Today, I will be recapping the River Run for the Fund. This race has been hosted by the James A. Greenleaf, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund since at least 2011.
Course Map
Town: New London, CT, USA
Distance: 5km
Conditions: The morning of the race dawned warm and steamy, but overcast so at least we were not baking in the sun. It was 70F for the 2025 race with a light breeze throughout most of the run, especially the sections along Long Island Sound.
Parking: Parking was plentiful near the start line, as the race began and ended in New London's Ocean Beach Park. I had never been to this park before but it was very convenient to walk back and forth from registration to the parking lot without crossing any streets.
Check In: Checking in was a fast, smooth process. Runners were provided with a laminated card to trade in for a long-sleeved tech shirt at a separate table, which was a great idea. We also received a free raffle ticket each and there were many fun prizes, including adult beverages, gift cards to local restaurants, gift certificate to AMC movie theatres, and gift baskets with various themes.
Course Description: This road race was not marshalled, I don't recall seeing any volunteers along the route. There were green arrow signs marking each turn, which was helpful. The course was a lollipop shape, with runners heading out onto neighborhood streets to start and coming back along LI Sound to finish where we started.
The race started out on a slight uphill on residential streets, then went up and down some slight inclines for the rest of the first mile. There was a steeper uphill at approximately the half way point, followed by the steepest downhill of the race to bring us to a road along the Sound. We then turned to run along the sound for another mile, with the last half mile or so leading back through gently sloping residential roads back to Ocean Beach Park. Overall, it was a relatively flat and fast course. I think it would have great PR potential on a cool day with less humidity.
Afterparty: The start/finish line at Ocean Beach Park had several tables of refreshments. The snack spread was admirable - no granola bars or pre-packaged snacks this time. There was a sumptuous spread of cheese and crackers, plus multiple trays of fresh cut fruit. In addition to plenty of water, the onsite bar was open and selling draft beer.
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