Do not do this race with a race the day before and then a 6 hour drive. My legs were tired and it made hills go on forever . It … MORE
Do not do this race with a race the day before and then a 6 hour drive. My legs were tired and it made hills go on forever . It was easy to pick up bib race day and there was no charge. We gear checked out shirts and went to line of potties before the start of the race . They had pacers with extra large signs to spot. The course was clearly marked with large signs so no change of wrong turn. They were lots of volunteers with water and nun. There was one station with gu. They had music a few stops on the course, When you finished , you had the banana and chips but there was also scrambled eggs, potato’s , and sassage which I ate in line waiting for my free massage. We stayed at an airbnd and walked to the race . As others have said, we did to check off the state in our fifty states, if we come back we will do the 10k
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Great scenery but hills
Do not do this race with a race the day before and then a 6 hour drive. My legs were tired and it made hills go on forever . It … MORE
Do not do this race with a race the day before and then a 6 hour drive. My legs were tired and it made hills go on forever . It was easy to pick up bib race day and there was no charge. We gear checked out shirts and went to line of potties before the start of the race . They had pacers with extra large signs to spot. The course was clearly marked with large signs so no change of wrong turn. They were lots of volunteers with water and nun. There was one station with gu. They had music a few stops on the course, When you finished , you had the banana and chips but there was also scrambled eggs, potato’s , and sassage which I ate in line waiting for my free massage. We stayed at an airbnd and walked to the race . As others have said, we did to check off the state in our fifty states, if we come back we will do the 10k
Pleasant, coastal tour of Mystic.
Race day weather was cool, but pleasant. The course started just outside of Olde Mistick Village. From there, it meander through downtown, across the drawbridge and along the river through … MORE
Race day weather was cool, but pleasant. The course started just outside of Olde Mistick Village. From there, it meander through downtown, across the drawbridge and along the river through some nice residential areas. This portion of the course was generally flat.
The back half of the course was considerably hillier and included some trail portions ( gravel covered). This is New England though, and it is to be expected on any course up here.
There were several water stations with water and electrolyte drinks. The safety, officers and volunteers were very friendly on the course.
The race ended at the aquarium back in old Mystic. The metal teacher to see you third old witch but nice with the finish line vibe. The furniture sure was pretty nice for a smaller race like this. There was merchandise and refreshment available in the finish line area as well.
I enjoyed this race and would recommend it to anyone visiting Connecticut close to the race weekend.
Turtle Medal but not Turtle Friendly
This is a half marathon produced by Hartford Marathon Foundation. They produce great races but have kind of tight time limits. I was planning to be in New England this … MORE
This is a half marathon produced by Hartford Marathon Foundation. They produce great races but have kind of tight time limits. I was planning to be in New England this weekend and decided to do this race as part of the Crabby Challenge which includes the Surftown Half in September and a 5K or 10K in July. For the race I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Mystic. It is very convenient and right at the start line but it is up a hill which is annoying post-race. I arrived in Mystic around 3pm Saturday and got packet Saturday. Packet is in Mystic Village. There is not really an expo. Just bib pick up and shirt pick up and a booth selling some merchandise. The shirt is tech. Simple design but nice color and one I will wear. It is fun to look at the shops in Mystic Village. Race morning is quite organized with the start on the street in front of my hotel. I really lucked out with weather as it rained between my races but was pretty perfect weather during both of them this weekend. I was a bit nervous for this race since there is a 3 hour time cutoff and you need to reach the 10K split at mile 5.9 in 1:20. I’ve been running right around 3 hours and prefer more wiggle room which is why I said this is not the most turtle friendly race. Luckily they had 3 hour pacers. I knew if I stuck with the pacers I should be fine. There was about 1500 runners between the 10K and half which is a nice number. No corrals but you lined up by pacers. I lined up with the 3 hour pacers. Race started at 7am which is perfect so it’s not super early but also avoids getting too hot later in the race and allows time to shower after the race. The course is on open roads but most had no cars and any that had a few cars had a running area coned off. But this is a real quiet area so the open roads did affect the race. I really love the first 5 to 6 miles of the course before the split. This part was lovely with views of the Mystic river and seaport and lots of historical houses and buildings. It was also relatively flat with no major hills. The pacers were doing run-walk which I appreciated but not really any hills that I would have needed to walk in this section. If you aren’t a crazy half fanatic who does a half almost every weekend I would recommend just doing the 10K for this race as it goes through all the best parts. The next 7 or so miles are fine but kind of monotonous. They are just through wooded streets. It is pretty for about a mile then kind of boring. This part is hilly. Luckily miles 6 through 9 are net uphill and 10 through 12 net downhill so the final miles are faster. A few hills are quite steep. My GPS had 500-600 feet elevation gain. Difficulty a little above average between 3 and 4 sneakers. I rounded up because of the time limit. Course is well marked though I did see someone almost miss the turn around at this out and back portion (most of the race is a loop with a small out and back around mile 7-8). Lots of aid stations. All had water and Nuun. A few had gels. There were also mile markers with clocks. However there are not many spectators but there were a few musical acts/DJs on course. The finish line was at the aquarium which is cool. I was very happy I managed to run a bit under 3 hours especially with the hills. They did have finishers over 3 hours so I’m not sure how strict they really are with the time limit but I don’t like taking chances so I really wish it were 3:30 or 4 hours. I absolutely loved the medal. It has a sea turtle design and it is actually after a specific sea turtle in the aquarium and the ribbon has her name and the back of the medal facts about her. There were basic post race snacks like granola and bananas and a breakfast buffet with eggs, potatoes and sausage. I didn’t eat the sausage. The potatoes were delicious. Overall I thought this was a very good race. Excellent production and I loved the first half of the race. Also Mystic is a very fun place for a weekend trip. For the location alone I would definitely recommend this race to 50 staters as long as you know you can finish in the time limit. I liked this race more than Savin’ Rock which I also did in CT but Savin’ Rock had a much longer time limit so it is a better choice if you are an over 3 hours half marathoner. As I am moving to New England and Mystic is one of my favorite weekend trip destinations I will likely do this race again. I hope I get back to my normal speed so 3 hours is a bit easier for me if I do it again.
