Today, I will be recapping the Jack O'Keefe Memorial Strides Road Race. The 2025 race was the 48th running of the event, which benefits the Arc Eastern CT organization. The org supports programming for individuals with special needs. The event offers 5k and 10k distances and I chose to complete the 10k race.
Course Map
Town: Waterford, CT, USA
Distance: 10km
Conditions: It was a very sunny morning with minimal wind. It was incredibly sunny, just like yesterday. It was 62F when the race started, and my car thermometer read 82F after the race. The sun was quite strong for October and I felt unseasonably hot. I was surprised at the lack of a breeze, as we were very close to Long Island Sound.
Parking: There was plenty of parking on a nice smooth, grassy field. There were many capable attendants who directed me expertly into a spot.
Check In: This process was very smooth and organized. I had registered in advance, so I proceeded to the pre-registration table and retrieved my swag bag. This consisted of a high-quality reusable shopping bag with my bib, pins, cookies, a tech shirt, and some other freebies from sponsors.
Same-day registration is permitted, and there was a separate table for those participants to pick up swag. The swag was the same for 10k and 5k runners, but the bibs are different colors and sizes for the benefit of the volunteers.
Course Description: The 10k and 5k courses are different - I was delighted to sign up for the 10k when I realized it was not just 2 loops of the 5k course!
The 10k starts behind the 5k start line, and proceeds uphill into a 1-mile loop of Camp Harkness. After completing that loop, we ran down the camp driveway and turned onto the main road. The course was fully marshalled police and fire personnel, which was very helpful because roads were open to through traffic.
The second mile was mostly flat, then the third mile started a gradual uphill climb. This part of the course overlapped the 5k race and I saw many of my run club friends heading back toward the camp as I trudged up the hill. The third mile finished downhill with a water stop.
The fourth mile took 10k runners through a couple of rolling hills, then into a gradually sloping coastal neighborhood. There were lovely views of Long Island Sound and its beaches. I also saw the Cross Sound Ferry and heard it sound the horn. The neighborhood loop sent runners back onto the main road and we ran the last two miles back the way we came, with rolling hills and a water stop on the way back to Camp Harkness. The finish was downhill, and my Garmin tells me there was ~200ft of elevation gain across 10k, so not too hilly.
Afterparty: There was a well-catered lunch right after the race, including many tasty beverages (soda, juice, Gatorade), sandwiches, and wraps. I noticed the refreshments were getting a little sparse by the time I rolled into the finish line, because there were a lot more 5k participants than 10k participants. I think there were ~25 runners in the 10k and over 100 in the 5k. Still, I got the wrap of my choice and a diet ginger ale so no complaints!
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