Steel Rail Races Return Sunday

Community submission10:31AM / Thursday, May 15, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – The MountainOne Steel Rail Races will be held on Sunday, May 18, beginning at 7:30 a.m. with a Boston Qualifying Marathon followed by a Half Marathon at 8:30 and an 8K race at 9.

The events will start and finish at the Crane Avenue entrance to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail.

Route 8 access to the Route 8 Connector Rd will be closed from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The runners begin in Pittsfield following the rail trail north, then will cross Route 8 in Cheshire as they continue to Adams and back.

Race directors ask the community to expect delays in traffic.

More than 650 registered runners from 23 states including runners traveling over 2,600 miles to take part in events this weekend hosted by the Berkshire Running Foundation and sponsored by MountainOne.

The Berkshire Running Foundation produces the event as part of its nonprofit in which it creates and advances the positive impact the running community has on the neighborhoods in which we live.

Since conception of the event, more than $60,000 has been donated back to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. This year, the Foundation races will surpass $300,000 dollars donated back to the communities in the Berkshires.

The Foundation will next host the Lions Club Memorial Day 5K in Lee on Monday, May 26. More information on the Foundation can be found at their website www.berkshirerun.org.

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Pittsfield Remembers Lives Lost to Overdose, Underscores Harm Reduction

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:33AM / Tuesday, September 01, 2026

Mayor Peter Marchetti reads a proclamation at City Hall encouraging residents to raise awareness and lift each other up.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of people gathered downtown on Monday to remember those lost to overdose and work toward a future of zero deaths from substance use disorder.

The Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative and its partners held a proclamation reading and flag-raising at City Hall, followed by a standout in Park Square with signs promoting the use of naloxone, harm reduction, and reducing associated stigma.

There were 23 fatal overdoses in Berkshire County in 2025, 11 in Pittsfield. This is down 44 percent from the 41 countywide fatalities in 2024.

While it is a significant decrease, advocates want to see that number at zero.

"On the one hand, we're very pleased to see this significant of a decrease. This is actually the lowest number that we've had since [Department of Public Health] started collecting these numbers in 2013, but the goal is still zero," said Andy Ottoson, public health planner with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

August is International Overdose Awareness Month, the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember those lost without stigma, and acknowledge the grief of families and friends left behind. September is National Recovery Month, a national observance to educate the public on the importance of substance use treatment and mental health services.

Samantha Kendall of Berkshire Harm Reduction explained that it is truly meeting people where they are, as they are, and when they are, "and I think we all do a really great job at that."

"We also want to remember that we're building a community for everybody, and systems and policies for everybody. That's really important in harm reduction work, so that's also the reason we're here today," she said.

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