More Mass Dash News From
July 19, 2010
We have Mass Dash T-shirts for sale for $15 each (plus shipping if we have to ship)! We have a variety of sizes of both the cotton T and the technical T. If you ran so hard in the blistering heat this weekend that that running smell will never wash clean, or if you want to keep friends, family, and fans from borrowing your T, consider buying a fresh one! Please send a note to the Mass Dash, P.O. Box 61041, Longmeadow, MA 01116, letting us know how many shirts, what style and size, and include a check for $15 per shirt.
Mass Dash News Update
July 19, 2010
What a weekend we had! Congratulations to the 39 teams in the inaugural Mass Dash Relay, all of whom succeeded in dashing across Massachusetts!
To see the full team results under our Teams 2010 tab, click here: http://massdashrelay.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=38&Itemid=74
For those who aren't familiar with this website, it's a forum for groups to post photos. It's free to post photos; all you need to do is set up an account. To post your own photos from your computer, click here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/massdash/.
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR TEAMS -- INDOMITABLE RUNNERS AND INDEFATIGABLE FUNDRAISERS!
Mass Dash News Update
July 13, 2010
Teams: We can't wait to see you at Mt. Greylock on Saturday morning. We're so excited, in fact, that we can't stop writing you letters and notes! We've written up some final reminders and tips about the route and other miscellaneous items for you. To access this document, click here.
We've also sketched the Start, the Halfway point (UMASS Amherst), and the Finish for you, to make it easier for you to find your way around -- and also your families, friends, and fans to find you at these key areas. Click here to access these hand-drawn maps.
Mass Dash News Update
July 11, 2010
Teams: We have added a printer-friendly version of the turn-by-turn directions on the Driving Directions page. We hope this gives you more options for ensuring you have what you need so you'll know your route on race day. Click here to go to that webpage.
Volunteers: To our volunteers, a heartfelt THANK YOU! We recognize that we couldn't pull off an event of this magntitude without you, and we appreciate your efforts towards our worthy cause. Though you'll be scattered along a 200 mile route throughout the state, we hope to see you all at the post-race party at the finish at UMASS Boston!
We have created three documents (available as PDFs) and even a video to help orient and guide you. Click here to get all this good info on the new Volunteer Orientation page.
Mass Dash News Update
July 9, 2010
In the interest of the safety of the runners and of not bottoming out your vans on rough terrain, we have posted new DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS FOR VANS FOR LEG 7 on the Driving Directions page and a PDF map for vans for Leg 7 on the Maps page. Please familiarize yourselves with these new instructions and print copies for your use. We told you this was an adventure race, didn't we?
Mass Dash News Update
July 7, 2010
Based on late information, we need to modify Legs 27, Leg 28, and 36. These aren't big changes, and they have been adequately reflected on the Race Legs (Maps) and Driving Directions (Turn By Turn Directions) pages and in the Handbook. The new details for these legs are: Leg 27 is now 5.7 miles, Leg 28 is now 7.3 miles, and Leg 36 is now 6.2 miles.
Mass Dash News Update
June 24, 2010
Please note on that we have made some slight tweaks to the following legs:
The name of the church at Transition 11 is now "Mary Lyons Church of Buckland."
The location of Leg 12 is "Buckland" (not Mohawk Trail).
The leg finish for Leg 14 is now "Greenfield Savings Bank." Distance is now 2.2 miles. No elevation change.
The distance of Leg 15 is now 6.7 miles. No elevation change.
The distance of Leg 19 is now 5.0 miles. No elevation change.
The leg finish for Leg 33 is now "Wellesley Free Library" and the distance is 5.5 miles. No elevation change.
The leg finish for Leg 34 is now "Dolan Recreation Center" and the distance is 6.2 miles. No elevation change.
Please note that the PDF maps on the Race Legs (Maps) page have been updated for the affected legs and that the pages for Race Leg Totals and Driving Directions (Turn By Turn) have been updated as well.
As we get nearer to the big day, check this News section often for last minute details and information. Also note that driving directions to Mt. Greylock are listed just below this entry.
