Race Report: Torrington Road Race

Today, I'll be recapping the annual Torrington Road Race. There were 5 mile run and 2.83 mile walk options.

Bib that got very crumpled in the heat.

Date: August 9, 2026

Town: Torrington, CT, USA

Distance: 5 miles

Conditions: It was a bright, sunny day for the 2026 event, but less humid than I feared. It was 82°F (28°C) at the race start time of 10am. I felt this start time was too late for this time of year, it would have been better to start at 8am.

Parking: There was no signage or other indication of where to park. I flagged down a runner wearing a bib to ask him where to go - everyone was parking at a very large shopping plaza right near the start line, which was in a downtown park (with no parking of its own). I've been to that plaza many times, a funny coincidence.

Check In: Bib pickup took place in a building at Coe Memorial Park, where the start/finish line were. The volunteers were very friendly and thanked me for coming to the race from out of town. Bibs and very cute tech tanks were neatly organized into bags for each runner.

Course Description: We started right on time with a starting gun. The course was well-marked and marshalled, with 6 (I think) water stops over the 5 mile course.

The first 2/3 of a mile consisted of a lap around the park and surrounding streets. From there, runners cut through downtown and up a long hill into residential and former industrial neighborhoods. That is a very common setting for a former manufacturing hub like Torrington. There are many historic buildings to admire and a number of little bridges over rivers and streams.

There were a number of hills, one or more per mile. By the third mile, we were running along a long stretch of mostly vacant buildings and some of the runners were flagging. We made a hairpin turn and enjoyed a water stop (with ice cubes available) around Mile 3, which was mostly downhill. However, it was also on asphalt and felt horrifically hot on a day like this.

Partway through the fourth mile, after passing Forbes School, there was a lady with a garden hose. That was the only hose that graced the course! I told her that was a great idea and it really did refresh me for the next half mile, at least.

The last mile brought runners back through downtown. Unfortunately, the last hill occurs with just a quarter mile to go. Thankfully, the actual finish is downhill into the park. One more note of caution: the finish line was on grass, and after 5 miles on pavement I stumbled a little as I switched to that squishy grass surface.

Course Map

Afterparty: There was a live band playing before the race, but they were gone by the time I finished. Granted, it took me over an hour so that's probably my fault. There was, regrettably, only warm water at the finish line in terms of refreshments.