee, I’m not sure is worth it.
Upsides:
— Gorgeous course
— Bands are decent, Beer is plenty and Friends are always rowdy to cheer you on.
That all being said, I am doing a couple of these races this year to hang with friends but I probably would never commit to the whole series.

I’ve been running the Let’s Run Series for the last four or five years, until now. This company is run by an extremely rude person, and to top that off it is almost entirely for profit (they kick a small percentage of race proceeds to the VFW that hosts the summer runs).
There are tons of races in the cities of Boston and Cambridge that are organized by positive organizations, who not only raise money for local charities, but do not treat the paying racers like *@&#.

Not sure what all the fuss is about. But, I have been doing these for two summers now and its always a good time.
Sure, there are plently of other runs around the Boston area. But how many give you a BBQ, a great Band, free harpoon till it runs out, and a fun run?! Not to many.
The start might be a little congested, but this is a fun run. Don’t expect to run a PR, but instead come down for a good run, run it hard and enjoy the entertainment afterwards.
I have done several 5K’s and not very many offer food and beverages afterwards. Instead you usually get a water and a few sample size nutrition bars. Maybe a banana.
People are always going to complain. If we complain enough maybe we will get what all the others seem to want. A run, water, and Bananas. Sounds great…
If you want a fun run, a good band, post-​race BBQ with real food, and a few beers all for 27.00 then this is the place for you.
So far I have very much enjoyed these runs. Along with the two clubs I run with.

My boyfriend and I were really looking forward to the whole summer series this year, so I signed us up for the first two to check it out. Charles river 5k and free bbq+beer afterwards– heck yeah! Guess I should’ve checked Unilocal first!
This race is definitely intended to be a fun run, which is fine. However, this is hands down one of the worst organized races I’ve ever ran.
At the May 2012 race, NO ONE knew where the start was and when the race would start (since the race time was already delayed 15+ minutes). It wasn’t until some people started slowly running did people realize the race had started, and the start line was further down the river than where the crowd was waiting. There was no indication, horn, anything that the race had started. We were a lost herd of cows.
Once running, the course was crowded for the first 1 – 2 miles (I ended up in the middle of the pack when I started running), but it was the normal pretty Charles river trail, so after weaving in and out, I had a nice run for the last mile.
The finish line can also be a nightmare. If you can, try and finish quickly (should be safe under 25 minutes). A couple minutes after we finished, my boyfriend and I noticed that people had to stop running 20 – 50 feet before the finish line and slowly shuffle through the narrow lanes to the finish.
The food was cold and chicken burnt, but people looked like they were enjoying the beer! Like I said, depends on what you are looking for in a race, but overall, my boyfriend and I were extremely disappointed. It’s not for us, but given how it quickly sells out, there are people enjoying this.
One thing to note: The course changed this year due to construction on another bridge, so maybe the remaining summer races will have the start and finish areas worked out although I won’t be around to check it out.

I love these fun run nights.
Every time this race series opens up, I buy all 5. It’s $ 27 a race. For that you get a little exercise on a summer night, a couple of free Harpoon beers, some bbq chicken and live music. Don’t come with super high expectations and you are guaranteed to have a pretty fun night. That’s also a bit of advice to apply to life in general. You’re welcome.
Could it be better? Sure. I don’t eat meat, so I always leave starved. I wish they’d throw a veggie burger on the grill, but whatever — no big deal. I’ll grab some sides or eat when I get home. I also think that allowing us to grab only one beer at a time compounds the crowd/​line situation at the kegs. Hello organizers, let people grab two and they’ll grab one for themselves and one for a friend so now TWO people don’t have to stand in line.
Also, the actual run is really crowded. I heard people at the last run talking about PRs and actual mileage (since it was changed due to construction). No, it probably wasn’t EXACTLY a 5k, but it was close enough, What they should actually be worried about is the fact that they are having that conversation. Hello running nerds! Seriously. It’s a fun run, not marathon training, and it’s not chipped. No one is getting a PR! Relax, take a jog around the river and then get a beer.
Paulie, the organizer, is a character. His emails are colorful but not offensive. He’s just being very clear about the rules. This way when you wander off the premises with a beer in your hand and a statey issues you a citation for an open container — it’s your problem, not his. You were warned, explicitly.

These races, overall, are quite fun, and I give them credit cuz they got me into doing more running. There are a lot of problems with the series though. The guy who organizes the runs has a somewhat hostile way of dealing with folks, and the emails he sends are confusing. He acts like he’s doing you a favor, even though you’re PAYING HIM and he’s MAKING MONEY. Its frustrating. The food is decent, but the lines are too long. It would be pretty easy to set up a 2^nd table I imagine. The beer is good, but don’t take to long to finish the run or the lines will be insane. One of my biggest beefs last year was that they appeared to give out numbers to a lot of non-​runners, who just sat around drinking all the beer before the actual runners finished the race. SUPER LAME. I signed up again this year because so many friends of mine to it. It is a fun time I guess, and the course is cool, but I can’t honestly recommend it very highly because of all the very avoidable problems.

