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Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers
It's here! Our annual list of the year's best marathons to help you qualify for the Boston Marathon.
The Hartford Marathon showcases the revitalized riverfronts of Hartford and East Hartford with breathtaking views of the Connecticut River and classic New England charm of Old Main Street, South Windsor.
The Hartford Marathon was the 47th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 47th largest in 2022.
Last year 13% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 13.5% of runners qualified for Boston in 2022.
This gives the Hartford Marathon the 125th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 109th highest percentage in 2022.
Its Course Score of 98.39 ranks it as the 288th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 1st fastest course in Connecticut.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are within the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Hartford Marathon a PR Score of 98.39. This PR Score ranks it as the 225th fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 1st fastest in Connecticut.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Hartford Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 182 feet (55m) Min Elevation: 15 feet (4m)
Great organization - the event draws a large number of runners and spectators and the start/finish area is beautiful making for a great atmosphere. Time of year is great, usually 50s. Full course is OK - its changed recently so it depends on what it will be in the future but the run through West Hartford is enjoyable given crowd support. Hills are manageable. The flat portion through East Hartford/South Windsor has much less turnout but is fairly flat. Looping back on Main St in South Windsor isnt great but it's fine and at least you get "double" the crowd support.
I liked the atmosphere and start and finish across the street from our hotel "The Capital hotel". The course was fairly flat. Everything was close to downtown and our hotel. I'm one of those runners that really doesn't take in the scenery. I'm more focused on time and maybe the runners in front of me. Nice medal good expo.
Race Tips
Stay at The Capital hotel. Beautiful fall colours.
If you're like me and you're hellbent on getting to Boston, then this is one of the best marathons for it. Because it's in mid October, it's very early in a "Boston Marathon Qualification Cycle" (which spans from September to September of the following year). You can run the Hartford Marathon and, depending on how well you did, you can spend the next 9 or 10 months training for another marathon later in the qualification cycle with some valuable lessons learned, adjustments made to training, etc., to make the cut for Boston.
Also, mid October usually means cool running weather, which is a plus. The course is mostly flat from the halfway point until the last mile, and has a fairly high rate of BQers (13%). Hartford has a pretty cool "big city" feel, and this marathon is THE running event in the state of Connecticut. Lots of people turn out and help make it special by cheering on the runners.
Though it's a small touch, one of my favorite things about the race is the bib pickup at the XL Center (where the Hartford Wolfpack hockey team plays). They had big displays with the photos of the best local runners that were competing, and also large displays with the bibs of the previous years winners. It really did make me feel like I was participating in a major competition.
Race Tips
If you're trying to get a sub 3 hour marathon and are relying on a 3 hour pacer group, you may be out of luck. I didn't see a 3 hour pacer group, which is a bummer. Because the half marathon and the marathon start at the same time, your best bet is to run with the 90 minute half marathon pacer group until the race splits them off.
Get to the Capitol 1 hour early. Get some stretches in. Take some selfies.
MF's review of 2022 Hartford Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
This is a gem of a race. It's incredibly well-organized with a decent course - well, actually it's like 3 courses. The first 8 miles or so are a rolling loop through Hartford and East Hartford with a dizzying array of turns, the next 16 are an out and back which feature a straight 9 miles (4.5 out and 4.5 back) through South Windsor, followed by a 2.2 mile jaunt back into Hartford for the finish (which includes a third of a mile climb, not steep, but definitely a climb, up a bridge.
The 9-mile out and back looked tedious on course videos posted on YouTube, but the folks in South Windsor turned out in force for the race. You want to talk about good spectator support! This actually turned out to be the most exciting part of the race.
The finish area in Bushnell Park was akin to a town festival. There were a lot of exhibitors, food, a beer garden, bands, massage tents, etc.
Race Tips
The course rolls. Nothing too extreme, but some of the uphills in the first 10K are up to a quarter mile long, so be a bit cautious early on. The out and back portion is pretty fast.
Arrive early. I got to my parking lot, which was a few blocks from the start, 70 minutes before the race. By the time I got my gear checked, the lines for the porta-potties were long. Luckily, I got to the start five minutes before the gun went off - and the lines for the porta-potties were still astronomically long.
Dena D's review of 2021 Hartford Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
The thing that stands out most for me about this marathon is the volunteers! They were plenty and awesome! From the water stations to the volunteers on bikes, they were the best! The course was beautiful, I thought, with some water, some green, and some lovely homes to look at while we were running. I'm glad I chose this race for my Connecticut marathon!
Race Tips
It's a bit hilly but just enough to not get bored.
They did not mention anywhere on their website that they had race shuttles. We only discovered it when we were waiting outside our hotel for our Uber! We stayed across the river in East Hartford and would have been able to walk to more places had we stayed closer to the start.
