It's a tradition! I jokingly say it's why we moved to Manchester…read more 4.78 miles attract over 10,000 runners & walkers. The elite runners come from all over the world and it's always an exciting race. Then the mass of normal' runners go by in a dizzying blur. The amount of walkers has increased over the years too. Costumes, bands, crowds and food line the race route. It's the best way to start off thanksgiving day!

This Thanksgiving, I will be running the Manchester Road Race for the 5th time! One of my favorite…read moreThanksgiving traditions is this race, I honestly look forward to it and have changed around my Thanksgiving plans just to ensure my attendance. It is a tradition I plan to continue for as long as I live in Connecticut. This is one of the largest road races in the country. 2nd to the Boston Marathon as far as races in the Northeast go and that is saying at lot considering this race is under 5 miles (4.78 to be exact) and is on a holiday. It's hard to put the experience of the Manchester Road Race into words, you really have to experience it yourself to really appreciate it! There are over 15,000 runners (many elite runners from around the country, a bunch in costume, some drinking, etc etc). You see every walk of life running this race, that is for sure! There are SO many spectators too, I would say in the thousands. Whether you are a runner, a spectator or just someone looking to have some fun, the Manchester Road Race is the place to be on Thanksgiving!! See you there!

First time I've heard about the New England Challenge was in 2017, the inaugural series was held in…read more2016. What an insane way to pick up states for the half marathon or marathon goal in a minimal amount of time. I've been around the block, but 6 days in a row seems pretty nuts. I've been around long enough to know virtually everyone in the club who's done at least one round of the 50 states marathons. Race morning - day 5 started at the Nutmeg marathon / half marathon here in Hartford, Connecticut. The New England Challenge attracts veteran marathoners and half marathoners who wish to run a half marathon or a marathon up to all 6 states in the series. You decide on what states you want to do or need for your own personal goal(s). With that said, we arrived at Goodwin Park & Golf Course in Hartford around 5:30am on a brisk Friday morning, already tired from the previous 4 days. It was interesting to be genuinely not really tired after 4 consecutive days + a marathon in NY the weekend before. The New England Challenge / Nutmeg marathon & half marathon draws a small field, which is less than 100 individuals for both events. I ended up running the half marathon for Connecticut at this event, which was basically loops around a large city park / golf course. The event was small and felt like a training run, even though it's a race with a race number on your t-shirt. The overall experience here at The Nutmeg marathon / half marathon in Hartford, Connecticut was quite nice, quite excellent, and casual. The main thing about the entire series and not just this event is that there is no time limit. Many others do have a one, ranging from 6 hours to 8 hours, depending on the race. It's not festive like many races out there, but you can say that it has its purpose for goal oriented people - like myself. The course is basically multiple loops around Goodwin Park & Golf Course, which was 2.13 miles once around. We had a shorter out and back loop of 0.32 miles (0.64 for the marathoners) to do initially before we started the larger loop around the park. I didn't like the gradual uphill leading to the north parking area, but it is what it is. It was nice to see familiar faces each time I came across them. I did enjoy the scenery while I went around purposely and it help me motivate myself to keep moving and keep on smiling - since it was just day one and already a bit tired from doing the same thing in the other 4 New England states before. Goodwin Park itself was nice and we creeped around the main road through the park and weaved around the golf area. The only area where we saw cars was on Western Avenue, but there was a sidewalk. It was nice and serene, especially during a week day morning. Registration is conducted online, but they do have race day registration. Just need to get there early to fill out an entry form and pay the fee. There was an electronic timing station that was basically next to the main parking area at Goodwin Park & Golf Course. It recorded the time for every lap that we do, which is cool. The lone aid station was loaded with food and drinks - you probably could gain weight while doing a half marathon or marathon. The support staff was great, cheering us on lap after lap. It was inspiring to see friends out there to help me push forward, even though I had 1 more days to go after this - just different venues. It was a cozy race that was nice. Goodwin Park & Golf Course was the ideal location for this race. Upon finishing my half marathon, I announced that I was done and got my finisher medal. I hung out at the finish line area to wait up for a friend of mine to finish. Once everything was in order, we gingerly walked back to the rental car and headed to Rhode Island for day 6 and last day in Warrick the next morning. The appeal for The New England Challenge and doing marathons or half marathons is the economic factor. Doing them all together brings travel costs down a lot, but you'd have to be physically and mentally prepared for such an adventure. For the most part though, I enjoyed my time here in Hartford, CT at the Nutmeg marathon & half marathon. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Consider this race or the series when you are running 50 states half marathon or marathons. Support local! Run More! A+

This place is so loud I can't even drive by. Every Friday night it's like putting your head into a…read morejet engine. How this place doesn't violate noise ordinances is beyond me.

I love it here! It is a nice short dirt track with numerous divisions. Each division has a lot of…read moreparticipants and have good competition. It is deffinetly the best racing in the area (northern part of New York). The parking lot is a grass field. Adults are $10 Kids are $2 They only accespt 1 and 5 dollar bills at the food stand. Expect to drive home dirty (which is all part of the experience).

Love this place! Been here like 6x already! Biggest fair in the area that is easy for us to get to…read morewithout a plane ride and a hotel for 3 nights lol! It's like a 3 hour ride for us, but so worth it! So many vendors, so much food, so many cows. Seriously like 200 lol! So many animals! 300 vendors if not more. 250+ food vendors! If you want a new belt buckle, a new cowboy hat, a new car, a tractor, combine, gutters, septic, life insurance, coffee, flagpole, shed, lawn ornaments, bed, and so many other items, this is the place! Huge selection of everything. Huge selection of shows. Huge selection of food. Get the bratwurst!!! Tons of other things to do as well. Seriously so many, way too many to list! Honestly if you have nothing to do when it's here, go, spend the day. Learn about animals, watch a show, eat some good food! Come one come all!

This review is for the ArtRider craft fair, that weekend…read more There is a better selection of better quality crafts on sale here. Many take credit cards. For some reason there were more than the usual glass, blowers, and glass crafting people. Some of the pieces are definitely museum quality. The sitdown restaurant is there, as well as several food trucks from which to choose. It's a "Rain or Shine" weekend event.

This was a great race. I attended last year as a spectator when both my husband and daughter ran…read moreraces at the same location. This year we did it again and hubby talked me into joining him and his coworkers. It rained, it was muddy, it was hard, but we killed it and finished it. Last year was better, as the weather cooperated and the grounds didn't get flooded. This year was difficult. Everyone that came to support ended up with shoes filled with mud and water. Definitely wear wellies if it's going to rain - can't run in those though. All in all, it was a nice experience once we got through it. It was definitely better when we didn't have to contend with the mud. I would do it again. They're very organized and did their best to keep everyone safe from the lightning (although many people just did not listen to the instructions from the staff).