Hundreds of runners stepped off for the New Haven Road Race on Monday morning.
The air was cool and the sky overcast for the 5K, 20K and half marathon.
“I’m excited. I’ve done races before but this is my first time running in New Haven so I’m pumped, ready to go,” said Debby Foster, a runner from Bloomfield.
Foster and Kevin Lewis ran the 5K for the first time.
“We run 5Ks throughout the summer and we were told by another runner about this race so we thought it would be a good opportunity,” said Kevin Lewis, a runner from Bloomfield.
The course winds its way past Yale University, East Rock Park and the New Haven Green. It has become a favorite for Stephen Diaz-Romero. This was his second year running the half marathon.
“I actually trained for the last three months so I actually feel really good. I definitely want to beat my time from last year,” said Stephen Diaz-Romero, a runner from New Haven.
Diaz-Romero made a goal to beat his time from last year of two hours and 15 minutes. He accomplished his goal and finished the half marathon in one hour and 56 minutes.
The New Haven Road race is the longest running USA Track and Field Championship.
Leonard Korir from Kenya won the half marathon with a time of 59:05.
