Presented by Title Partners Northwestern Mutual Financial Network and Kittredge Equipment, along with our Race Partners and Friends of the Mass Dash, the Mass Dash will take place on Saturday and Sunday, July 17th and 18th, 2010.  Starting shortly after sunrise, teams of six to thirty-six runners each will begin their adventures, running approximately 200 miles in a non-stop relay race comprising 36 legs across Massachusetts--- from the Berkshires to Boston.  And along the route of the Mass Dash, there are many points of interest that don’t have anything to do with running:

Mt. Greylock State Reservation  At 3,491 feet, the summit of Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts.  Rising above the surrounding Berkshire landscape, dramatic views of 60 to 90 miles distant may be seen.  Mt. Greylock became Massachusetts' first wilderness state park, acquired by the Commonwealth in 1898, to preserve its natural environment for public enjoyment. Wild and rugged yet intimate and accessible, Mount Greylock rewards the visitor exploring this special place of scenic and natural beauty.

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art  MASS MoCA is the largest center for contemporary arts in the United States. The institution is dedicated to the creation and presentation of provocative visual and performing arts pieces, and of works that blur conventional distinctions between artistic disciplines.  In addition, MASS MoCA functions as a laboratory for the contemporary arts, fostering experimentation by artists, encouraging collaborations among institutions, and allowing visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process.  Listed in the National Historic Register, the site's 26 buildings on thirteen acres encompass a vast complex of 19th-century factory buildings and occupy nearly one-third of North Adams’ downtown business district.  In this way, the history of MASS MoCA's site spans more than two hundred years of economic, industrial, and architectural development that traces the trajectory of industrialism in New England, while its art previews that to come.  

Shelburne Falls  Located on the scenic and historic Mohawk Trail in the Berkshire foothills, Shelburne Falls is the business district shared by the towns of Buckland and Shelburne. Once a prime salmon fishing spot for native Americans, the village gradually emerged more than a century ago as a manufacturing community centered around industry on the Deerfield River. The village experienced a revitalization in the 1980s and 1990s, and unlike many similar communities, evolved and continues to be a vital downtown with a growing reputation as an arts community.  The village resisted the "urban renewal" trend of the 1950s and 1960s, which has left our generation with an historic, turn-of-the-century setting for a unique mix of locally owned businesses  It's a village where you can buy either a head of iceberg lettuce or a hand-blown glass vase, and is home to the world-famous Bridge of Flowers, which attracts more than 35,000 visitors a year, as well as the Glacial Potholes, a curiously beautiful rock formation in the Deerfield River below the falls.

Historic Deerfield  A museum of history, art and architecture along a mile-long street laid out in 1671 and still lined with 18th- and 19th-century houses on their original sites. This quintessential New England village is surrounded by working farms and rolling cornfields along the Deerfield River. Here in western Massachusetts, Historic Deerfield’s museum houses range in date from the 1730s to the 1840s. Inside you will find one of the best public collections of art and antiques in America while you explore the lifestyle of early New England in a working village of endless beauty. And after touring, take time to relax at the 1884 Deerfield Inn.

University of Massachusetts at Amherst  UMass Amherst was born in 1863 as a land-grant agricultural college set on 310 rural acres with four faculty members, four wooden buildings, 56 students and a curriculum combining modern farming, science, technical courses, and liberal arts  Over time, the curriculum, facilities, and student body outgrew the institution’s original mission. In 1892 the first female student enrolled and graduate degrees were authorized, and in 1947, “Mass State” became the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  By 1964, undergraduate enrollment jumped to 10,500, as Baby Boomers came of age. The turbulent political environment also brought a “sit-in” to the newly constructed Whitmore Administration Building. By the end of the decade, the completion of Southwest Residential Complex, the Alumni Stadium and the establishment of many new academic departments gave UMass Amherst much of its modern stature.  The later 20th century saw the emergence of UMass Amherst as a major research facility with the construction of the Lederle Graduate Research Center and the Conte National Polymer Research Center.  UMass Amherst entered the 21st century as the flagship campus of the state’s five-campus University system, an enrollment of 24,000 students, and a national and international reputation for excellence.

Quabbin Reservoir  The single-largest body of water in Massachusetts, the Quabbin Reservoir is also one of the largest man-made public water supplies in the United States.  Created in the 1930’s by the construction of two huge earthen dams and the engineered flooding of the Swift River Valley (the entire population of four towns had to be relocated and the towns were then legally abolished by the Commonwealth), the reservoir is now fed by the three branches of the Swift River and the Ware River, covering 39 square miles and having 181 miles of shoreline.

Hopkinton  The first settlers in Hopkinton were probably Reverend John Eliot and a band of praying Indians in 1660.  Hopkinton originally contained 25,000 acres bounded by Sudbury, Sherborn, Mendon, Sutton, and Westborough.  The Town was incorporated on December 13, 1715, and the first town meeting took place on March 24, 1724, with thirty voters present in the Price Mansion House.  In the 1800’s, Hopkinton became a leading shoe manufacturing town.  But, several serious fires occurred in 1876, 1882, and 1900 which destroyed many factories and Hopkinton then declined as an industrial town.  Hopkinton is now a hilly and rocky scenic “residential” town with several lakes: Echo Lake, Lake Maspenock, Lake Whitehall, and the Hopkinton Reservoir.  And of course, once a year in April, on Patriots Day in Massachusetts, in every year since 1924, Hopkinton has the international running world’s undivided attention, as thousands of runners from all over the world gather at the Town Green for the start of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon.

Arnold Arboretum  Established in 1872 when the trustees of the will of James Arnold (1781-1868), a whaling merchant of New Bedford, Massachusetts, transferred a portion of Arnold's estate to the President and Fellows of Harvard College, the Arnold Arboretum occupies 265 acres of land in the Jamaica Plain section of Boston.  The Arnold Arboretum is the oldest public arboretum in North America and one of the world's leading centers for the study of plants.  Administered by the Office of the Provost of Harvard University and a link in Boston’s Emerald Necklace of parks, the Arnold Arboretum is a unique blend of respected research institution and beloved public landscape. We provide and support world-class research, horticulture, and education programs that foster the understanding, appreciation, and preservation of trees.

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum  The JFK Presidential Library and Museum is dedicated to the memory of our nation's thirty-fifth president and to all those who through the art of politics seek a new and better world.  The Library and Museum’s purpose is to advance the study and understanding of President Kennedy's life and career and the times in which he lived; and to promote a greater appreciation of America's political and cultural heritage, the process of governing and the importance of public service.  The Library and Museum accomplish this by: preserving and making accessible the records of President Kennedy and his times; promoting open discourse on critical issues of our own time; and educating and encouraging citizens to contribute, through public and community service, to shaping our nation's future.