Hartford Marathon was my 48th state and 54th marathon. Strangely I don’t have a lot to say about it because it was pretty even keel; well organized and not really any cons, but also not a super exciting or scenic race. The weather ended up being pleasant after a threat of rain; it was overcast and relatively cool until I finished so that was nice though if you were out longer than 3:45 it probably got a bit warm in the sun. But it was the coolest race I’ve run in months. As far as the race weekend here are my thoughts:

Pros:
-It was the 24th year so they know what they’re doing in terms of organization and course.
-Well-marked course.
-Spending a few extra bucks gets you priority parking near the start/finish and a warm indoor area with refreshments and real bathrooms.
-One start/finish area makes logistics easy.
-Half and full runners start together but the two races break apart very early which I loved. Eased congestion on the roads and there’s no dramatic break at mile 12.5 when they all run to the finish.
-Very nice medal and good shirt.
-Decent course but nothing to write home about. Modest hills and the typical mix of city, suburb, and country scenery. Typical city marathon course.
-Abundant aid stations. I thought they were supposed to be every two or more miles apart but it seemed like they were more frequent than that.
-Good post race area with beer and food, chocolate milk, and entertainment. Festive.
-You can get marathon seeding based on other results.
-Cool finish under the iconic arch near the Capitol.
-Started on time.
-Good communication.

Cons: Not a lot of these
-Expo was lackluster. I’m not an expo person, and actually I had my packet mailed to me so I only went to exchange my shirt for another size (they ran small). Strange packet pickup process. Kind of dark setting.
-Lots of relay runners sprinting past at various points. Not a fan of relays!

Again, there’s not a lot to rave about and not a lot to complain about. It’s well-done and a decent course. The swag is very good and you can trust that the RD has a well marked and organized event planned. In other words, it’s a solid marathon. I’d definitely recommend it, especially for fifty staters.