The Midnight Marathon Ride takes place the day before The Boston Marathon. OK, you nitpickers, it takes place the morning of the Boston Marathon.
While the runners are asleep, thousands of cyclists ride the marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston.
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| At the finish line in 2016, the first time I did this event |
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| 11:40 PM a group forming up in Hopkinton to head to Boston |
Listen you nitpickers, you got that wrong too. For hundreds of cyclists it does start the day before the marathon!
A majority of the people who do this ride find a lift to Hopkinton, the start line of the marathon. They drive, take the train, etc. Around midnight they depart for Boston in a very large group. I have never done this. Instead I join a somewhat smaller group of cyclists who bicycle to the start (what I refer to as “The Out & Back” and others call “The Salmon Ride”).
Many other cyclists don’t like starting a ride at midnight, so they are out on the course earlier in the evening or even during the day.
As an ad hoc ride, it’s all good, so stop being such a nitpicker and try to have a bit of fun! The roads are not closed, but they are cleaned and patched nicely for the marathon. There is very little traffic on the roads on Sunday night/Monday morning.
You can find groups forming on the road as well as ahead of time via the ride's Facebook group.
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| It doesn't have to start at midnight! Here I am in Hopkinton at 8 PM in 2021 (the October ride). I met up with a good group & rode with them. |
While I tend to ride year round, I view the Midnight
Marathon Ride as the kick off for my cycling season. I do The Out & Back. Riding 52 miles does require some training to
get used to longer distances than my 30 mile round trip bike commute. This sets me up nicely for continuing to
stretch out my long rides over the spring, so I’m ready for 100 miles plus by
late May.
I’ve been doing this ride annually for a while now. It can be a lot of fun. But as with any longish ride, how fun it is
depends a great deal on how ready you are.
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| Will you ride a dolphin bike that makes dolphin squeaks? It's up to you! |
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Equipment:
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Your bike should be in good working order. Tires pumped up and in good shape. Brakes working well. A well maintained bike is your most important
piece of safety equipment. You should be
able to stop and turn.
o
You should have a rear red light and a front
facing white light. Some of the roads out
west don’t have streetlights, so a powerful light can be good.
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I use a Magicshine MJ-900 and a PlanetBike 300
SLX as a secondary light.
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Nite Rider Sentinel rear light.
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Two full water bottles (or a hydration system if
you’re into that kind of thing).
o Snacks.
o
Cold weather cycling gear. This should not be the first time you ride
with it though. Ashland at 12:30 AM is a
bad place to discover the new bit of kit doesn’t work well & hurts. It usually a bit chilly, so long finger gloves
are nice. Wool, fleece, and silk insulate
when damp. Cotton does not. Don’t wear cotton. I also bring a space blanket just in case.
For the coldest rides, I've got insulated cycling tights, a winter cycling jacket, a fleece beanie, arm warmers, booties, lobster mittens, and a fleece gaiter. I've also thrown Grabbar hand warmers in my shoes & gloves.
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Helmet
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Spare tube, tire irons, pump/CO2 inflator,
tools. Worth learning how to change a
bike tire.
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| Some years there are volunteer snack stops. But only some years! |
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Cycling tips:
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Communicate with other riders on the road.
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Call out obstacles, sand, potholes, what have
you. They clean & patch the road for
the marathon, so that should not be much of an issue. Letting someone know you’re passing them on
the left is courteous and good group riding etiquette.
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If you need to stop, pull over and get off the
road. It’s late. Some people are not paying attention. Someone could bike right into you.
o
The later it gets, you should make an effort to
pay more attention. Our natural level of
attention ebbs around 2AM. Communicate with
the people around you and ride conservatively.
o
Cross the T tracks at a right angle or close to
it. Don’t parallel the tracks. See https://www.bicycling.com/rides/a20031649/watch-how-to-safely-ride-across-railroad-tracks/
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It’s tempting to parallel the tracks because we
come down Chestnut Hill Ave & our direction of travel is parallel to them. This is an easy way to take a spill.
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Ride to the right of the tracks, swing out to
cross almost perpendicular to get onto Beacon Street.
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The train tracks in Framingham are at an angle
to our direction of travel.
o
A mile or two into the ride there’s an intersection
in Ashland. Bear left to stay on
135/Union Street. Do not go right
up the hill onto East Union Street.
o
Don’t just run red lights and stop signs
assuming there’s no car traffic. Just
don’t.
o If you do the Out & Back, it’s a long climb up to Hopkinton. If you take the commuter rail, it’s a long climb up to Hopkinton. Have some miles in your legs before the ride either way. Is 26 miles a lot of cycling for you? 52? If so, get out the month before the ride and get some miles in. It’s also a good opportunity to judge if your cold weather gear is comfortable on the bike.
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| Punctures & mechanicals happen |
Some links:
The official Midnight Marathon site
My write up of the freezing rain 2018 ride.
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| It can be warm, cold, rainy, or snowy, but it's always fun. Hope you join in. |
