14 running, walking, and ultra events in Hamden, Connecticut

Do you have a hard time staying motivated over the winter months? If so join Team Mossman Triathlon Club for our winter running challenge.

The challenge consists of 3 runs (These runs are not timed) that Start with a 10K and build up to a Half Marathon. All courses are loops or out and back runs so you can adjust the distances to meet your training needs.

This is a great opportunity to train with Team Mossman during the cold winter months. All proceeds from this event go into the Team Mossman 2026 budget to fund other Team events. We encourage everyone to bring their own nutrition but we will offer water on the 15K and Half Marathon runs.

01/11/2026 - 10K (MSA to the top of York Hill and Back)

02/01/2026 - 15K (All on the Farmington Canal Trail)

02/15/2026 - Half Marathon (Beardsley Park)

All 3 runs will start at 7:00am. 10k AND 15K will start from MSA. Half Marathon will be at Beardsley Park in Bridgeport.

Everyone who finishes all 3 races will get a 3d printed finisher "medal"

Join us Saturday, April 25th, at Quinnipiac University's campus as we walk together in the fight against rare diseases.

We invite participants to walk in support of one of our charity partners:

Denise D'Ascenzo Foundation, National Fragile X Foundation CT Chapter, Galactosemia Foundation, Hope in Focus, Moyamoya Foundation, Peace Love & ACCESSibility, Project Purple, PWS Families United, We Bear This Together, CdLS Foundation, and The Children's Tumor Foundation.

The 2-mile-walk kicks off at 10am. Can't join us in person? Register for the virtual walk and we will mail your shirt & bib out to you!

Contact [email protected] with any questions!

HAMDEN/NORTH HAVEN YMCA & NEW HAVEN YMCA YOUTH CENTER

COLOR RUN

FAMILY RUN & 5K TRAIL RUN

10:00am | for Family Color Run

10:30am | for the 5K Trail Run

May 9, 2026

The first 100 pre-registered participants will receive a Y giveaway. Water stations will be available throughout the event. Race Line Start Services will be providing the bibs and pins for all the 5K Trail runners.

Register in person:

New Haven YMCA Youth Center

50 Howe Street New Haven CT 06511

Register race day:

9:00AM-9:30AM

Our 15^th Annual Event!

We start at 7am to beat the heat! Early starters go at 6:30am.

THE COURSE

Our Half Marathon course is challenging and picturesque as you run through the back country of Hamden. The Half Marathon runs on the Rail-Trail for the first 2 miles and the last 2 miles offering a bit of flat, shady ground to enjoy.

Roads are open to traffic, but we have police and volunteers at intersections along the course.

USATF Measured Half Marathon Course & 5K.

The 5K is 100% on the rail-trail for a flat and fast finish. No cars.

Hamden's longest running Half Marathon & 5K and by far, the best!

Aid stations at miles 2.5, 4.5, 6.5, 8.5 and 10.5 stocked with Poland Spring Water & Gatorade Endurance.

Porto-Lets at the Start / Finish as well as Miles 4.5 and 8.5

Half Marathon course including elevation (STRAVA)

5K course including elevation (STRAVA)

Venue: New Haven / Northampton

Railroad Canal Line Main Parking Lot

4340 Farmington Heritage Canal Trail

Hamden, CT. 06518

Plenty of parking in all Rail Trail lots plus on-street. Don't park in the Dunkin, Amity Liquors lot. You may be towed.

THE ENTRANT STUFF

Men's and Women's cut Short Sleeve Tech T-Shirts for all entrants.

Half Marathon Finishers can choose between 2 designs of our Famous Dragon Finisher Medals.

Poland Spring Water, Gatorade Endurance, fresh bagels, and bananas at the finish line for all Finishers.

Custom awards for the top 3 Men and Women overall and in every 5 year division for the Half Marathon and 5K (From 15 years old to 80+).

FREE Downloadable Race Photos and Finisher Certificates by EliteFeats.

TIMING AND RESULTS

Transponder Timing and Results for your gun time and your net time. (Awards based on gun time)

Results will be live streaming as well as emailed and Texted to you once you finish.

CUTOFFS AND EARLY STARTS

Half Marathon Time cutoff is 3:30.

Please do not sign up if you can't do a HILLY 3:30 Half.

Those who plan to run a 2:30 to 3:30 Half Marathon MUST start at 6:30am. There will be an official Early Start for those.

NOTE: Early starts are only for those who will do a 2:30-3:30 range half marathon. We can't have anyone else go early. You will be DQed if you start early and finish faster than 2:15. Some exceptions are made.

There is NO TIME CUTOFF for the 5K.

WHAT IS A RACE SERIES STREAKER?

Since 2014 we have offered a challenge to all who would like to accept. Finish all 3 of our 2026 Half Marathons (The Savin Rock Marathon counts too) and we give you a FREE custom Shoreline Sharks Race Series Streaker Hoodie and you pick the color!

1. 3/28/2026 The Savin Rock Marathon or Half Marathon

2. 5/23/2026 The Hamden Hills Half Marathon

3. 9/12/2026 The Gulf Beach Half Marathon

You can register on-line or race-day, it does not matter. Finish all 3 and you’ve got it! We will be handing the Hoodies out at the Rail Trail 10K on 10/3/2026 or the Shoreline Turkey Trot 5K on 11/26/2026 or you can pick it up from us in North Haven. We do not ship them. Make sure to email: [email protected] when you finish the Gulf Beach Half Marathon with your size (unisex S,M,L and XL) and color (there will be a color chart)

SPECIAL 3-HALF MARATHON ENTRY TICKET (or Savin Marathon + 2 Halfs) THAT GIVES A $25 DISCOUNT.

