I really didn't enjoy this race. Granted, I didn't finish as well as I expected (hoped), but there were a few things that, regardless of finish time, I wasn't a fan of:

1. I did NOT think the expo was that well organized. The volunteer who distributed my packet seemed confused. Plus, it was a very small expo - virtually no marathon merchandise.

2. My pacer was terrible. We ran negative splits for the first four miles. The only thing consistent was that we got consistently faster. We were below pace for the first mile and got faster and faster from there. Plus, he was not friendly or approachable and was quite nasty when people tried to ask him questions about his strategy prior to the race. HMF either needs to have a Q&A at the expo for Pace Teams, hire professional pacers, or more carefully screen their volunteers.

3. I am all for going green. Really. But to not receive a bottle of water or Gatorade at the finish is ridiculous. The lines for filling my empty "Finisher" bottle were tremendous, as were the lines for the water fountain immediately at the finish. In addition, much of the food was gone very early.

4. My understanding was that there would be lots of bands/music. There were very few.

I loved the out-and-back to South Windsor, and the City of Hartford is beautiful. The finish area is beautiful. The race just wasn't what I would expect a major, ING-sponsored race to be.

This was my first marathon. I am not attracted to the big-crowd/big-city marathons, so I thought this would be a nice mid-sized event. It was just perfect for me. Expo and packet pickup the night before was good. I got there two minutes before close at 7:00, so there were no long-sleeved shirts left, but I guess that's my own fault for being one of the last to sign up. Race day: I found a pacesetter for my pace and ran with the group. He was right on target. There were bands throughout the course as promised, and that was nice. Seems like there was water and sports drink every mile, which can't be beat - especially in the second half. Was not completely flat, but hills were very manageable. Loved when we took runs through parks along the course. After mile 20, there were several volunteers on bicycles who came up to us offering gel - thanks for that! Also, the junk food around mile 20 hit the spot. Nothing like a peppermint patty to pick you up. All in all, I loved the experience.

Hartford has a mid-sized downtown area with a beautiful art museum. Twenty minutes outside of Hartford is beautiful. There's a 40-minute drive to casinos post marathon. I loved the marathon, and loved the state; 50-staters should run here.

Hartford was my first marathon, and overall I really, really enjoyed it. I thought the course was more than fair and allowed for a fast start, once you cleared the first mile or so, which was really congested. I had to weave around a woman at around a half-mile who was taking a leisurely trot mixed in with the three-hour group! Not much the race organizers could have done; every race seems to attract a fair number of "optimistic" runners! Would have been nice if there was a way to start the half and relay runners at a different point.

I have to agree with P.S. from Springfield; I started out with the 3:45 pace leader until I heard a woman behind me say, "Did we just run a 7:45 mile?!" I opted to trail the 3:40 pace leader instead, which got me in under my goal (even though he passed me in mile 23!). I would never trust a pace leader completely, but honestly, for a BQ, they really should be more consistent. Overall, however, a great race and I'd love to run it again next season.

I PRed at my eighth marathon in Hartford, which I attribute to better training, eating, weather and pace management; but I also credit Hartford.

Course: it was flat, in a nice, non-Florida way, with no more elevation gain than 60 feet, however the overpasses in the last six miles were testy. I didn't mind them. I anticipated them. There were no ugly parts on the course (a plus). I didn't mind the out-and-back in S. Windsor because it was very charming running in farm country. The river sections were scenic but not necessarily spectacular. Not a five, but a healthy four.

Organization: expo was decent-sized and had a little bit of everything. I got my Clif Bloks. Start queue directional signs were hard to follow but it was a good location in front of capitol. My pacer from NJ kept perfect time, although I outran her most of the day. Water stops were well stocked throughout with good volunteer help. Late race aids on bikes were good to be offering gels on course. Cops did a good job. Never saw Mile 1 or 26 mile markers. Clocks every mile.

Finish area through the arch was memorable with boxed fall flowers in finish chute. Medal and wrap receipt went well. Post-race food was passable and I ate it all. Beer garden was out of beer, which cost this race a five rating. NEVER let that happen again.

Spectators: scattered throughout the course. Never too many and never too far apart. Musical performers were better than most. My hotel (Sheraton) was a good host with a pre-race buffet breakfast that met all my needs. Running in New England on a fall day with near-peak colors on the trees, and 60-degree temps and cloudy skies was just about perfect.

