Race Report: Fishbein/YMCA Community Road Race

Today, I'll be recapping the Fishbein/YMCA Road Race, which is held as part of a larger festival in downtown Wallingford. There is a 5k run, a 1 mile health walk, and a 1 mile kids race.

Date: October 4, 2026

Town: Wallingford, CT, USA

Distance: 5k 

Conditions: It was a brisk, sunny day for the 2026 event. It was 54°F (12°C) when the race started at 9:10am. There was a breeze but it was not excessively windy,

Parking: I was confused by the parking instructions. There were a number of road closures for the accompanying festival, which included food stalls and many different vendors across multiple blocks. The parking lots marked on the pre-race email were near the start or finish lines, but looked very small and this is a large race. I should have parked at the train station downtown, but instead I parked at the Quinnipiac Linear Trail over a mile from the start line and used that commute as my warmup.

Check In: There was no line at check-in, which was at a table just outside the YMCA. I arrived a scant 15 minutes before the race began, having misjudged the parking situation.

Course Description: The course starts on a downhill, which continues for about a mile. Runners turn into a neighborhood for a loop turnaround and there is a water station around the halfway point. Then, the course continues back uphill toward the start line until a left turn, indicated by the course marshals, sends runners up a rather steep hill (Sylvan Ave). At the top of the hill, marshals are positioned to turn runners right and from there, the last half mile or so is flat until the finish line.

Course Map

Afterparty: A cheering crowd greeted the runners at the finish line. There were speakers playing upbeat music. The snack table offered apples, clementines, bottled water, and donuts from a well-loved local establishment: Neil's Donuts. As I headed back to my car, I saw the festival was gearing up and I think there were signs indicating it would start around noon.