For two and a half decades, hundreds of community members, runners, paddlers and bikers have taken to the shores and waters of the Mystic River in May for the “Herring Run and Paddle” to celebrate the annual spring migration of river herring. This migration brings more than 500,000 alewife and blueback herring making their anadromous swim from the salty Atlantic Ocean up through the fresh waters of the Mystic River to spawn each year.
But how did this race start?
The idea for the race came together because river advocates knew that there needed to be attention on the river first, then they could rally citizens to action. And they wanted to honor the spectacular, yet mostly unknown, river herring spring migration. The fish inspired river advocates in Medford, Somerville and Arlington to seek out grant funding to launch the very first Mystic River Herring Run: 10k Road Race and Celebration on May 17, 1997. “We wanted the first Herring Run to celebrate the river and the fish,” explains Herring Run co-founder and Medford resident Lisa Brukilacchio. “And most importantly, to bring people to the Mystic and show them the beauty – and potential beauty – of this great resource.” Bringing people to the Mystic has created, as intended, many attentive river stewards.
At the time, it was nearly impossible to access the water or even the shoreline, the river was polluted, and there wasn’t much awareness in the community about what was happening to the Mystic River. So Brukilacchio and other local watershed advocates, including Janey Tallarida and John Reinhardt (MyRWA’s first part-time Executive Director and longtime Board member and Past Board President), came up with a tangible way to get people to connect with the migration – a unidirectional 10k race designed to mirror the springtime run of the herring, going from the Blessing of the Bay boathouse in Somerville up to the dam separating the Lower and Upper Mystic Lakes in Medford where the river herring could be seen spawning.
Once the idea was formed the organizers got to work tackling all the logistics. They had to figure out how to safely weave the course along 6.2 miles of river shoreline—which can be difficult as the paths often had to cross roads—bringing up safety issues. This also drew attention to the importance of creating connected, safe paths along the river—a need that still exists and is under our Mystic Greenways initiative
Next, MyRWA and other river advocate groups like AMRA (Alewife/Mystic River Advocates) worked together to advertise the event and invite people to “run with the fish.” But this was before the ease of posting on social media; volunteers had to get out in the community, hang posters on local buses and staple flyers to telephone poles with a landline phone number to call to sign-up. Not as easy as this: click here to sign up for the 2022 Herring Run!
What’s changed?
Run: The Herring Run was a 10k road race for its first six years. Then in 2003, the event was changed to a 5k race – to create a loop running from the Blessing of the Bay boathouse along both sides of the Mystic, highlighting Torbert Macdonald Park, the largest riverine park in the watershed.
Paddle: Shortly thereafter, the road race changed to the Herring Run and Paddle, to include a paddling portion on the river itself. This was spearheaded by Mark Jacobson, longtime MyRWA board member and lead organizer of the Herring Run and Paddle for the past 15 years. Jacobson was first introduced to the race as a participant, running the 10k in the early years. Spending time running alongside the river got him thinking about if it was possible to be on the river. He had been working with Paddle Boston for years so knew what it would take to get boats onto the Mystic. Then Jacobson took his first paddle on the Mystic, starting at the Mystic Lakes dam and paddling down to Blessing of the Bay. It was fantastic! MyRWA encouraged him to join its board and with his knowhow and personal experience on the Mystic he helped successfully add the river portion. Now dozens of people canoe, kayak or paddleboard for 3 miles, 9 miles or 12 miles as part of the Herring Run and Paddle.
Bike: Then, the Herring Run and Paddle added a third event: BIKING. Led by Bike to the Sea—who is responsible for the Northern Strand path improvement—the bike ride is not-timed but rather about learning above improvements that are happening along the river.
The race evolved again during coronavirus lockdown. When large gatherings weren’t possible due to the pandemic , MyRWA shifted to doing the race virtually. In 2020, 97 runners competed in four self-directed 5k races around the watershed and 19 paddlers completed the 9-mile river course. Last year, 126 people participated!
Overall, race contestants have been as hardy as the river herring, braving New England’s unpredictable spring weather. Early on in Jacobson tenure of organizing the race, it rained heavily for the two weeks before the race, and on race day it continued. He wasn’t sure if people would still come out, so recalls asking the timing company if he should cancel it. They said, “You never cancel a race,” and MyRWA didn’t. Jacobson set up the road race course in the pouring rain. Fearing that the river might be so high that paddlers wouldn’t actually be able to make it under the bridges along the course, he sent out a few friends in their boats to check if there was safe passage. There was, barely. The foot race and paddle went forward and, in the least fair weather in the race’s history, 30 brave souls finished.
A Celebration of the Mystic
In announcing the first race in 1997, organizers wrote, “to see the river alive with fish is an inspiration to many and is proof that this urban river is indeed worth restoring and protecting.” From this beginning the race has grown to be a beautiful tradition, gathering together dedicated runners, neighbors, environmental activists, community groups, and state and local officials to use and protect our river.
“It used to be very hard for people to find access points to enjoy and use the Mystic River,” says Jacobson. “But over the past twenty years, with events like the Herring Run and Paddle highlighting river recreation, people now want to use the river, and expect access to it. That’s one of the great achievements of this race.”
We hope you’ll join us and the migrating herring this month for the 26th Annual Herring Run and Paddle on May 15, 2022.