Mass Dash News Update
June 23, 2010
We're four weeks away from the start of something very big on the Massachusetts running scene. Shortly after sunrise on Saturday, July 17th (at 6:00 am to be exact), twelve runners are going to begin a race up Rockwell Road from the Visitors Center at the foot of Mt. Greylock in Lanesborough. Throughout the rest of the morning until noon, waves of runners will also begin their race. And then sometime on Sunday afternoon, each of our 37 teams (registered as of today) will finish their 200-mile adventures overlooking Boston Harbor. That's after climbing to the summit of Mt. Greylock, a swim in the North Pond in the Savoy Mountain Forest, a barbeque in Shelburne Falls, a bonfire and live bluegrass music at UMASS in Amherst, a run across the Winsor Dam at the Quabbin Reservoir in the moonlight, breakfast with the Knights of Columbus in Ware early on Sunday, checking out Marathon Way in Hopkinton and a run through Franklin Park in Boston. Oh yeah--- and a big post-race party with food, drink and two bands to boot in the shadow of the JFK Library at UMASS in Boston. What did we miss? That's right--- there are now 37 teams registered for the inaugural Mass Dash. And we are going to limit the field at forty teams--- so if your team hasn't signed up yet, you need to hurry! For the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: Run, Fight and Never Forget. Thank you!!!
Driving Directions and Hotel Information
Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts, is located in the rugged northern Berkshires of western Massachusetts, approximately a three hours' drive west of Boston and a three hours' drive north of New York City. The Visitor Center and Park Headquarters in the Mount Greylock State Reservation, located at 30 Rockwell Road in Lanesborough, MA (Tel: 413-499-4262), also hosts the start of the Mass Dash on Saturday, July 17th, 2010.
Directions to the Visitor Center from the South, East or West via Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90):
Exit the Massachusetts Turnpike at Exit 2 in Lee. After toll booths, make a right turn at end of exit ramp and follow US Route 20 West to US Route 7 North to Pittsfield for about 12 miles. From downtown Pittsfield, continue North on US Route 7 to Lanesborough for 6-1/2 miles. At the brown Mount Greylock sign, turn right onto North Main Street. Follow the brown lead-in signs for 1-1/2 miles from Route 7 to the Visitor Center and park entrance
Directions to the Visitor Center from the North via Massachusetts Route 2:
Take Massachusetts Route 2 (West from North Adams or East from New York State) to the Williamstown Rotary. At the rotary, turn onto US Route 7 South. Continue for 13-1/2 miles through New Ashford into Lanesborough. At the brown Mount Greylock sign, turn left onto North Main Street. Follow the brown lead-in signs 1-1/2 miles to the Visitor Center.
If you need hotel accomodations for Friday night before the start of the Mass Dash on Saturday morning, your best bet for hotels will be in Pittsfield, MA. Route 7 runs north-south through Pittsfield, and Pittsfield is just south of Lanesborough (and north on Route 7 and Route 20 from Exit 2 of the Massaschusetts Turnpike (I-90). Towns further south from Lanesborough, but closer to the Massachusetts Turnpike, are Lenox and Lee. Towns north of Lanesborough (on the other side of Mount Greylock) are Williamstown and North Adams.
Mass Dash News Update
June 14, 2010
The inagural running of the Mass Dash Relay is just over four weeks away! Are you ready?! As you prepare your team strategy, pour over your leg maps, plan for your food and hydration needs, and get in some last long training runs, don't forget the reason we will be running in every nook and cranny of Massachusetts for over 24 hours -- our cause. The crunch is on now for your team's fundraising! Please try to get your funds raised and submitted to The Mass Dash, P. O. Box 61041, Longmeadow, MA 01116 by July 1st. We will not collect donations at Registration on the morning of July 17th.
Good luck -- and THANK YOU! As runners, you're putting your talents into action for those bravely fighting cancer.
