Road closures set for Cambridge 5K and Half Marathon

The City of Cambridge announced Oct. 28 that residents should expect road closures and traffic impacts Saturday, Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1, because of the Cambridge Half Marathon and 5K.

The 5K begins and ends at CambridgeSide in East Cambridge, with participants starting at 10 a.m. and traveling along Edwin H. Land Boulevard and Memorial Drive. Closures in the area are expected between 6:30 a.m. and noon on Oct. 31. Land Boulevard will close from Binney Street to Memorial Drive from 9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m., and Memorial Drive will close in both directions from Land Boulevard to the BU Bridge from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Several streets between First Street and Second Street near CambridgeSide, including Otis, Thorndike, Spring, Charles, Bent, Rogers, Binney, Linskey Way and Athenaeum, will close from 7 a.m. to noon.

The Half Marathon on Nov. 1 will begin and end on Edwin H. Land Boulevard in East Cambridge, a change from previous years. Starting at 7 a.m., runners will head west along Memorial Drive toward West Cambridge before returning along the Charles River. The city says the updated route means closures will differ from past years, with roads closing as early as 5 a.m. and expected to reopen by 11:30 a.m. Edwin H. Land Boulevard will close from McGrath Highway to Memorial Drive from 5 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Memorial Drive will close along the race route toward Gerry's Landing Road from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and Rogers Street will close from First Street to Land Boulevard during the same hours.

Cambridge Police details will be stationed along both race courses. Residents with questions can contact cambridgesideraces@cambridgema.gov.

Source: City of Cambridge announcement, October 29, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement. It was corrected where it differed.