Shopper's World Track
On Sunday morning, while waiting in front of Toy R Us, we saw a person running around the Framingham Shopper's World parking lot several times. That got us wondering what is the total distance running around the parking lot.
Thanks to Google Maps, I was able to figure it out:
Thanks to Google Maps for the measurement.
Total area: 740,366.42 ft (68,782.29 m)
Total distance: 3,873.50 ft (1.18 km) or (.73 Miles)
If you were doing a 5k, you would need to run a little more than 4 times around the parking lot. The good thing about this is that the parking lot is very flat. The bad part about organizing a 5k here is that you would need a lot of barriers to prevent people from cutting across the parking lot.
That guy that was running, he kept a really good pace, and to be up before the crack of dawn...well that's dedication.
Better 5K Location
If you're planning a 5K race in Framingham, the better place would be near the Cushing Memorial Park.
The race would start on Dr. Harvey L Cushing Way and the runners would head towards Winter Street. The would take a right on Winter and head down over the river and then a right on Maple Street. At the end of the street, they would take a left on Franklin St, then a right on Maple Street. At the end of the street, they would pass by the Minutemen Monument and down Main Street, then a right onto Walnut Street. After passing Bowditch Field they take a right on to Mount Wayte Ave and head back to the parking lot at Cushing Park.
This is a standard 5k route and it's a pretty much level field, with some elevation on Mount Wayte and Winter Street.
Here's a map of the route:
