Thousands Expected at Hartford Marathon

Thousands of people will be heading to Bushnell Park in Hartford on Saturday morning for the Eversource Hartford Marathon and half marathon and plans are in place to reroute traffic.

More than 17,000 runners are expected, including Jodi Palerma, who will be running the race for the fifth time.

She said the spectators make this race special.

“It's really tough out there, especially after mile 15, so it's really encouraging to see crowds out there. Helps get all the runners through it," she said.

Hartford Police have spent months on the security plan, which includes eyes on the ground and from above as uniformed officers work each corner and police use a real-time crime center.

"It's all our technologies into one,” Deputy Police Chief Brian Foley said. “There's a video mesh of the entire area downtown where the marathon is."

Police are asking people to be aware of their surroundings and let authorities know if they see anything suspicious.

Officers will also help to direct traffic along the course, which goes through Hartford, West Hartford, East Hartford and South Windsor.

Several roads will temporarily close. See the list here.

More than 100 tents will be set up Bushnell Park, offering an expo, athlete services, a beer garden and more.

Thousands of volunteers also help make this event a success by taking on tasks including the filling of 12,000 water bottles.

The marathon has an economic impact of an economic impact of more than $13 million and marathon staff encourage everyone to come out.

"Weather is looking beautiful for tomorrow, so we're looking good, we're excited," Josh Miller said.

The race starts at 8 a.m., with a wheelchair start at 7:55 a.m.
 

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