I am a BibRavePro. In return for promoting this race, and discount code, BibRave paid for my entry.
Going into this race I was dealing with way to many medical conditions. I trained by walking, moved to intervals, and limited running. Along with this I cross trained with a 10 pound steel mace, planking and push-ups.
During the 4 months I volunteered with the Hartford Marathon Foundation. They are a local organization that puts on many events (5k, 10k, half, full, tri, and a 96 mile event).
This year I volunteered at the expo so I did not get the time to fully experience it. I thoroughly enjoyed volunteering.
I purchased the pre-perks package. Custom bib, mailed bib and shirt, up-front parking, and a warm building to relax in before the race starts (along with drinks and snacks). Well worth the $50.
I started the race in corall C. The corals were well organized. Runners had a corral sticker on their bibs.
The race went off about 2 minutes after 8am. There were thousands of volunteers. There were lots of people cheering. It was a great start.
Along the course there was amble port-a-potties. (With Crohn's disease you notice this). The course was well marked. There were lots of aid stations (each had water and Nuun Endurance). There were several stations with flat soda and 1 candy station (you passed by the candy twice).
The course takes you through Hartford, East Hartford and South Windsor. I call the South Windsor section "The Suck" because it sucks all your energy. This year there were lots of aid stations in South Windsor. And they were needed.
The elevation on the course was not bad. You got to run on some major roads and finished under the Sailors and Soldiers Arch.
You could run the 5K, half or full. There is an option for a relay team for the full. The medals are great. They have age group divisions, Athena, Clydesdale and different handicapped divisions (visually impaired, wheelchair, physically challenged, etc).
Overall a great experience. Highly recommend this race. If you are a 50 state marathon person, save Hartford for #50. Let them know, and they will have a special surprise for you.
Looking forward to running the full in 2023. I hope to see you there.