I'm going back in time a few weeks to write this race report. This is a new event and I want to describe the course for future runners since it was a little different from what I was expecting. Here's my recap of the It's All Downhill from Here 5k.
Course Map
Date: 2 August, 2025
Town: Wilton, CT, USA
Distance: 5k
Conditions: Surprisingly cool evening for early August - it was 79 F when the race began. It was mostly sunny and there was quite a bit of daylight left after the race, given that the start time was 6:30PM.
Parking: Parking was somewhat limited at the start line - which was at Ambler Farm in Wilton, CT. I did find that there was a large secondary parking lot at the farm, but it was only accessible from a different side street and it was not obvious how to get to that lot for those unfamiliar with the local area.
Check In: This was a simple process at Ambler Farm. There were port-a-potties by the start line and a handwashing station with real soap and water. I arrived early (for once) because I needed to grab my race t-shirt and send my intrepid spouse to the finish line to retrieve me because this was a point-to-point race! More on that in a minute.
The farm was host to a number of adorable animals and appears to host educational events for children. There were quite a few farm animals, including sheep, goats, chickens, and rabbit. Here are some cute pics I took of the different rabbit cages while exploring before the race.
Course Description: This was advertised as a net-downhill race, and it absolutely was, dropping 87m from start-to-finish on a point-to-point course. The race started in the parking lot of Ambler Farm and immediately proceeded on local roads. There was an immediate downhill, followed by the sharpest uphill climb of the race. From there, the rest of the first mile continued downhill on local roads before turning onto the Norwalk River Valley Trail for the remainder of the race. The trail is not paved, it has a crushed gravel surface of a fine texture. It was comfortable to run on.
The second mile was rolling hills, which I was not expecting. Most of the elevation loss in this race occurred in a few steep downhills so there was more climbing in the humid evening weather than I was expecting. There were a couple of road crossings in this mile, as well.
The final mile included a wooden bridge crossing and another steep downhill before a gentle sloping finish. There was a large parking lot at the finish line, and several people had either staged cars there or arranged to be picked up. Some people did walk the 5k uphill to the start line after parking at the finish line, too.
Afterparty: The festivities at the finish line were hosted by a local car dealership. Local media was in attendance and were chatting amiably with participants. An announcer greeted each finisher by name. I was wearing my Run 169 shirt, which represents my running club whose members aim to run a timed race in each of the 169 towns and municipalities in Connecticut. The announcer noticed and asked how many towns I had run in so far (110).
There was a handsome spread of bagels and granola bars, along with oranges. They had those orange sports jugs of water and it was a little challenging to get a good cupful out of those. My husband and I proceeded to a local diner, so I did not grab any of the snacks.
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