Mass Dash News Update
May 24, 2010
Kudos to Sophia's Cancer Crushers, who are doing some serious crushing on their fundraising for Dana-Farber--- they are currently in 1st place on the Frontrunner$ list, followed by Prudential (No Moss Gathers On This Rock--is there a new team name for Prudential here?) and Mass Confusion!
Moving from fundraising to registration, we are currently at 30 teams strong, and we wish to thank all of our teams for being a part of the very first Mass Dash--- we realize that it can be a leap of faith to sign up for the first edition of anything, and we truly appreciate your leaps!
In exchange, we promise you a relay race like no other--- a challenging and beautiful race route unlike any other, and unsurpassed amenities along the way: a barbeque in Shelburne Falls on Saturday afternoon, a bonfire and live bluegrass music at UMASS in Amherst on Saturday night, breakfast with the Knights of Columbus in Ware early on Sunday morning, and the big barbeque party, with two live bands, at the finish overlooking the harbor at UMASS in Boston on Sunday afternoon! Did I forget getting the chance to run to the top of Mt. Greylock, Massachusetts' highest point, on Saturday morning, or taking a swim (after your first run) in the Deerfield River on Saturday afternoon, or running across the Winsor Dam at the Quabbin in the moonlight in the wee hours of Sunday morning? Oh yeah, that too...
The best part is all of us--- those of us here on the Mass Dash team, our partners Northwestern Mutual and Kittredge Equipment, all of the Friends of the Mass Dash, and all of our teams running in the Mass Dash--- are in this not just for the race and not just for the two-day party that comes with the race--- although that's going to be amazing! In one way or another, we are all volunteers in the fight against cancer. We here at the Mass Dash can't thank you enough for that.
Mass Dash News Update
April 18, 2010
Team Captains and Runners: Please note that the Handbook is under the Handbook tab, under the Captain's Corner (under the Run tab, on the top navigation bar). Or you can click this link to that page:
http://www.massdashrelay.org/images/stories/handbook041810.pdf
Mass Dash News Update
April 16, 2010
Team Captains and Runners: Please note that six of our legs have been changed, as of today. These legs are legs 9, 10, 20, 21, 34, and 35. Please click this link to our Race Legs (Maps) page:
Mass Dash News Update
March 31, 2010
Twenty teams are now registered for the inaugural Mass Dash this coming July! And besides the great running and sightseeing along the way from Mount Greylock to Boston Harbor, we're thrilled to tell you that we've got a great line-up of music to soothe your weary bones --- on or off your feet--- and a New England clambake at the finish line along the water at the University of Massachusetts at Boston on Sunday afternoon!
At the post race party, we've got the following musical line-up to bring you to the finish and keep you there until sunset:
Doug Ratner and the Watchmen - An intense and unique collection of modern and classic rock n’ roll. One of the premier up and coming rock bands on the New England music scene, these guys are on a fiery mission to bring great rock music to the world. Doug Ratner and the Watchmen have been featured on local rock stations such as Lazer 99.3 and the Rock 106.9.
The Primate Fiasco - In addition to traditional jazz, the music that comes out of this group may be funk, reggae, bluegrass, hip hop, rock and the occasional Serbian gypsy jam. The key to the Primate Fiasco's music is that they can play the same song for hippies and punks, ravers and jazz enthusiasts, or a club full of screaming college students. If you want a genre, "psychedelic dixieland" seems to get the point across.
We look forward to seeing you start your race at Mount Greylock, and even more to seeing you at the finish and the post race party at UMASS Boston!
Mass Dash News Update
March 11, 2010
The competition is getting tougher and tougher -- we are now up to 18 teams! Check out the other teams:
http://massdashrelay.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34&Itemid=68
We have created a sample letter that you can use in your team's fundraising efforts. To access this PDF, click here:
Mass Dash Fund-Raising Letter
Mass Dash News Update
February 23, 2010
Our tenth team has registered this week for the inaugural Mass Dash! You only have until March 1st to register early for only $850 for a standard team--- after March 2nd, this registration fee will increase to $1000 (still less than other two-day relay races!). Check out the Teams 2010 page to see who's already signed up! Team Sasquatch is our farthest-travelling team to register so far--- from Wantage, New Jersey. We've also added our Frontrunner$ page--- where we'll be keeping track of and reporting our teams' fund-raising for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. By the way, the long-range weather forecast for July 17th calls for sunny skies, a gentle breeze and temps in the high 70's during the day--- perfect for a run on Mount Greylock, a swim in Savoy Mountain Forest's North Pond and a barbeque at Mohawk Trail Regional High School in Shelburne Falls. Keep this in mind, and stay tuned! Thanks, everyone, from your friends at the Mass Dash...
