My marathons

Eversource Hartford Marathon

Run on 10 October 2026. Next race: date not out yet. Hartford
Connecticut State Capitol
Connecticut State Capitol. Photograph by Alexbarbershop, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The 2026 course started at the Connecticut State Capitol, ran west through West Hartford and Elizabeth Park, crossed the Founders Bridge into East Hartford, looped through South Windsor and finished under the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Capitol, Elizabeth Park, East Hartford, South WindsorTwain and Stowe houses at miles 1-2, Elizabeth Park at 3-6, South Windsor 14-20.
  • Six hours, certified by USATF6 hour limit, about 13:44 a mile; USATF certified; entrants at least 16.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseLandmarkCapitol, Elizabeth Park, East Hartford, South WindsorTwain and Stowe houses at miles 1-2, Elizabeth Park at 3-6, South Windsor 14-20.

The organiser places the houses of Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe at miles 1 to 2, Elizabeth Park and its rose garden at miles 3 to 6, and the Founders Bridge into East Hartford at miles 7 to 9. Great River Park trails come at miles 10 to 11, then historic Main Street in South Windsor at miles 14 to 20, and a second crossing of the Founders Bridge in the last miles. The marathon and half marathon run together for the first 8.4 miles.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsSix hours, certified by USATF6 hour limit, about 13:44 a mile; USATF certified; entrants at least 16.

The 2026 race ran on Saturday 10 October, and entrants had to be at least 16 on race day. The organiser lists UCAN Edge gels at miles 7.5, 14.5 and 20.5 and a candy stand at mile 22.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Hartford, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
cut-off
6:00 h

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