Miles For Music
Sunday, September 13, 2026 · 10:00 AM
8.2-mile run, relay, and walk from Amherst to Northampton

Run the trail. Support the scene.

Join The Drake and The Iron Horse for a point-to-point race, relay, and walk connecting Amherst and Northampton on the Norwottuck Rail Trail. Along the way, you’ll find live music, a beautiful route through the Valley, and a celebratory finish into Taste of Northampton with 2 stages of music and 30+ restaurants.

Every registration supports two nonprofit music venues that bring artists, audiences, and downtown life together all year long.

At a Glance

Date - Sunday, September 13, 2026

Start time - 10:00 AM

Distance - 8.2 miles

Start - Amherst Common, at South Pleasant Street and Route 9

Relay hub - The TruNorth Relay Hub at The Quarters, Hadley

Finish - Brewster Court in downtown Northampton, at Taste of Northampton

Course support ends - 1:00 PM

Benefiting - The Drake and The Iron Horse

The Course

Miles For Music begins at Amherst Common, close to The Drake and the center of downtown Amherst. From there, the course travels south through Amherst before joining the Norwottuck Rail Trail.

The route moves west through Hadley, passing farms and open views of the Holyoke Range, before crossing the Connecticut River on the Norwottuck Rail Trail bridge. In Northampton, the course leaves the trail near Woodmont Road and follows the final downtown turns to Brewster Court, where runners and walkers finish into Taste of Northampton.

It is a true point-to-point course: Amherst to Northampton, one shared music community.

Course highlights

• The Drake and Amherst Common start

• The Norwottuck Rail Trail

• Hadley farmland and views of the Holyoke Range

• The Connecticut River bridge crossing

• The TruNorth Relay Hub at The Quarters

• A downtown Northampton finish at Taste of Northampton, near The Iron Horse

Course Support

The course is supported from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. To remain within the supported event window, participants should plan for a pace of approximately 22 minutes per mile.

Water + aid

Water and aid will be available at:

• Start — Amherst Common

• Mile 2.45 — behind Maple Farm Foods in Hadley

• Mile 4.6 — The TruNorth Relay Hub at The Quarters

• Mile 6.3 — just after the Connecticut River bridge in Northampton

• Finish — Brewster Court, Northampton

Run, Walk, or Relay

Choose the way you want to take part.

Full 8.2-mile run or walk

Run or walk the entire point-to-point course from Amherst Common to downtown Northampton. Walkers are welcome and begin at 10:00 AM with the field.

Two-person relay

Split the distance with a teammate at the TruNorth Relay Hub at The Quarters in Hadley.

• Leg 1: Amherst Common to The Quarters — 4.66 miles

• Leg 2: The Quarters to the Northampton finish — 3.57 miles

All exchanges must happen at The Quarters. Relay participants will receive race-week instructions with the exact relay flow, shuttle information, and handoff details.

Getting There: Parking + Shuttles

Because the course runs one way from Amherst to Northampton, participants are strongly encouraged to park in Northampton and use the event shuttle to the start.

• Recommended participant parking is in the Roundhouse/Peter Pan area of Northampton.

• Morning shuttles to Amherst begin at 7:00 AM.

• The final bus leaves at 9:00 AM sharp.

• Event buses are for registered, numbered participants only. Spectators, friends, and unregistered participants may not ride.

• There is no return bus service from Northampton to Amherst after the event. Plan your return trip accordingly.

Relay participants will receive separate shuttle directions for travel between Amherst, The Quarters, and Northampton.

Packet Pickup + Race-Day Services

Advance packet pickup

• Friday, September 11 · 3:00–6:00 PM — outside The Drake in Amherst

• Saturday, September 12 · 2:00–6:00 PM — The Iron Horse in Northampton

• Race day — Amherst Common, before the start

Your packet includes a bib with timing chip, safety pins, a race map, food-voucher and gear-check tabs, and your gear-check bag. Fundraising incentives and other registered items will be included as applicable.

Day-of registration may be available only if the event has not sold out.


Gear check

Gear check is available at Amherst Common before the race. Bags will be transported to the Northampton finish area; relay Leg 1 participants will receive race-week instructions for gear pickup at The Quarters.

Please use the official event bag, label it with your bib number, and leave valuables at home. Gear check closes when the race starts at 10:00 AM.

Finish into Taste of Northampton

Cross the finish line on Brewster Court and step straight into Taste of Northampton.

The celebration includes:

• Live music on two stages

• More than 30 participating restaurants

• Food voucher redemption at participating Taste of Northampton vendors

• A downtown Northampton afternoon anchored by The Iron Horse and connected to The Parlor Room’s broader music community

The first 500 registrations receive a $10 food voucher, redeemable at The Quarters or participating Taste of Northampton vendors.

Stay downtown, enjoy the music and food, and celebrate a day that brings Amherst, Hadley, and Northampton together.

Awards + Recognition

Miles For Music will recognize runners, relay teams, young participants, and fundraisers in the following categories:

Individual

• Top 3 male finishers

• Top 3 female finishers

• Top non-binary finisher

• Top under-18 male finisher

• Top under-18 female finisher

• Top under-18 non-binary finisher

Relay

• Top relay team overall

• Top mixed relay team

Fundraising

• Top individual fundraiser

• Top fundraising team

• Top fundraising team average per person

Registration Includes

• Entry in the full 8.2-mile run/walk or two-person relay

• A supported point-to-point course on the Norwottuck Rail Trail

• Live music along the route

• Finish celebration access at Taste of Northampton

• $10 food voucher (first 500 registrations)

• Event shuttle service for registered participants

• Gear check

• Peer-to-peer fundraising tools supporting The Drake and The Iron Horse

Raise $100 or more and receive the official Miles For Music T-shirt.

Course Requirements

• Rain or shine

• No dogs on the course

• No unregistered runners or walkers

• No bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards, or motorized vehicles on the course

• No refunds

Why Miles For Music

Miles For Music benefits The Drake and The Iron Horse, two nonprofit music venues working to keep live music thriving in the Valley.

These venues are places to discover artists, gather with neighbors, and bring energy to the downtowns and businesses around them. When they are strong, artists have more opportunities, audiences have more to experience, and Amherst and Northampton have more reasons to feel connected.

Run the trail. Support the scene.