NU Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon

We wanted to share our exciting announcement as it happens!  See below for Beth Shluger's announcement speech:

Thank you all for taking the time to join this exciting celebration.  I am Beth Shluger, founder of the Hartford Marathon Foundation and race director of the Hartford Marathon.

I am both proud and humbled to be standing here today, sharing the next great milestone of an event that touches more than 100,000 people each year.

We wouldn’t be here without Aetna, United Technologies and ING, their incredible support as our title sponsors over the last 20 years has helped make the Hartford Marathon what it is today. 

A lot has changed since we began in 1994:

We had a group of 12 people on the organizing committee.

We had a budget of $30,000.

We did not have the internet – is that even possible?

Today, we have over 2,400 people working to produce the Hartford Marathon.

That $30,000 budget goes just to finisher medal expenses today – which most runners think is the most important thing anyway.

But - the mission of the Hartford Marathon has never waivered. 

We support Health, Community, Charity and Children.

In 1994 we wanted to make a positive impact on our community. 

We wanted to improve people’s health, and to teach kids to make running and fitness part of their daily lives.

We wanted to encourage and support runners to make their race about a cause bigger than just crossing the finish line. 

And together with those goals, we wanted to show everyone how great our city and our communities are, show them the beauty and the people – one mile at a time.

We stand ready to take on the next 20 years with new programs and services, more people than ever and exciting innovations to benefit Health, Community, Charity and Children.

We are so excited that our new partner and title sponsor shares our passion and our mission.  With great pleasure, I ask that you welcome Tom May, CEO of NORTHEAST UTILITIES to unveil the NU Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon, powered by Northeast Utilities.

On behalf of the runners who achieve greater health, the communities who experience economic boost, and the charities and children who will grow and benefit through the NU Hartford Marathon, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Northeast Utilities.  The numbers you all see around the room today represent just a few of the many facets of this event that will be bolstered with the support of our new partner.