The Cambridge Summer Classic 5K returns June 29, the 10th year runners’ endurance will also help the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce go the distance in the June heat.
While the race was originally a Thursday night event, it now takes place on a more traffic-friendly Sunday. Race director Paul Clark said this year’s event will otherwise feel familiar: More than 3,000 runners are again expected at the 9:30 a.m. run through Cambridgeport, and festivities for them will include music from The Gobshites in a festival atmosphere with music and vendors through noon, including Castle Island beers.
The race is competitive – while the overall average time to run 3.1 miles is 40 minutes, according to authorities such as Healthline and Running Level, last year’s winner of the Classic, Cantabrigian Tyler Opdycke, clocked 15:17, a pace of 4:55 per mile.
Times are tracked by chips attached to race bibs. The run has one-hour time limit, but is inclusive. “We’re one of the very few races that have sent out awards to nonbinary winners,” Clark said. “We’ve got a lot of young kids who run with their families. It’s a good family event.”
“It’s that on one side and then a good party on the other,” Clark said. Teams of 20 or more people get their “own private little tent to hang out in” before and after the race, and the run usually draws around 50 teams. “That’s become very popular,” Clark said. “A lot of the tents are right next to where the beer is being poured, so it’s a good time.”
Signup is $45. There’s also a $40 virtual option that allows running from anywhere – even in a different state or country – in which results are uploaded remotely.
The event brings in around $40,000 for the Chamber of Commerce, Clark said, which uses the funds to support Cambridge industries and small businesses. There are four classics a year – one for each season.
Organizers of the 5k credit the city for a smooth and collaborative operation. “The special events committee for the City of Cambridge is excellent,” Clark said. “Every single department that gets together, including the fire and the police, to make sure that the event goes on correctly with all the right permits and safety.”
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