Charming small town race
I have always wanted to run this race and finally got my chance. It's a beautiful tour of Mystic by foot. I've been told the second half is boring, but … MORE
I have always wanted to run this race and finally got my chance. It’s a beautiful tour of Mystic by foot. I’ve been told the second half is boring, but it’s basically on streets in the woods so it’s still pretty and wonderfully shady. I got to town on Saturday and they offered early packet pickup which I took advantage of. My boyfriend, bless his heart, came up with me and drove me down the road from our hotel to the race start. Don’t be fooled by the more expensive hotels that are right by Mystick Village, we were about a half mile down the road and the hotel cost about half as much. It was also easy for him to come back to see me finish at the aquarium.
We had beautiful weather and the course is basically flat for the first half with the hills I’d actually label as hills in the second half, the worst of which (in my opinion) are right after the split from the 10k and up to mile 12.
They didn’t seem super strict on the time limit as I saw a few people behind the 3 hour pacer by a good amount and there was a race bicycle support person following behind. As long as you get to around the split with the 10k in around an hour and a half they don’t seem too crazy about the limit which is nice, past years having results up to about 3:30.
The medal this year was pretty awesome and your race bib got you some discounts in town including 20% off aquarium tickets which we took advantage of. I will definitely be doing this one again.
Mystic-al!
I enjoyed this race! It’s small and doesn’t have a lot of course support by way of cheering crowds - fine by me, but if you’re looking for a large, … MORE
I enjoyed this race! It’s small and doesn’t have a lot of course support by way of cheering crowds – fine by me, but if you’re looking for a large, boisterous affair, this isn’t your race. The course goes through the downtown, plus many miles of forest and quiet roads (all paved). Don’t take the “rolling hills” lightly, though — they were all along the course, so be sure to prep! The packet pickup was fine – the race swag isn’t particularly exciting (just a t-shirt and eventual medal) and there wasn’t an expo. But the Olde Mistick Village, where pickup happened, was nice to wander around.
Overall, fun and relatively fast, plus the town of Mystic really provides a cute weekend getaway.
Scenic Half in CT
HMF Events always puts on a solid race event. Mystic was no different. Plenty of port-o-potties, solid race support throughout, well organized, and I never felt like I was lost … MORE
HMF Events always puts on a solid race event. Mystic was no different. Plenty of port-o-potties, solid race support throughout, well organized, and I never felt like I was lost (back of the pack runner here). This course was nice and scenic along the CT coast in the quaint New England town of Mystic. Nice shirts and medals, good post race beer and food. Bag check if you need it.
The area is nice
Mystic itself is cute, everything is pretty convenient. The race itself was one I wouldn't run again. If you need a race with lots of people out on the course … MORE
Mystic itself is cute, everything is pretty convenient. The race itself was one I wouldn’t run again. If you need a race with lots of people out on the course to cheer you on, this isn’t the race for you.
Bib pickup, at least for me, was at the old Mystic Village, which is a small collection of stores located next to the aquarium. It was pretty simple, and pretty fast as long as the volunteers aren’t ignoring you and having their own conversation. The shirt pickup is in a different part of Mystic Village, there’s a single sign to point directions, and after that you have to know where to go, because there’s no one to give you directions and no additional signage. I had to ask another runner who already had a shirt, and had several other runners asking me when they saw I had my shirt. There isn’t a expo, but the running store Kelley’s Pace in the village has really great and helpful staff. The store is small, but worth the visit.
The race start is a mess. Or at least it was this year. The 10k and the half start together, with no division of runners. So it was a blob start with some runners lined up down the straight part of the road, and others coming up from the village. This created a traffic jam.
Make sure to use the restroom before you leave where ever you’re staying. There were 4 (?) porter johns at the start, and 1 or 2 every 3 or more miles along the race route.
Water along the route was about every 2 miles, and at the water stops they also had NUUN, which was a great change from Gatorade which I normally find on courses. There were time clocks at every miler marker.
The first 6 miles are gently rolling, after the 10k splits off to finish the half goes up a large hill, after which it’s both rolling and large hills for the remainder of the course. The scenery of the course is fairly attractive. You start just outside of Old Mystic Village, and end in front of the aquarium, making the course a loop. To start you run down the main street of Mystic and over their drawbridge. You go around the water, where there’s a nice breeze. After that isn’t a mix of back roads, and roads with houses.
The end of the race is in front of the Mystic Aquarium itself.