Race Report: Cider Mill Road Race

Today, I'll be reviewing the Cider Mill Road Race, which is held as part of a larger festival. There is a 5k, a 1 mile run, and a kids fun run.

Date: October 3, 2026

Town: Tolland, CT, USA

Distance: 5k 

Conditions: It was a breezy, sunny day for the 2026 event. It was 64°F (18°C) when the race started at 10:30am, but I thought it felt warmer in the sun.

Parking: There was limited parking as Crandall Park, where the race started and ended. There was a very small parking lot next to the park by some athletic fields, and it was completely full. I ended up following the advice of the pre-race email and parking at the Intermediate School in town. From there, I was able to cross the street and take a paved path about 2/3 of a mile to Crandall Park. I used that as a warm-up exercise.

Check In: There was no line at check-in, which was in a covered pavilion.

Course Description: This was a road race, as the name indicates. The lollipop-shaped course starts on a slight uphill about 2/3 of a mile in, you come to a long hill. There was a water stop after another downhill. There is a decently long flat section with another water stop just before the turnaround loop into a neighborhood. The stop was positioned so that it could be visited on both ends of that loop. From there, runners retraced their steps to the start line.

The scenery on the route was very nice, with a number of historic homes decorated for autumn and Halloween. The fall colors were on display as well.

Course Map

Afterparty: The festival starts after the races are finished, but there was still fun music being played at the start/finish. There was very limited water available at the finish line, accompanied by granola bars.