An Epic Crossing of Massachusetts

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“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” - Michael J. Fox

https://give.michaeljfox.org/epiccrossingma

WE DID IT! 154 miles across Massachusetts in 34 hours and 17 minutes. A new Fastest Known Time!!!
Could not have done this without my family and friends. I have never felt this much love all at once before. 


I came up with the plan to run across Massachusetts back in 2019 after I ran the Midstate Massive Ultra, a 100 mile race that crosses Massachusetts vertically on the Midstate trail and drew a loose route.  I loved the symmetry with the distance from Athens to Sparta (Pheidippides initial run), inclusion of the full Boston Marathon route, and the overlap with how important the Boston Marathon is to so many charities' annual fundraising goals.  

After losing my parents in 2025 and experiencing some of the worst pain I have ever been in, I wanted to tackle something epic in their honor.   I doubled down on planning this adventure over the summer and am absolutely ecstatic to see it come to fruition.  With that, please enjoy my write up.  They say it takes a village and the level of support I got this weekend was absolutely incredible.  I will be forever grateful.  

For the full background on this project, see https://epiccrossingma.blogspot.com. 

The Route 

Our route begins at the NY border (Canaan, NY / Richmond, MA) on Rossiter road.  It weaves its way through many western mass towns including Lenox, Lee, Becket, Otis, and Blandford before reaching Springfield.  It passes many landmarks (see below) on route to Hopkinton where the entire Boston Marathon Route is incorporated.  Finally, after reaching Boylston street, continue on for another 4.2 miles to the water at Fort Independence on Castle Island.  See here for the full route.  

The Crossing

Our journey began on Friday evening where Keith and I drove out to Canaan, NY.  I found a travel lodge right off interstate 90 and the NY border.  Keith, who has probably been on more of these adventures than anyone else, was tasked with being my crew chief for the first 45 miles.  On the drive out, we listened to my interview on the "On the Runs" podcast which was a perfect way to reflect on past efforts.  

Part 1 - The First Marathon  

Saturday morning began with a 3:15 alarm and after a Starbucks Double Shot and some oatmeal, we made our way out to the start.   Having never been to this area before, it was a bit surreal.  The approach was a dirt road and covered in dense fog.  Rossiter road is a fire road that I don't think I would take a car down.  We arrived at 3:53, used Google Maps to find the border, recorded a quick video, and off at 4am on the dot.  

It wasn't raining, but it was very foggy and lots of puddles to jump over.  After a half mile of descending, I hit a real dirt road and almost ran straight into a porcupine.  I actually got so close, its quills raised.  The run was almost over before it started.  

Thankfully the next 6 miles were uneventful as I looped through Lenox, past Tanglewood, and eventually into Lee.  6.5 miles, I still hadn't seen a single soul and then Keith came biking toward me.  Having someone to keep you company in these endeavors, makes all the difference.  

I arrived in Lee, at the famed Joe's Diner, at 5:56am, already nearly 4 minutes ahead of schedule.  Recorded quick video and kept moving.  It was still dark, but the fog was starting to burn off, and before we would know it would be light.  

Next up, I crossed the Appalachian Trail (AT), about 5.5 miles later, took another quick picture and kept going. This section included a 500' climb, but I felt strong and thought nothing of it.  During this section Keith would bike with me, then bike back, get the van, move it to the next stop, rinse and repeat.  

After the AT, I kept climbing for another 6 miles before I reached the Huckleberry Trail crossing.  Living in eastern mass, I am used to hills, but not hills that last quite this long.  I probably pushed harder than I should have through here, but it was still early and I was still feeling fresh.  

Right before the marathon mark, Karalyn, my first official pacer arrived.  You know you have awesome friends when they are willing to get up at 6am, on a Saturday morning, and drive nearly 2 hours to the middle of nowhere, and run a marathon with you.  This was also where I had my first ice coffee and bacon, egg, and cheese wrap.  

My original estimate had me doing the first marathon in 6:25 minutes.  Instead I hit it at 4:20 ... causing a bit of stress for future pacers back home (sorry about that).   

Part 2 - Westfield, Springfield, and the Basketball Hall of Fame 

Karalyn, Keith (on the bike), and I took off on a slight down hill on a dirt road and I felt incredible.  We actually dropped 3 straight sub 9 minute miles, my fastest three of the whole day.  

Shortly later, Tadd drove by and was like "You are flying.  I'm 30 minutes early and you are well past where I was supposed to meet you."

We continued to run faster than the plan for the next hour+.  We beat Keith and the van to Westfield and our stop at the Edwin Smith Historical Museum and just kept going.  Once we made it to West Springfield, Becca joined us and even though Karalyn was only scheduled for 16 miles, she was already 22 in and mind as well just finish the marathon (because why not).

Tackling a run like this is so logistically heavy and both takes a lot of planning as well as a lot of flexibility. Once Karalyn and Tadd called it, Shawn took over as crew chief, Keith took Shawn's car, dropped Tad and Karalyn back at their cars before they all drove home. At one point Keith even biked 7 miles back to Karalyn's car and moved it ahead just to make this easier.  