Mass Dash News Update
January 11, 2010
The new year finds the Mass Dash in the news: The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has recently made its press release about the Mass Dash which has already appeared in about twenty newspapers across New England. In addition to here at massdashrelay.org, we're now also on the Internet at New England Runner and Cool Running--- look for feature articles about the Mass Dash on both websites in coming weeks.
Come meet the Mass Dash team at "Chefs for Jimmy", a taste of western New England restaurants gala on Friday evening, January 22nd, at Chez Josef in Agawam, Massachusetts.
We're putting together our Saturday afternoon barbeque and Sunday morning breakfast along the Mass Dash race route on Mass Dash weekend, and we've got the green light for the New England clam-bake at the post-race party overlooking south Boston Harbor at the University of Massachusetts at Boston at the finish.
We have a bunch of teams who have taken advantage of our early-registration discount and have already registered here online for the Mass Dash. Best team name so far goes to "Mass Confusion" and we've already registered our first team from outside of the New England states! Finally, we're informed that a team comprised entirely of Massachusetts police officers is soon to register, committed to raising a ton of money for Dana-Farber, having a great time, and ensuring that all of the Mass Dash teams are both entertained and well taken care from in their "rolling command center."
Keep checking this News page for weekly Mass Dash updates. Thanks, everyone!
Mass Dash Is In The Springfield Republican!
First Mass Dash 200-mile relay race to be held July 17 - 18
By Bill Wells
October 14, 2009
© 2009 The Republican Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
While running a team relay distance race in 2007, Bruce Leshine had an idea. Soon thereafter, the Longmeadow resident had a mission. With a longtime friend in mind, Leshine will host the inaugural Mass Dash July 17-18, with the 200-mile relay course starting at one end of the state and finishing in another. The event is in memory of Neal Webber, a Longmeadow resident who succumbed to cancer in 2008 after a four-year battle. All proceeds from the event will go toward the Jimmy Fund.
“I was running one of my legs (at a relay race in New Hampshire in 2007) in the middle of the night, and it was raining, and I was thinking to myself ‘Why in the world are we still doing these?’,” recalled Leshine. “Then it occurred to me that we should be running these races, but there should be one of these races where the primary reason for the race was to raise money and awareness.
“I was thinking about Neal, and that we should create our own race and do it for the Jimmy Fund. At the time, Neal was receiving treatment at Dana-Farber (Cancer Institute). When I came back from that race, the first person I talked to about that idea was Neal. I asked him what did he think, and he said, ‘Let’s do it’.”
The scenic course will start at the Mount Greylock State Reservation in Lanesboro and finish at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. “The route is spectacular,” said Leshine, 48. “It highlights some of the prettiest points of the commonwealth. “Once the race starts at Mount Greylock, someone on your team will be in motion with a baton in hand until that team finishes Sunday at Boston Harbor.”
UMass-Amherst will serve as the halfway point, and Leshine expects runners to cross the Windsor Dam at the Quabbin Reservoir in the middle of the night. A post-race party will be held on the lawn at UMass-Boston overlooking Boston Harbor.
For more information, go to www.massdashrelay.org.
Mass Dash T-Shirts for Sale!
High quality technical short-sleeve t-shirts with the Mass Dash logo featured prominently on the front, sponsors' logos on the sleeve, and race information and Jimmy Fund logo on the back. Men's shirt is a crewneck; women's styling features a v-neck.
If you're interested, please contact the webmaster at
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