Great Bear Run
About this race
GREAT BEAR RUN - EVENT INFO
IMPORTANT! GREAT BEAR RUN RACE INSTRUCTIONS
SCHEDULE
5K Run - 10 am - all ages
1 Mile Run - 11:45 am - all ages
1 Mile Fun Run - 11:47 am - all ages
26.2 Meter Bearathon - 12:30 pm - age 0-3
100 Meter Dash - 12:45 pm - age 4-5
200 Meter Dash - 1:00 pm - age 6
400 Meter Run - 1:15 pm - age 7-12
YOUR ARRIVAL - Arrive at least 45-60 minutes before your race at Pollard School, 200 Harris Ave, Needham 02492
RACE WEEKEND REGISTRATIONS - We recommend bringing a phone for in-person registrations(via a QR Code). Registration (and packet pickup) is held at Pollard Middle School on Saturday 10 am - 12 pm & Sunday starting at 8 am!
5K COURSE- Our course is a USATF Certified & Sanctioned 5K.
WATER TABLE- There will be a water table at the 2 Mile point in the race
GETTING HERE
DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO DEFAZIO FIELD
- Take route 95 to Exit 32 - Dedham Ave
- Turn onto MA-135 W/Dedham Ave toward Needham
- Turn RIGHT into De Fazio Field, 380 Dedham Ave, Needham
DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO POLLARD SCHOOL
- Take route 95 to Exit 33 - Great Plain Ave.
- Turn onto Great Plain Ave toward Needham
- Turn LEFT onto Harris Ave (divided street) at Hazel's Bakery
- Proceed to Pollard School, 200 Harris Ave, Needham
PARKING - Needham Residents: We suggest walking or running to Pollard this year due to higher-than-usual registration numbers.
For anyone that is driving please park your car on any side street off Harris - one-side parking only. Parking is also available at DeFazio Field - just walk through the field under the railroad bridge and go to the front of Pollard School.
NO PARKING on Harris Ave from Great Plain Ave to Bradford Steet;
NO PARKING on Bradford Street between Harris Ave and Dedham Ave.
WEATHER - The race is held rain or shine. Consider bringing a water bottle to the race.
REFRESHMENTS - Fruit, snacks, and water/Gatorade will be provided. Pizza for sale $4 per slice.
More Races! More Awards! More Fun! More Teddy Bears!
Pick your distance
Running
5K Run
Race starts and ends on Harris Ave. in front of Pollard School.
1M Run
This is the competitive 1 Mile Run. It starts and ends on Harris Ave. in front of the Pollard School.
5K Run and 1M Run
Run both the 5K and 1M competitive races
1M Fun Run - not timed
This is a noncompetitive race. Participants may walk or run. No competitive awards are made. The race is not timed.
Typical race-day weather
Based on 4 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Needham, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 5:21 AM and sets at 8:01 PM local time (EDT) in Needham on May 17, 2026 — 14h 40m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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2026 results — Great Bear Run
1,309 finishers across 2 distances · leading places in the 5K Run
| Place | Name | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Gruen | 14:28 | 4:39 /mi |
| 2 | Christopher Collet | 14:37 | 4:42 /mi |
| 3 | John Lucey | 14:58 | 4:49 /mi |
| 4 | Claudio Rocha | 15:00 | 4:50 /mi |
| 5 | Bronson Venable | 15:07 | 4:52 /mi |
Every finisher is on the results page, filterable by distance, gender and age group.
All results by year
Other races near Needham
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Needham Run Club Nyd 5K
Charles River Ballet Academy Nutcracker Sweet Workshop
2026 Jog Your Memory 5K Run and 1.5 Mile Walk for Alzheimer's
Needham Youth Track Club Winter Program
🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Needham
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Needham 5K Races 4 races
- Needham Running Calendar 2026 13 races
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 13 Needham events
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