2025 Press Release :
A return to tradition is coming to the Great Josh Billings RunAground in 2025. The iconic Main Gate of Tanglewood will be the finish line for this 48th annual race on Sunday, September 14, 2025. The Josh Billings Race Committee is grateful and excited to reunite with our longtime partners at Tanglewood, the summer residence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, host of the world-renowned Tanglewood Music Festival and a long-standing cultural institution within our Berkshire community, as we celebrate this cherished, annual Berkshire tradition.
The 2025 Josh Billings triathlon route will return to one familiar to faithful participants and spectators. The 27 mile bicycle leg will begin in Great Barrington and continue through Alford, West Stockbridge and Stockbridge, concluding at the Stockbridge boat ramp on Route 183. The paddle leg, which includes the use of canoes, kayaks, surf skis and stand up paddle boards, will launch from the Stockbridge boat ramp, circle Lake Mah-Kee-Nac/Stockbridge Bowl for 5 miles and transition to the running leg at the shores of Camp Mah-Kee-Nac. Runners will finish their 10k leg of the triathlon at the Main Gate of Tanglewood in Lenox. The after party and awards ceremony, referred to as “The Bash” will also be hosted at Tanglewood, in close proximity to the finish line.
Berkshire County is blessed in its uniqueness as a hybrid of venues offering world class art and performances and natural beauty offering rich outdoor experiences. Collaboration between Tanglewood and The Josh Billings RunAground embodies the fusion of those Berkshire traits.
Returning to the Main Gate at Tanglewood provides ample parking and ease of access for spectators and team mates to cheer for and support the runners as they complete the triathlon for their team and for themselves, especially in the case of the popular Iron Man/Iron Woman category racers. For decades, the finish line and “The Bash” of Josh Billings have been synonymous with the Tanglewood Main Gate. In recent years, the finish line and Bash were relocated due to various reasons such as an algae bloom in Lake Mah-Kee-Nac, scheduling conflicts, and of course, COVID. As the Josh Billings RunAground approaches its 50th anniversary, we look to celebrating and preserving this Berkshire tradition with Tanglewood.
The Josh Billings Triathlon is a 501c3 organization. Proceeds from the race are donated to our partners at the Berkshire United Way to serve needs within our Berkshire community.
Registration for the 2025 Great Josh Billings RunAground opened on April 1, 2025. We welcome our seasoned and loyal racers and we encourage anyone who has considered joining the tradition going forward to visit our website, joshbillings.com, in the coming weeks for more information.
If your business or organization would like to become a sponsor for the 2025 race, please contact Brian Berkel, the Josh Billings Race Director, at brian@joshbillings.com to discuss options.
“TO FINISH IS TO WIN!” – Josh Billings