Don’t bother.
While the race itself is a pretty course along the Charles river, it’s an expensive race. I’m assuming the price is high because there’s food, but the food is awful and cold — not great post-​race.
The organizers of the race are also incredibly unprofessional, rude, unhelpful, and a look at the poorly designed website gives hints of the endless number of equally unhelpful and seizure-​inducing emails you’ll receive if you sign up.
I wouldn’t recommend this summer series. There’s tons of other races in the Boston area over the summer and all are far and away better than this series.

Every time I check my calendar and there’s one of these runs coming up, I get excited for a nice, flat summer run into the sunset. Yet every time I lean against a tree to stretch near the starting line and look around, I remember why these races leave me feeling like that kid who couldn’t climb a rope in gym class.
I am a novice runner – I can pound out a 10K when necessary, and I can’t pretend I’m not proud of my 10-​minute mile. Everyone else, it seems, who runs these races is hot, wiry, and decked out in high-​end running gear and somewhat snotty body language. I’m not the only one who has mentioned that these folks aren’t the friendliest. But we’re all running our own races, so to speak, so I’ll clarify that the race itself is pretty good, if not slightly flawed. They sell out insanely fast, so they’re definitely doing something right.
THE ORGANIZATION: The clip-​art-​laden website is completely uninformative and may induce seizures. That said, just show up at the boathouse with your bib and follow the crowds. It ain’t rocket science.
THE COURSE: This is a great loop, one I recommend for any old Sunday jog: around the bike/​running path along the Charles, 4.2 flat, scenic, sweet-​smelling miles at a lovely time of summer evening. Two water stops. Plentiful goose shit. No mile markers, though, so either strap on that Nike Plus or develop your Zen. The finish line tends to be a clusterfuck of bib-​stripping, so take your time with a minute or so margin of error.
THE POST-​RACE SWAG: Not so much with the swag, but even overcooked BBQ chicken and cold baked beans are a welcome sight. There’s lots of bottled water and beer, if you’re intrepid enough to wade through a loud, clammy wall of people, and stupid (brilliant?) enough to follow a 4-​mile run in sweltering heat with a tall frosty.
THE CROWD: Let me put it this way: the Harpoon is free and the Bud Lights are $ 4. There were A LOT of people drinking Bud Lights. That said, I made passive pace-​buddies with a nice woman in a teal top. I introduced myself after the race, and we both squealed at how we wordlessly pushed each other to keep pace through the run. That was kind of cute. And, to quote my male running buddy, «totally something only chicks do.»
Also, this may or may not matter much to you, but no one cheers for you at the finish line. I realize this might betray my own youngest-​child-​validation-​seeking, but it’s a bit of a let-​down. So set that chin and whoop for yourself in your head. Just like in gym class.

The guy who organizes these races kills me with the way he writes his emails, and his website makes my heart race with anxiety from all the fonts, colors, and blinking/​dancing icons, but the race itself was actually pretty well organized. This is probably because it seemed like the majority of the runners have done these races for years and years, so they all know what to expect. If you’re a first-​timer and totally confused about how to get to the start line from the parking lot (or anything else), like I was, just ask someone. I wouldn’t say you’ll make a ton of new friends here, but everyone is friendly and happy to share their knowledge.
Since I have the worst sense of direction and was completely turned around by all the curves and loops in the roads and paths around the course, I’m not much help and can’t offer more information than the convoluted website. It was all kind of a blur for me. But, here are some things I’ll try to remember for next time:
–Some parts of the course are on a dirtlike path, with lots of tree roots poking out. Be careful running and pay attention to where you step.
–Sunglasses would have been nice for the beginning of the race, not only for the sun but also for the dust that can kick up from the paths.
–There are no mile-​markers, so if you aren’t familiar with the course and like to know how far along you are, best to wear a mile counter of some sort to keep track.
–Inside the building, tons of people left their bags and backpacks and I actually stashed our t-​shirts in a corner, and everything was in its place after the race. I don’t think they lock the door, but nice to know that there is a good level of trust and respect.
–Lots of dogs run the race too!
–Water is provided before the race, at two different points along the race, and at the end near the finish line.
–Yes, the beer goes fast. Let that be motivation to finish early.

I have been repeatedly disappointed with Paulie and his rude, unprofessional, disorganized attitude. The man is an egomaniac and has ruined more than one race experience for me, and others close to me. I will not longer be supporting him and his offensive and disappointing communications with paying customers. Keep running, keep having fun, but I would NOT recommend this race series for doing so.

