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 race follows the Erie Canalway Trail, and has been running since at least sometime in the…read more1980's. I have fond memories from my childhood of watching the race from my backyard, which is within view of the bikepath along Rosendale Road in Niskayuna. All of those fond memories, unfortunately, were overshadowed by shock and outrage at how the crowd parking for this event treated my parents, who still live in that house, this year. Though it is illegal to park along Rosendale Road, which is winding, busy, and has next to no shoulder, when the parking lot at the Lyon's Park in Niskayuna filled up, people connected to the race started to park in the yards of local residents. My father was on the receiving end of all kinds of verbal abuse, mocking his age and sanity just because he asked people not to park illegally on their recently seeded lawn. My parents are retired public servants, both waging expensive and exhausting battles with cancer, and can't afford to repair the damage these people did. My father's the sort of person who, when out on that bikepath every day, often makes friends of complete strangers while walking my family's dog; he's a gentleman, a kind person, and a gentle man, and was not being abusive to these people as they were to him. The organization behind this race needs to ensure that wherever it holds this event has adequate parking available, that local law enforcement (and if necessary, private security) are protecting people who live nearby, and that you create an atmosphere of the respect this year's event was so clearly lacking among those involved. Shame on them for allowing what has historically been an event that fostered a sense of community to turn into a rude, destructive free-for-all.