Boston: Mayor's Cup Cross Country Returns to Franklin Park for 36th Year

~ Boston's 36th annual Mayor's Cup Cross Country Tournament is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, at Franklin Park, with races for youth and adult runners.

The event, organized by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department with the Boston Athletic Association and USATF New England, will include youth divisions for runners ages 8 and under through 13-14, as well as a combined men's and women's Franklin Park 5K All-Comers race. The course includes Bear Cage Hill.

Youth races will award medals to the top three individuals in each division and to the three scoring members of the top three teams in each race. The 8-and-under and 9-10 divisions will be combined for team scoring. The 5K will have age divisions from 15-18 through 70 and older. Overall winners will receive the Mayor's Cup, while the top teams will receive the Bill Squires Cup, according to organizers.

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Pre-registration is required, and registration is open at boston.gov/parks-sports.

Mayor Michelle Wu said the event brings together generations of Boston's running community. Diana Fernandez Bibeau, commissioner of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department and deputy chief of open space, said the tournament gives runners of all ages a chance to compete at Franklin Park.

The tournament was founded in 1990 by Boston coach Bill Squires to bring open cross-country racing back to Franklin Park. Its inaugural event had nine entrants; organizers say it now draws nearly 1,000 participants annually, from youth runners to international-caliber athletes.

Jack Fleming, president and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association, described Franklin Park as one of the country's best cross-country courses and said the Mayor's Cup is part of the association's year-round community and youth running programs.

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