Marathon News - Picturesque Marathon Boasts $5 Entry Fee

Nov-27-2010

Picturesque Marathon Boasts $5 Entry Fee
by David Monti
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

For USA runners who missed on out on competing in any of the big fall marathons, an intriguing low-cost alternative might be worth considering. Held in picturesque Roxbury, Conn., the long-time home of the late playwright Arthur Miller, the 7th annual Roxbury Marathon will be held on Saturday, December 11 at 8:30 a.m. The entry fee is just $5.00, and no early registration is required.

The USATF certified course (CT10033JHP) begins at the Everett Hurlburt Community Park and will take runners first on an out-and-back 8+ mile route on a combination of paved and dirt roads. Then the course switches to a 3.5 mile loop, which has one short dirt segment. Runners will repeat that loop five times to get to the full 26.2 mile (42.195 km) distance. The course elevation ranges from a high point of 690 feet (210m) to a low point of 357 feet (109m).

Sponsored by the weekly Roxbury Road Race Series, organizers will offer mile markers, directional arrows and several water stations for runners. The race will be intimate: last year's 6th edition had just 58 finishers. For runners coming from out of town, a special $99/night rate is available at the nearby Crowne Plaza hotel in Southbury.

Conditions will likely be cold. The average high temperature for Roxbury in December is 38°F (3°C), according to the website Weather.com.

Roxbury, a rural town in Litchfield County with fewer than 2500 residents, boasts beautiful landscapes and quiet country roads which have for years attracted noteworthy artists, writers and actors. In addition to Miller, past and present residents include the novelists William Styron and Frank McCourt, actors Marilyn Monroe and Dustin Hoffman, and the artist Alexander Calder.

Complete details on the event are located at the race website:
http://roxburyraces.net/marathon/