Legends Run

HMF Legends Run

I am a running geek - I admit it. I have been a runner for almost 40 years (gasp)! It is who I am and what I do. I may have slowed down quite a bit but I still love every mile I run. I am lucky to share my passion with the rest of the HMF team.

With the recent addition of theatrical mud runs and color runs, we wanted an event to pay tribute to those who inspired us to love the pure sport of running. This passion is the impetus behind our new 4 mile Legends Run. We will bring together runners - young and old, beginner and advanced, casual and competitive, hard-core geeks and weekend warriors - to celebrate our common love of running.

Connecticut is home to many amazing running stars that have shaped our sport. On Sunday, June 30th in the beautiful rolling hills of Middletown, we will bring you together with local running legends Amby Burfoot, Bill Rodgers, Donn Cabral, Julia Chase-Brand, Bill Tribou, Tom Butterfield and Lindy Remingino. Meet them, talk about what makes them tick and enjoy your Sunday morning run with them.

Julia Chase, 1961

This race has a lot of personal meaning for me. Julia, Bill and Amby as well as Kathrine Switzer and Joan Benoit have been part of my running culture since I began running 40 years ago. As the first woman to run the Manchester Road Race, Julia paved the way for me and all other female athletes. Thanks to her, I have run Manchester every single year since 1973 – never missed one. Bill was supportive of my work with the ING Hartford Marathon since it began in 1994. I remember Bill’s parents coming to our kickoff events that year and his father saw a fax machine in my office. It was the very first fax machine Mr. Rodgers had ever seen!

Donn Cabral graduated from high school with my daughter, Olivia, who had the unfortunate luck of getting chosen as his head-to-head competitor in a racing game with a squirt gun. Needless to say, Olivia was defeated before she even started. “Donni Cabral? What are you kidding me?!” she said.

Bill Rodgers, 1980

We’ve been so inspired by these runners through the years and we hope the Legends Run leads you to a reconnection with or a new discovery of the sport, its history and its local legends. I think it’s especially important for young runners, our “future legends,” to meet and greet those whose footsteps they are following in. I hope the race becomes an annual tradition with more and more legends recognized and showcased.


We'll be holding a Twitter Q&A with Donn Cabral on Thursday, June 13th at 3:00 p.m., with Amby Burfoot on Wednesday, June 19th at 3:00 p.m. and with Bill Rodgers on Thursday, June 27th at 3:00 p.m. EST. Tune into our Twitter page to learn more about them and ask questions yourself using #LegendsRun!