About

Our idea for the New England Green River Marathon was sparked by the exceptional beauty of the course itself, which follows nearly the entire length of the Green River from its headwaters in Marlboro, Vermont to its confluence with the Deerfield River in Greenfield, Massachusetts. It’s a favorite running spot for many local runners; we can’t think of a better place to run, and we’d like to share it with you! This is a small, rural, community race and isn’t a big money maker; to us it’s more about getting together to celebrate our love of the outdoors and running.

As runners, we cherish our environment, and we want to give something back through this race. The race is organized by Natural High Running LLC and we partner with and support the the Connecticut River Conservancy, which works hard to preserve the natural beauty of this habitat, and the Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club (SMAC). SMAC was founded in 1972 as a club for female athletes, but has since then been open to everyone who wants to discover the joy of running. Scroll down for more info about SMAC and the CRC.

We couldn’t set up this event without the invaluable support of Marlboro Music in Vermont, where the race will start, and Greenfield Community College, where it will finish. So come run with us, and we will do what we can to provide you with a first-class marathon experience, with chip timing, a certified course, awards, local food, and a great vibe!

More about us and our cause

The race is presented by Natural High Running Company LLC, in support of our partners, the Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club and Connecticut River Conservancy. Natural High Running was created by runners Laure and Tom Van den Broeck Raffensperger (the founders of the New England Green River Marathon) to ensure that the race is sustainable and continues to fulfill our vision of a small, supportive, community race.

A little about our partners:

Since 1952, Connecticut River Conservancy has worked to protect your rivers from source to sea so everyone can enjoy them. Our rivers belong to all of us. CRC is their voice. They find environmental problems and fix them, across all four Connecticut River states. They run community river cleanups. They remove deadbeat dams and plant trees. They protect and restore wildlife. They speak up on behalf of your rivers. To learn more or join the effort, visit www.ctriver.org. Connecticut River Conservancy’s work includes the many tributary rivers and streams that flow into the Connecticut River, including the Green River. The Green River Cleanup is the largest local cleanup group participating in CRC’s nationally recognized 4-state Source to Sea Cleanup event each fall. Hundreds of volunteers get their hands dirty and feet wet keeping the Green River free of trash. To learn more about the Source to Sea Cleanup, visit www.ctriver.org/cleanup.

Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting health, fitness, and friendly competition through running in Western Massachusetts. Originally founded as a women’s running club in 1972, it quickly moved to wecome all runners. Today the club has over 300 members and reaches over 2,800 runners each year through its races, track and hill workouts, track meets, and robust youth track program. We are a member club of both USA Track & Field (USATF) and the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA). To learn more – and to join, visit us at https://sugarloafmac.org/

We’ve also donated small amount to other organizations, such as the Green River Village Preservation Trust, which preserves and stewards the covered bridge, crib dam, and church in Green River Village.

For the sake of transparency, here’s where the money goes:

Race expenses include medals, shirts, awards, hats, runner and volunteer food/beer/ice cream, chip timing, equipment rental (such as tents, portable toilets, tables, and chairs), water delivery, bus transportation, signs/cones and other course marking, race director fee, live music, truck rental, and photography.

* Non-profit organization