Directions to the Race
From Kingston/Boston/points north:
- Take Route 3 to exit 9 (Kingston/North Plymouth)
- Go west on 3A to bottom of
hill, at the lights go left (Brook St)
- continue to Elm Street (a tee).
- Go
left up the hill and follow main road (double center line) At that point
it's Route 80.
- When Route 80 goes to left, stay straght.
- After about 1 mile
enter Plympton. Road becomes Brook St. Follow to Upland Road (approx. 1.5 miles after Plympton town line).
- Right onto
Upland. Can't miss the Upland Sportsmens' Club, at the bottom of the hill on the left.
From Taunton/Mansfield/Brockton/points west:
- Take Route 495 to Exit 6 (Route 44 East).
- Follow Route 44 East to Route 58 in Carver
- Take left, heading north.
- After about 11 miles come to "Center" of Plympton. Anyway, it's a four corner
intersection, with Mobil Station on left. At that point turn right onto
Mayflower.
- At the fork (where the round house is) bear left onto Colchester
Road. Upland Road is the second street on the left. It's 1.4 miles from
Route 58. Can't miss the Upland Sportsmens' Club, at the bottom of the hill on the left.
From Cape Cod/points south:
- Take Rte. 495 to Exit 2 for Route 58 north through Carver.
- After crossing Plympton town line, take second right onto Mayflower (at the "Center" of Plympton -- a four corner
intersection, with Mobil Station on left).
- At the fork (where the round house is) bear left onto Colchester
Road.
- Upland Road is the second street on the left. Can't miss the Upland Sportsmens' Club, at the bottom of the hill on the left.
There is plenty of parking at the Uplands Sportsmans Club.
Race Director
Cathy Ferguson brookstfergusons@comcast.net. 781-585-4410.
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Course Description
The 10K is run on low-traffic, rural roads winding around cranberry bogs. Mostly flat with a few small to moderate (you decide which) hills around miles 4 and 5. Downhill finish.
Prizes and Raffle
- In the 10K, trophies awarded to: top three overall male and female; top three male and female in 10-year age groups from juniors (19 and under) all the way up to grand veterans (80+).
- First wheelchair.
- Trophies to top three (age 15 and under) in the two-mile fun run.
- Generous raffle prizes and gift certificates from local businesses. Stick around after the race.
T-Shirts
T-shirts to all registered by April 30th.
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Map of the Course
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Elevation Profile
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History of the Race
Links to previous years' results can be found on the Home Page.
The Strawberry Shortcake Road Race began in 1987 with the Plympton Senior High Youth Group. It was started as a means of earning money so the youth group could go on various field trips:
- Whitewater rafting
- Downhill skiing
- Camping trips
- and other fun activities
The youth group also donated part of the money to the church, for lawn maintenance and other groundskeeping.
As the event grew it became harder for the youth group to handle all the work so a committee was formed under the leadership of race director Wes Chadbourne. The committee took care of all the publicizing and registration before the event. On the day of the event, the committee and the youth group worked together as a team. Youth group members were active in:
- Water stops
- Split times
- Registration
- Finish line
Over the past few years the youth group has been busy with their own events and so the Plympton Boy Scouts have taken their place and use the road race as a way of earning money and helping with a community event.
After the 20th running of the race in 2007, Wes Chadbourne and the original members of the Plympton Road Race Committee were ready to give up administration of the race. They all strongly hoped that this Plympton tradition would continue. Wes Chadbourne met with different groups from town to ask if anyone was interested in continuing the race. The Cub Scouts, who had always participated as road guards (the adult leaders) and the scouts themselves (manning the water tables) decided it was important to continue the race. The Cub Scouts, with help from other interested Plympton residents, formed a new Strawberry Shortcake Race Committee. Wes Chadbourne has graciously agreed to continue to help as our mentor.
Our goal is to continue the race and continue to fund scholarships for Plympton students and support the other charities that have been helped in the past by the Strawberry Shortcake Race.
Under new leadership in its 21st year, Plympton's Strawberry Shortcake Road Race is still going strong. A two mile fun run and 10K walk allow walkers and shorter-distance runners to participate. Youth runners are encouraged to enter the 2 mile fun run, which presents trophies to runners age 15 and under. The Strawberry Shortcake Road Race has earned a well-deserved reputation as a low-key, well-organized, "runner's race" rewarding runners with the best post-race dessert anywhere in southeastern Massachusetts.
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Where does the money go?
In the beginning this event was coordinated as a way of earning money for the youth group to go on field trips. With the Road Race Committee taking over it was decided that a youth organization would be given a portion of the profit, for their help, and the rest being put towards scholarships. Over the years the number of scholarships has grown to include:
- The Isabelle Randall Scholarship Fund
- The Ginny Miller Memorial Playground
- A college scholarship to a female ... Application [PDF}
- A college scholarship to a male ... Application [PDF}
Without the generous donations from local businesses, these scholarship funds would not have been available nor would this event be as successful as it has become. And with the wonderful gift certificates and prizes that have been donated, the raffle at the end of the race has become almost as exciting as the race itself.
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Weather
The 39 degree, 99% humidity, 19 mph winds (with gusts to 35), and monsoon-like rain of 2002's race is the stuff of which legends are made. But we usually have pretty mild weather in mid-May in southeastern Massachusetts. The Weather-dot-com site has kindly provided us the following graphic display of Plympton's current weather:
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Miscellaneous Useful Links
Town of Plympton, Massachusetts
Falmouth Track Club
Colonial Road Runners
Cape Cod Athletic Club
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