Covering the Land of Lincoln

Racegoers of all kinds cheer on runners at the Eversource Hartford Marathon – Hartford Courant

Hartford — If there’s one unspoken rule of the Eversource Hartford Marathon, it’s that you don’t just root for one person — you cheer on everyone.

No one knows that better than the Hubbells. For the past three years, the family of six from Bristol has come out to support the runners in the Hartford Marathon.

More than 8,000 people from across the state and country participated in the 29th annual Hartford Marathon on Saturday, running the 26.2-mile marathon, 13.1-mile half marathon, 3.1-mile Charity 5K, and Team 26.2-mile relay race.

Mom Tia Hubbell said her favorite part each year is “Watching the accomplishment on the runner’s faces when they finish.” Her 8-year-old son loves the fist-bumps from passersby. But the entire family enjoys making runners smile with their hand-decorated signs.

In a sea of ​​posters dedicated to moms, dads, friends and loved ones, others provided motivational messages for all.

One sign read, “You’re impossibly fast and strong!” Another said, “You don’t sweat, you sparkle!” and “Pain is temporary. Race results are online forever.”

Leigh-Anne Spokane held a slightly less encouraging message. Her poster read, “Why? Why? Why?”

“I am not a runner. You couldn’t even make me run if you chased me,” Spokane laughed. “There’s not a part of me that could do it. I admire all these people, but I still think they’re nuts.”

Spokane came up from Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband Steve. The Hartford Marathon marked his 35th half-marathon on his quest to run a race in each state before turning 65. Earlier this year, he ran in Springfield, Illinois. In November, the 61-year-old will participate in a half marathon in Madison, Wisconsin.

Waving pink and purple pom-poms, Racquel Lunser and a “hype team” from Racquel Addiction Fitness came to cheer on 50 members from their Hartford gym who ran in Saturday’s events.

“So many people will say ‘I can’t do it,’ or they just feel like they’re not a runner,” Lunser said. “[I love] to see people that never really were runners accomplishing their goals.”

While spectators cheered, Troy Mogielnicki ran crowd control along the final turn. Mogielnicki was one of 2,000 volunteers. He has volunteered for the last 20 years through the Hospital for Special Care.

“I can’t run any more so it’s nice to be able to be part of it in some way,” Mogielnicki said.

The chants, cowbells and airhorns grew deafening as the marathon participants ran the final yards to the finish line.

Christine Myers of Altamont, New York, won the Hartford Marathon in 2021. This year, she came in sixth.

Myers said that with each marathon, her favorite part is the feeling of completing the race.

“You’re running for other people,” Myers said. “It’s not for you, it’s for others.”

Jennifer Fannon of Burlington ran in honor of her father who passed away from brain cancer in 2012.

As she crossed the finish line, Fannon, overcome with emotion, began to cry as her friends and family greeted her.

“It felt empowering. I worked years to get a Boston [Marathon] qualifier time, and I finally did it,” she said.

Arynne Moody from Pennsylvania said she ran this marathon for herself during an ongoing battle with bulimia.

“The fact that I can still do it … that’s what’s important,” Moody said. “At the finish, the runner’s high is such a real thing. You’re hurting, but for at least a couple of seconds when you cross that finish line, you don’t feel a thing.”

Moody crossed the finish line beside Jennifer Small of New Hampshire. Saturday marked their 15th marathon. To passersby, the women looked like life-long friends, but they had just met last weekend.

“Running is like that, you just life each other up,” Moody said.

“You’re just instantly friends,” Small said. “[With] the camaraderie, everyone I ran by was cheering, saying ‘Good job! High-five!’… Running unites people.”

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