Making your race mean more

We believe deeply in supporting local charities and causes.  Providing a platform to raise awareness and funds for other nonprofits has been a cornerstone to the annual Hartford Marathon since its inception in 1994 and within a few years, established a formalized Official Charity program to help to foster this activity.  Last year, we created the “David Polk Perpetual Award” (details below) to encourage all individuals who fundraise at the race for a cause to submit their info for an opportunity to earn an additional $500 toward their charity.

The 2018 Eversource Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon has 22 Official Charities that welcome walkers and runners in the 5K, casual or competitive runners in all race distances as well as volunteers to participate on October 13.  These dedicated teams of participants pound the pavement leading up to race day to train and more importantly, to fundraise. The Crowdrise online fundraising platform allows Official Charities and other non-profit organizations involved in the race to solicit donations and start their own support team to follow their progress.

Please check out the variety of worthwhile causes and organizations to see if one motivates you to step up and help.  Consider joining their team as a runner, fundraiser or volunteer.

Official charities:

Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation

Hospital for Special Care

Achilles International-Connecticut Chapter

National MS Society

Oak Hill

American Cancer Society

American Red Cross

Camp Rising Sun

Carmine & Frank Mangini Foundation

Connecticut Education Foundation

Crohn's & Colitis Foundation

Easterseals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut

Girl Scouts of Connecticut

Girls on the Run Greater Hartford

Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity

Independence Unlimited

Journey Home

Mental Health Connecticut

Ron Foley Foundation, Inc.

Susan G. Komen New England

United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut

$500 more for your fundraising efforts

A founding board member of the Hartford Marathon Foundation, David Polk dedicated 23 years of leadership, stewardship and generosity. In his honor, the "Perpetual Award" will award the individual who raises the most pledges for charity with another $500 donation from HMF to their charity.  Note this is open to everyone participating on behalf of a certified non-profit charity organization, it is not limited to Official Charities.  The winner will be recognized publicly at the Finish Line ceremony of the Eversource Hartford Marathon and have their name inscribed on the perpetual trophy.

For consideration of this award, individuals MUST submit their information through THIS FORM by noon on Wednesday, October 10, 2018.  The top fundraiser will be contacted by email on October 11^th to coordinate the finish line presentation on race day.

Please contact registration@hartfordmarathon.com with questions prior to October 10.

Congrats to the 2018 Aiello Inspiration Team!

Thank you all for submitting your incredible stories, we are excited to share them as we get ready for the 25th running of the Eversource Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon on October 13.  The Aiello Inspiration Team represents just a small sampling of the amazing individuals in the local running community; we want to encourage everyone to share what you've shared with us!

Post a photo of you running a past Hartford marathon event (include the year!) on Instagram with #runHartford25 or post on our HMF Facebook wall with #runHartford25 for a chance to win Eversource Hartford Marathon prize packs. Contests end next Friday, August 24.  Not on social?  Email a photo to runhmfsocial@gmail.com and we'll share it and enter you into the random drawings.

The 2018 Aiello Inspiration Team highlights inspiring individuals who have some meaningful history with our signature annual event. They shared heartening stories on the varying reasons they first signed up for or have run multiple Hartford marathon events - for loved ones who have passed away, for weight loss and health, to overcome illness or difficult times. Their strength, courage and spirit show that there’s so much more to race day in Hartford than crossing the finish line.

2018 Aiello Inspiration Team:

     Matt Arcata, Rocky Hill, CT – Charity 5K

     Julie Filippone Aresco, Middletown, CT – Marathon

     Tom Buckley, Avon, CT– Collar Crew

     Cat Carter, South Windsor, CT– Half Marathon

     Tim Foley, Mystic, CT – Half Marathon

     Bonnie Lambiase, Marlborough, CT - Marathon

     Kiran Majmudar, Enfield, CT – Marathon

     Mark Mogensen, Trumbull, CT – Half Marathon

     Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch, Glastonbury, CT – Half Marathon 

     Laura Roix, Manchester, CT – Charity 5K

Look for their stories within the Eversource Hartford Marathon Insider’s Guide in your race packets and at the Total Fitness Expo on October 11 and 12.  The Hartford Marathon Foundation is joined by Aiello Home Services, sponsor of the team, to recognize these awesome individuals.

Women's Triathlon Update

9/8/18 UPDATE - We are THRILLED to announce that an anonymous donor pledged support on race day to keep this event going for the next three years!  Thank you all for your enthusiasm and dedication to this wonderful event!  We're still seeking partners to help ensure a long and strong future for the event so please contact us with any additional ideas!

The Women’s Triathlon has been a cherished tradition for us to produce for the past 12 years. The event truly has a unique vibe that inspires many women to push their own limits and achieve new goals for themselves in a supportive environment. We know some of you have been involved for years and we appreciate your participation and volunteerism to make this event happen.

To be completely clear – we would be thrilled to continue to produce this event for years to come. We announced earlier this year that the 2018 Women’s Triathlon would be the last and if all things remain unchanged, it will be. Losing a title sponsor was a major financial blow to a race that has seen continued dwindling participation year-to-year. Maybe it’s the sheer volume of triathlon opportunities available or that many past participants see the event as a bucket list item to check off and move on from – but participant numbers are crucial to maintain a race.

All of our best intentions and everyone’s love for this race does not pay the bills to produce it – more than anyone, we wish it wasn’t that way. But YOU can be part of the solution to keep this race going!!

Step 1) Participate!!! Register now! Get a relay team together if you’re not up for a solo race. Do the Aquabike if you’re sidelined from running right now.

Step 2) Spread the word! Tell everyone about your experience and why this race is meaningful to you. Encourage them to participate.

Step 3) Share business ideas! Do you work for a company that supports women’s health or is interested in marketing to women athletes? Own a small business that wants to be involved in a community event? Know of a company that would be a perfect fit to get involved in the post-race party? Sponsorship comes in all different ways and we know this event would make a great community piece for so many companies – help us find new supporters!

Please share here.

We do hope there can be some kind of future for this race, but the costs have to be covered somewhere. Beyond the obvious costs of safety/security, participant amenities and services, Winding Trails Camper Fund donation and medals, shirts etc. we also have a significant amount of professional staff required to safely produce a triathlon.

Anytime we make the difficult decision to take a race off the schedule, we first look for all other options and assess opportunities to maintain it. We welcome you to join us in these efforts in one way or another and appreciate your support of this great event.