The Willimantic Classic is a small crowd with a big event feel. White vendors’ tents dotted the green. Port-o-lets – amazingly clean ones, I might add – lined the far end of the open space. Music was playing, pictures were snapping, spectators were given cow bells for cheering. The joy & adrenaline was just awesome. This race perfectly fit into my Spring Marathon training schedule.

As usual, my family was running a bit late, so we arrived shortly before 8 a.m. Thankfully Jillson Square is a large and well organized place, so there was ample parking right next to the starting line. I quickly found my buddies for the Run 169 group picture and did some drills and slow jogging down Main Street while my family headed off to the Kids’ Race.This year the Willimantic Athletic Club added both a 5k and a 10k to the line-up. Both races took off ahead of the half marathon. Despite the large number of entrants (over 600 runners) and three events, everything was well organized and went off without a hitch (and on time!)

My race, the half, took off 30 seconds after the 5k start which did cause a bit of a jumble as the lead pack of the half marathon caught up with the back of the pack of the 5k. Several of the half’s front runners ended up following a few 5k-ers and took the wrong course – though it was well marked with signs, cones, and volunteers.

The course is fantastic! Everything a road runner could ask for; a little trail and woods, but enough road to keep it fast – some city streets, a bit of residential, and lots of lovely countryside. The race starts off down Main Street in Willimantic. A quick jog left, then right onto a newly built section of the Airline Rail Trail. You stay on the dirt trail for about a mile, crossing a side street once, before you make a right onto pavement. You’ll encounter a few hills before you hit mile 6, but nothing too strenuous, and the winding New England backroads will distract you from them with their typical quaint beauty. About half way you head back into town, crossing the city’s famous “Frog Bridge”. But the “urban running” doesn’t last long as the course takes you around Jillson Square and back to the countryside for a few miles of farmland before you are brought back down Main Street and through Jillson Square to a bombastic finish. The Farmer’s Cow had a booth with free ice-cream cones and chocolate milk; an immensely satisfying treat after a long race! I also visited the Bodyworks booth for my complimentary post-race massage. Any kinks I got from those sparse hills were rubbed right out!

The race swag was also pretty cool. Mylar blankets for the half marathon finishers, some nifty medals, and delicious Fitboxes filled with yummy goodies!!

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