Mount Hood Nutcracker Challenge
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Event overview
The Mount Hood Nutcracker Challenge is a cross-country running event held in Melrose, MA. The 2025 edition is the 19th running and is limited to 250 entrants. The host venue is the Melrose Fish & Game Club at 100 Slayton Rd. The event offers the following distances:
- 3.5-mile cross-country race
- 2-mile non-competitive walk
Teams may register; team registration details are on the event's teams page. Strollers are not allowed. Beneficiaries include Housing Families, Inc. and the Melrose High School cross-country teams. Professional timing is provided by a race timing company and live results are published.
Course, logistics and awards
The course changes each year and uses almost all of the 18-hole Mount Hood golf course. Surfaces include fairways, paved golf cart paths, road crossings and road sections, with possible short dirt road or wooded sections. This year’s course includes three short road crossings and about 0.5 mile of asphalt in total, including the final 0.1 mile. One water stop is provided about halfway. The start is 0.2 miles from the Fish & Game Club and the finish is at the club parking lot. The 2-mile walk follows the race start and then cuts off at two locations where monitors will direct participants.
Awards are given to the top 3 male and female overall, top 3 male and female in listed age divisions, and top 3 teams in each division. Amenities include nutcracker figurine awards, a post-race pasta lunch, and a cash bar. Race-day registration and bib pick-up details are provided by the organizer. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