One of the biggest stops en route was the Basketball Hall of Fame at mile 54.  First you cross the Connecticut River, then there is a beautiful bike path as you loop around the hall.  

An Unexpected Surprise

Becca and her husband Joe work for the company Runbuk, that puts on races all over the world.  This past weekend they divided and conquered as Becca came to support my event while Joe went to Antarctica to support the Antarctic Ice Ultra, where folks would be going after the 100 mile records on Antarctica.  

I had mentioned to Becca before that Stephanie Case, one of my favorite ultra runners, was aiming to both break the overall record and be the first female to run 100 miles in Antarctica.  In addition to being a top ultra runner and winning crazy races like the 450k Tour de Glacier, Stephanie is also a human rights lawyer, has spent considerable time in conflict zones and even started a program, Free to Run, to empower women in many middle eastern countries.  

I first met Stephanie when she was volunteering at the TARC Frozen Yeti in February of 2022 and told her I was fan of both her running and human rights work.  

To my surprise, Becca and Joe got Stephani to record and send me a video saying good luck on my FKT.  

It really made my day.  

Note: Stephanie went on to complete 100 miles in Antarctica in 17:31.  Absolutely incredible.   

Part 3 - When it gets real - Wilbraham and Monson   

About 11 miles later, we reached mile 65 in downtown Wilbraham, a section my friend Erin warned about.  Becca swapped with Shawn just as we began to climb.  Not only were we greeted with the steepest hills on the course, but the weather decided it was the perfect time to rain as well.  After a 450' climb, we had a steep downhill.  This pattern repeated for the next 9 miles.  

Up until this point, I felt great, having built up nearly a 3 hour buffer under my goal time. But this was when it was getting real.  It was dark, it was wet, and I wasn't even half where there.  One of the things that makes ultra marathons so different from other races is the inevitable highs and lows.  This was the first low and thankfully I had Shawn to keep me going.  

At mile 71 we reached downtown Monson, and the Millionaire Mile (including a mansion built by Joel Norcross, Emily Dickson's grandfather).  I tried to record a video, but my phone wouldn't work in the rain.  

Shawn and I pushed on through 6 more miles of unrelenting hills to get the civil war memorial in Brimfield.

It was now after 7pm and I celebrated getting this far with a cheeseburger. 

Part 4 - Becca Tags Back In and Andy and Robbie Take the Night Shift 

Miles 74-77 were rough; the hills, the rain, and knowing I wasn't even half way there.  When I reached 77, my outlook changed.  I finished the first half of this crazy thing in 14 hours and 21 minutes.   With a goal of completing this in under 36 hours, I quickly recalculated what pace I needed for the back half (16:49 for those interested).  

When Becca tagged back in a mile 77, the rain stopped, and I had a renewed spirit. We started dropping a handful of 11 and 12 minute miles. As we cruised into mile 86, I couldn't believe how well we were doing.  

Amy took over as crew chief, and Becca and Shawn (and their friend Ayaz who came out to cheer), headed home. 

One of the problems with doing this run in November is that we had 14 hours between sunset and sunrise.  I always knew this was going to be the hardest section, but knowing and comprehending are two separate things.  

Miles 87 to 117 were by far the hardest of the whole event.  First, we had a bunch of miles on route 20 with minimal shoulder at times, then some steep hills, and then the rain came back.  

As we passed Treehouse Brewing, Andy noted that it should have been a landmark.  I would have given anything just to stop, have a beer and relax.  

I crossed mile 100 just after midnight (20 hours and 2 minutes).  This was my 2nd fastest 100 (Hennepin 100 in 2017), but I was hurting.  Even with running, my pace had slowed to 14-18 minutes per mile.  

We (Robbie, Andy, and I) decided when we hit the mill at 106, it would be time to see if we could get a quick nap in.  I climbed in the van, plugged my watch and phone into the chargers, took my socks off and huddled under a blanket.  45 minutes later, Robbie's alarm went off and it was time to get moving.  It was still raining, the temp had dropped to the low 40s and took some time to get motivated to move again.   

The nap gave me some renewed spirit, but it only lasted for about 3 miles.  

The miles leading into Upton is when my cracks became fully visible.  I was starting to nod off while walking and self doubt was at its highest.  Fortunately, Robbie and Andy took a page out of Becca's playbook and just ignored any negative things I said and focused on the next goal.  

At 6am, we arrived in Upton (home of the Polly Dean Bradish house - Underground railroad) and were greeted with Amy already cooking breakfast sandwiches.  

The human body is an amazing thing.  You can go from near collapse to wide awake and moving so quickly.  

Amy got Robbie and I some hot coffee and about a mile later, we were running again.  Like really running.  Robbie and Andy ran around 37 miles and our fastest mile was mile 35 at 11:30.  A few miles later, we arrived in Hopkinton, at the start of the Boston Marathon, where the party started.  

There is a moment in every ultra marathon, once you believe that you can get through it.  We call it the "I got this moment." At Tahoe, it was the sunrise on the final morning with 31 miles to go.  For this, it was when I finished my coffee as we entered Hopkinton. 33 miles to go.  

Note: I am forever grateful to Robbie and Andy for taking the night shift.  Without them, I would probably still be on the side of the road in Millbury or Upton somewhere.   

Part 5 - The Boston Marathon

I arrived to see Gwen, Meg, Lisa, and Dave ready to join me.  They brought balloons, a custom "Scot runs MA" sign, were wearing the shirts that Meg designed, and even had glitter on their faces.  They were ready to rock.  The adrenaline high was so unreal, I dropped back to back 10:30 miles.  While my legs hurt, the rest of me never felt stronger.  

We started counting the towns down: Ashland, Framingham, Natick.  The energy was so high.   It was so awesome.  

It only got better from here on out.  Just before the Wesley line, Nicky, Courtney, and Carrie-Anne joined in as well.  While not every mile was fast, most of them started with an 11, which I couldn't believe after struggling through the night.  

We crossed through Wesley and the half way point of the Boston Marathon.  18 miles to go. 

After a pit stop at Quebrada, we descended Grossman's hill and entered Newton.  My sister-in-law Meryl brought my kids to see me and Ray, then Becca, and Donal joined in.  

Next up, Kara was cheering as we climbed up Comm, then Laura joined in, and then Paula appeared at the top of heart break, having not even gone home yet after PRing the Indianapolis marathon the day before.  The support was absolutely wild.  Jayson joined in on his bike.  10 miles to go!

We passed through Cleveland circle and turned onto Beacon street, it was nuts.  Courtney would yell to anyone passing by "This guy is running across Massachusetts" and anytime someone cheered, they would yell back "THAT'S MY FRIEND." 

As we reached 150 miles, all I could think is, we really are doing this.  After coming up with this idea so long ago, I can't believe it's almost done.  As we ran down Comm and I anxiously awaited the turn on Hereford, I got impatient and blurted out "Where the fuck is Hereford" something that would become a joke hashtag post run.

We made the turn, then the famed left on Boylston.  As we approached the Boston marathon finish, Amy was cheering and Jeff was there with his suitcase, having not had time to go home (also after PRing Indianapolis).  

4.2 miles to go!

The Finish

We weaved our way through a few more Boston streets, across the channels, into the seaport, and eventually Castle Island.  Just 2 days earlier, Becca and I scouted the finish.  I could not believe I was back here already.  

Lisa, Gwen, Meg, Robbie, Andy and his daughter, Keith and his daughter, Amy and Nat, were all there.  We whipped around the final corner and straight out to the point.  As I touched the fence and stopped my watch, I couldn't believe I was done.  With over 20 people with me at the finish, the cheers were absolutely wild.  

-- 34 hours and 17 minutes -- 154.98 miles --  

I pulled out my phone to check out fundraising and I couldn't believe it.  Not only have we surpassed our goal of $8000, we were over $9000, and once the corporate matches come in, we'll be over $12000.  

150% of our goal!!!!!!!!!!! 

After (quite a) few pictures, we walked back to the parking lot and my van.  We had two bottles of champagne in the fridge and we had a toast; to friends, family, and to my mother Susan, who would have been 80 this year.  

Absolutely bittersweet.  

Thank You and Shout Outs

I am not even sure where to start here.  Everyone went so far above and beyond.  I have never felt so much love all at once.  

  • Keith who is game for anything and everything, biking everywhere and running support for the 1st 1/3 of the event
  • Karalyn for driving to Western Mass and running a full marathon with me
  • Tadd for driving until he found us and then joining for 15 miles
  • Becca and Shawn for tag teaming a 40 mile stretch and bringing energy
    • Including stops of Dunks and getting me a cheeseburger 
  • Robbie and Andy for not only agreeing to do the night shift, but for pushing me through the hardest and darkest part of the event, in the rain, into traffic.  37 miles total  
  • Gwen, Meg, and Lisa for bringing the energy and fun in Hopkinton.  
  • Dave for doing the last 31 with me and labeling it a recovery run.  
  • Courtney and Nicky for the final 19 and making sure everyone (I mean everyone) knew what we were doing.  
  • Carrie-Anne who joined for 9 miles after not having run from an injury in weeks.   
  • Ray, Kara, Jayson, Cooper for joining and cheering
  • Paula and Jeff for literally coming directly to find me from the airport
  • Donal for joining and getting me a breakfast wrap.   
  • Jess for her amazing support
  • Meryl for watching Nat
  • Gwen's family for taking Neil 
  • Last but not least, Amy, for crewing and coordinating the entire back half of the event, through the night and taking care of everything.     
  • And to everyone that cheered, supported, etc.  

 By the Numbers

  • 5 people ran a marathon or more
  • 21 bottles of Gatorade
  • 12 gel packets
  • 6 ice coffees and 1 hot coffee
  • 1 cheeseburger
  • A lot of Halloween candy
  • 9,186' climbing
  • 154.8 miles
  • $12,000+ for the Michael J. Fox Foundation 

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 

- Scot

Stay tuned for the documentary coming soon.   

Becca's already ready for the next one.

 

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