The Groton Road Race organizers are again requesting the assistance of the Amateur Radio community for the 2026 Race on Sunday May 3. The Groton Road Race is a premier public event engaging over a thousand runners. NVARC and the ham community have been providing situational awareness, health and safety communication for this event for over three decades.
The course circles Groton Hill, starting and ending at the Groton Hill Music Center. This is the fourth year the Race has followed this course.
The planned event schedule this year is similar to 2025; the two main races start shortly after 10am. The communications support that we provide is expected to start around 9am and we should be done shortly after 1pm.
The Groton Road Race continues to be a major event for Amateur Radio in North Central Massachusetts. Those of you who have joined us in previous years know that the runners sincerely appreciate our presence. Many tell us so as they run past. This event is so large that several Police Departments and other public safety organizations from other communities come to assist the Groton PD. The Groton Police Department specifically looks to Amateur Radio for our added communications support.
Contributing to the public good is one of the reasons Amateur Radio exists. Our public service events are a key opportunity for us to show our colors, volunteer our skills and equipment, and demonstrate why it is in the public’s interest to continue to allocate precious RF spectrum to our the Amateur Radio Service. The Groton Road Race is a low-stress event and a great way to gain more experience with the public service aspect of amateur radio. Please consider joining us on May 3rd; let me know by email.
If you are a new Ham or know of another Ham who is interested in helping at these events but unsure of what is expected or what equipment may be needed, please do not hesitate to introduce yourself (or them) to me.
The Groton Road Race Committee and the Groton Police Department repeatedly praise and express their appreciation for our assistance in providing communications for this event for many years. I do hope you will be able to join us this year; please let me know.
Thanks and 73,
-Ralph KD1SM
Email Ralph or Email Ralph
[1] http://www.n1nc.org/Events/
[2] http://grotonroadrace.com/
[3] https://grotonhill.org/