A New Britain man won the Eversource Hartford Marathon Saturday and a woman from Maine won the women's category.
Thousands of runners from all over the country pounded the pavement in Downtown Hartford to cross the finish line in front of an exuberant crowd Saturday morning.
Jonas Hampton, of New Britain, took first place overall. He's the first Hartford area man to win the marathon since 1994, according to race officials. He finished in an unoffical time of 2:15:57 and was in the 25- to 29-year-old division. Hampton used to run competitively at the Unversity of Hartford, according to race officials.
Matt Pelletier, of Oneco, Connecticut, who won the marathon last year when he was a resident of Rhode Island, placed second, finishing with an unofficial time of 2:17:57, race officials said.
Meanwhile, Erica Jesseman, of Scarbourough, Maine won the women's event, coming in 19th place overall. It was her third year to come in first for women. She was in the 25- to 29-year-old category, clocking an unofficial time of 2:41:41.
Harbert Okuti of New Paltz, New York, captured the winner’s medal in the half-marathon for the second year in a row.
“I love the atmosphere. I love the crowd in Hartford,” said Okuti.
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Sarah Hutchings, of Boulder, Colorado, said her win in the women's category of the half-marathon was her first since returning to competitive racing.
“There’s people everywhere. There’s people screaming and cheering and it was definitely a really fun atmosphere,” Hutchings said.
Brad Rydz knows the adrenalin rush the runners feel as they head into the finish. After competing in the last two half-marathons, he hung up his running shoes this year to cheer on his girlfriend.
“So many people are always here to support you and everyone comes together,” said Brad Rydz, of Naugatuck.
The energy of the crowd made it as much of a thrill for the runners as for those cheering from the sidelines.
“It’s really exciting. There’s so many people and everybody’s so encouraging for everyone else,” said Peter Kubic of Seymour, who came to cheer on his wife and daughter in the half-marathon.
The CEO of Eversource, the marathon’s main sponsor, said despite the rain, last year’s marathon generated more than $13-million to the local economy. With Mother Nature cooperating this year, Tom May estimated this year’s economic impact could reach $15-million.
“The city will be packed, the restaurants will be full, people will be shopping in downtown,” May said before the races.
The marathon not only promotes physical fitness, but also raises money for charity. Fifteen-percent more runners signed up with official charities this year, generating two-million dollars for local non-profits, according to May.
In addition to the marathon and half marathon, there was a 5K and marathon relay.
See the full unofficial race results on the Hartford Marathon Foundation website.