I feel like the truth lies somewhere in-​between the previous reviews for these series of runs.
Positives:
1. Convenience. It’s easy to get to and relatively easy to find parking most nights and there are some lots within a half a mile if it’s busy.
2. Low-​key. While there are a handful of people finishing this race in 20 minutes, the vast, vast majority are just out for a fun run, not a competitive race
3. Post-​race is a lot of fun, with food and an hour or so of free beer and plenty of attractive, if sweaty, members of the opposite sex to meet.
Negatives:
1. The organizers could do a better job handling problems, though in most of the cases I’ve seen they do a great job. Paulie’s grammatically challenged emails must always be taken with a grain of salt.
2. I was lucky to join the races this year after some friends have done them for a few years running. They were able to sort through the dreck and tell me what I needed to know, where I needed to be, etc.
3. Your times are not going to be accurately recorded. The time my Runkeeper iPhone app recorded was six minutes off from the results posted on cool runnings. And I know for a fact I didn’t run the race six minutes faster than I did. I’d have died of a heart attack if I’d tried it.
So take these for what they are. Fun races, great time, great people-​meeting. You just have to take the rest with a grain of salt. If you’re running and need any help navigating that horrid website, shoot me a message.

I have run hundreds of road races across the US in the last decade. 2008 was my first year running this series. I had a good time at the events and agree with Arestia except for one detail: BA Events. Paulie, the ‘community organizer’ is rude, unprofessional, disorganized, and ill-​bred. Every email response I received from him had attitude.
5 examples and negative opinions are outlined in no particular order here:
1) I moved during the 5-​series race. I gave him a heads up a few weeks in advance of the race with my new address to send the bib. Did he? No. With the mail forwarding I received my bib late and got a replacement at the day of the race. Slight oversight. No biggie.
2) The website is atrocious. Who takes the time to read all those paragraphs of crappy filler? Just give us the skinny and include a good map! A friend of mine was supposed to join me for the first race, and it took him so long to find the place, even having printed the directions straight from the event website that he completely missed running the race. The ‘just read the webpage people!’ broadcast email pre-​race is a good indicator that other people were also asking him questions that he felt were clearly outlined in the website. You can see for yourself here:
3) The start of the race is too congested and mushed together you can’t find the starting line if you wanted to.
4) For runners that completed all 5 races, a jacket was promised to all folks. Several pick-​up times and locations were offered over the past 6 months but only on weekends. The date I was finally able to pick-​up was March 14, and when I show up, they were OUT OF JACKETS! Apparently they did not order enough, and they were all ordered in men’s sizes. How hard is it to count really? I kindly suggested that he could try adding it up with excel next year to avoid it in the future. Rather than apologize for the miscalculation, Paulie’s reply was that I should ‘save my baloney’ for someone else.
5) Run fast! Go for the beer before it gets too crowded. The food is mostly canned.
I still think this race series has a lot of potential. LOVED the stones cover band. I know herding 800 thirsty runners is not an easy task. IF a new event organizer could step in and tidy it up I would be willing to give it another chance but until then I will find other more organized road races to support. Sorry American Legion Post #442!

This is the first summer I’ve done the «Let’s Run, Have Some Fun and Be Fit» Summer Race series and I plan on doing them every year. Each month, from May-​September, 800 runners do a 4.2 mile race along the Charles at Sunset. It can get a little crowded in the beginning, but it’s a beautiful run. The best sunset I ever saw in Boston was during one of those runs where I swear the whole sky was a neon orange/​pink color.
But aside from the fitness and beauty, it’s a PARTY. Seriously. Each race is themed from Reggae to the Beatles and there’s always an after race party with a cover band. Everyone enjoys a meal on the lawn and free Harpoon beer until it runs dry. It’s a great way to meet attractive people, er, new friends… But really, if you’re fit and social, I definitely recommend it. Everyone is standing around sweaty and drinking and looking to meet new people because, dammit, these people are all fit and attractive! You meet new people and see them at all the races and it’s pretty awesome. And yes, while you can maybe squeeze a date out of it, it is also a good place to make new friends. I’ve met some people I talk to every race and I plan on going to have a beer with them outside of the runs.
The whole thing has this great energy. Everyone is feeling good and having a great, careless time. I loved watching the dead heads rock out as they were so happy listening to the Grateful Dead coverband for the Jerry Jog. It’s one of those events that brings the community together and makes me feel good about living in Boston. The whole thing is sponsored by the Somerville Striders Athletic Club and BA Events, who are committed to making great events for runners, bikers and folks that support other folks having a great time. I look forward to doing more of their events!