M.A.D. Scramble Route

Click here for course map to display in a new window.


The race will begin at the five way intersection of Brook, Reedsale and Central Ave adjacent to the Pierce Middle school. You will run down Central Ave to Turners Pond. You will enter the pond area and circumvent the pond counterclockwise. The trail around the pond was recently done over to make it handicap accessible, and is now very flat and packed with stone dust. No roots, no ruts. Very pretty, very fast.

Exiting the pond you will turn right on Central (Mile 1 is moments after exiting) and proceed to School Street where you will turn right. At the corner of School and Canton you will take a right onto Canton Avenue (mile 2 is about ¼ mile down on Canton.) Up to this point the route is very flat, punctuated by a few slight downward sweeps. Shortly after the two mile mark, Canton Ave begins a steady climb (but not particularly harsh) for a half mile. Then you will drop down a hill and almost immediately begin another long slow ¼ mile climb up Canton Ave. The 3 mile mark is half way up this hill. You will crest Canton Ave by the entrance to the high school and then enjoy a long drop. It levels off when you cross the Blue Hills Parkway. Then you turn right on Summer Street.

You will proceed up Summer for about 100 yards and be directed into a grass field called Peverly Park. You will be in there less than 100 yards before entering a hard packed dirt trail that runs along Trout Brook. This trail is very flat. There is a rootsy section of about 30 yards (we put a sign up to give you a heads up) but it presents no problem. You will continue along the trail which opens into a grassy field and then back into the trail (mile 4 is when you re-enter the trail). The trail terminates (total from Peverly to trail terminus is less than 1/2 mile) and you will be directed to take a right and cross a bridge over the Trout Brook. (Make sure you take a split second to look to your right, absolutely gorgeous). The trail then turns left and you are now running on wood chips along the brook.

You will exit the trail and run directly across the Blue Hills Parkway and re-enter the trail. This trail is a hard packed rolled composite similar to the stone dust at Turners. You will stay on this until it ends (about a ¼ mile) and exit onto Winthrop Street. In two blocks, you will take a right on Warren Ave and then another right on Thatcher Street. About 150 yards on your left is Breck Street. You turn there and you are now looking at the back of the middle school. Breck breaks right at the school property line and becomes Clapp. You run that for 20 yards and enter the school property on left and finish halfway down this very short driveway.