16th Annual ING Hartford Marathon
Hartford, CT
Saturday, October 10, 2009
8:00 AM

I flew into Hartford, via Atlanta, on Thursday evening and stayed in downtown Marriott, which was within walking distance to packet pick-up/expo in XL Center and start/finish of the marathon in Bushnell Park. I took the public bus from the airport to downtown which dropped me off two blocks from Marriott. The bus fare was $1.25 and the ride took less than 20 minutes. The taxi fare was about $44. I also took the bus back to the airport for the return flight.

The packet pick-up was efficient. Each runner received a long-sleeved cotton T-shirt and a backpack. The expo was fairly good. I did not go to the pre-race pasta feast on Friday. Marriott had a pasta buffet for the runners and I joined.

The race morning temperature was in the 60s. It was cloudy, a bit windy, and rain-free. In short, we enjoyed good running weather. The start line was at the grounds of the state capitol, which is a fine-looking building. The start of the run was quite congested, as thousands of marathon, half-marathon, and relay-marathon runners took off at the same time. The race was well organized. A large number of volunteers in their white and orange jackets were everywhere. The course was fairly scenic. We ran through urban Hartford, suburban East Hartford, and rural South Windsor. I don't characterize the course as hilly, but it was not flat either - go figure! We ran the first few miles with the half-marathon runners. The course between mile four and mile 19 was out-and-back. There were ample water/Gatorade stations. There were sports gels in a few places. There were entertainers throughout the route. There were pace groups, large mile markers, and digitally displayed splits at various distances. There was sporadic crowd support. Whole Foods Market was in charge of refreshments at the finish line. There was also Harpoon Brewery Beer Garden. Hartford Marathon claims to be the greenest road race in the U.S. For example, there was a 40-person water bubbler at the finish line in place of handing out thousands of plastic water bottles to the finishers. We ran under the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch before crossing the finish line. Each finisher received a high quality medallion and a water bottle. There were 2,224 marathon finishers. The winning times were 2:25:21 (overall male), 2:46:31 (overall female), 2:29:13 (Masters male), and 2:53:29 (Masters female).

I am a 50-stater and this was #49.

My brother and I choose a marathon to run together every year. He lives in Texas and I live in Arkansas. We try to pick one as "far away" as possible. Hartford was fantastic! Nice people, wonderful support staff, and energetic spectators. I would highly recommend Hartford for anyone. Thanks for the "Southern Hospitality" up North. Oh yeah, thanks for the "junk food" stop over the last couple of miles. A few Starbursts and chocolates always do the trick.

Hartford may be a mid-sized Northeast city, but its marathon has a big-city feel. The start and finish in Bushnell Park were a rush. Not literally; the race start was pretty congested but not painfully so. The out-and-back course - not my favorite layout - was mostly flat, except around miles 20-22, when you re-cross the bridge over the Connecticut River, and go up several highway overpasses. There were plenty of fluid stations, volunteers were always right there with water and Gatorade, there were live bands, and cyclists were pedaling back and forth, handing out gels to the runners. The 4:45 group leader was friendly and enthusiastic, and she hit the splits like clockwork. Too bad I couldn't keep up and ended up flaming out in the second half of the race. Oh well. I still had a great time. Having the race fall on a Saturday during the long Columbus Day Weekend also was a bonus. This is a terrific New England race.

The course was actually quite bland. It was boring in the beginning and very uninspiring in the end. Do not run this race for the course. It would of been nice to see more of the historic Hartford. The river section was nice but way too short. the volunteers were very encouraging and really made the race. Thank you!! The race morning was a complete zoo, with more of a commercial feel with all of the vendors selling stuff. I didn't feel like I was going to run a marathon as much as go shopping. The food at the end was nothing special and impossible to find in the mess of 800 other white tents. There was no hot food or hot soup. Do the marathon only if you absolutely need to. It was nothing special, but not horrible either.

This was my third Hartford, so I knew to expect those hills (highway ramps) from mile 21 on. I feel that this is kind of cruel, but hey... it is a marathon. What isn't cruel?

Expo/packet pick-up needs help. For the third year in a row, it was out of control. Post bib numbers, have lines broken up by bib number and put the shirt where the packet pickup is. Stop putting us into three lines... PLEASE!

Volunteers are FAB-U-LOUS! How do you do it??? You are the best, and thank you for your work. Without you, nothing will happen.