THE HISTORY

2011: The inaugural race started and finished at the very top of the QU York Hill Campus and was the hilliest Half Marathon & 5K in CT. So much suffering.

2012: We changed the course to start and finish on Sherman Ave thereby eliminating York Hill.

2013: The Half Marathon course again changed so it hooked up with the Rail Trail from mile 11 to the Finish.

2014: The Half Marathon & the 5K both started and finished on the Rail Trail. The 5K became completely flat.

2020: The State of CT cancelled all races due to Covid19.

2022: The courses are now USATF Certified, and we altered the Half Marathon route to avoid a few tricky spots. We still have the Rail Trail sections and 90% of the original course. The elevation came down a little bit.

2023, 2024, 2025: Absolute perfect days and an amazing group of athletes compete, some every year as this race is a Hamden Tradition.

PRICING STRUCTURE

10/17/2025 - 12/31/2025

Half Marathon $70

5K $30

1/1/2026 – 3/31/2026

Half Marathon $75

5K $35

4/1/2026 - 5/21/2026

Half Marathon $80

5K $40

Race Day 5/23/2026 (probable but not guaranteed)

Half Marathon $80

5K $40

Race day: Cash, Checks made out to "CASH" and Venmo only. No cards on rce day.

TRANSFER & DEFERRAL INFO

You may TRANSFER your registration to another athlete until 4/23/2026 for $25.

This is done by you on-line through Active

THIS IS A HARD DEADLINE. NO EXCEPTIONS.

You may DEFER your entry to the 2027 Race until 4/23/2026 by paying the $25 fee to our Venmo "Shorelinesharks" and emailing [email protected]. We will confirm via email and manually remove you from 2026 and manually add you to 2027. THIS IS A HARD DEADLINE. NO EXCEPTIONS.

NO REFUNDS /NO EXCEPTIONS

We will not reply to emails asking for an exception to our No Refund, Transfer or Deferral Policy.

*Active.com offers an insurance plan for a fee but we are not involved with that. They charge the fee and they will refund you, not us.

RACE DAY

Saturday 5/23/2026 (Dawn: 4:54am, Sunrise: 5:26am)

5:30am: Registration / Bib and Shirt Pickup Opens

6:30AM: Half Marathon Early Starters begin

6:45am: Registration / Bib and Shirt Pickup Closes

7:00am: Half Marathon Starts

7:15am: 5K Starts

7:30am: First 5K Finishers

8:15am: Final 5K Finishers

8:20am: First Finishers for the Half Marathon

10:00am: Final Finishers of the Half Marathon

10:15am: Venue Closed

New Haven / Northampton

Railroad Canal Line Parking Lot

4340 Farmington Heritage Canal Trail

Hamden, CT. 06518

Bring photo ID

TRAVEL AND HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS

Air Travel

Hamden, Connecticut can be accessed easily from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, CT. (46 Miles away) as well as JFK International Airport (85 miles away) and LaGuardia International Airport, (79 miles away) both in Queens, NY. Bradley will be MUCH easier to fly through and travel to and from the race venue, but the tickets may be more expensive. Recently Tweed Regional Airport has offered flights from various cities so check them out too. Tweed is less than 10 miles from the venue.

Hotels

The closest hotels to stay in for the Hamden Hills Half Marathon are:

Whitney Inn & Suites (Half a mile from the race venue)

3400 Whitney Ave. Hamden, CT. 06518

Phone (203) 288-2505

Clarion Hotel & Suites (3 Miles from the race venue)

2260 Whitney Ave. Hamden, CT. 06518

Phone (203) 288-3831

PARKING

Plenty of parking at all of the Rail Trail lots and on the street (where legal)

No Parking at the Dunkin Donuts / Amity Liquors Lot

Event details and schedule

Directions

From I-91: Take exit 10 (Rt 40 connector) to Rt 10 North (Whitney Ave) Make a left onto Sherman Ave. From Rt 15 (Merritt Parkway): Take exit 61, Rt 10 North (Whitney Ave) Go for 2.7 miles and turn left onto Sherman Ave. Turn LEFT into the Canal Rail-Trail Lot. Google Map Link

For 2 weeks only, we have a great money saving offer for all of our Hamden races! This is a 20% off savings.

You can pick from 4 options:

OPTION 1: ALL IN with 3 Medals!

The 15th Annual Hamden Hills Half Marathon PLUS

Inaugural The Perfect Ten Mile Road Race PLUS

The 10th Annual Rail Trail 10K Race

The Road Runners Club of America's 10K Eastern Region Championship

20% OFF equals $160

OPTION 2: Plan B

The 15th Annual Hamden Hills Half Marathon PLUS

Inaugural The Perfect Five Mile Road Race PLUS

The 10th Annual Rail Trail 10K Race

The Road Runners Club of America's 10K Eastern Region Championship

20% OFF equals $136

OPTION 3: The Sampler

The 15th Annual Hamden Flat 5K PLUS

Inaugural The Perfect Ten Mile Road Race PLUS

The 10th Annual Rail Trail 10K Race

The Road Runners Club of America's 10K Eastern Region Championship

20% OFF equals $128

OPTION 4: The Gradual Mileage Increase Plan

The 15th Annual Hamden Flat 5K PLUS

Inaugural The Perfect Five Mile Road Race PLUS

The 10th Annual Rail Trail 10K Race

The Road Runners Club of America's 10K Eastern Region Championship

20% OFF equals $104

There are No Refunds, No Transfers and No Deferrals for this special 20% deal.

All 3 Races start and finish at the same Venue! The Hamden Sharks Race Lot

If you have already signed up for any of these races and still want to get in on this, we can do it! Email [email protected] and we will make it happen. We can give you the deal!

For all of the details for the 3 races, please go to our website, The Shark Net!

This deal ends at Midnight on 5/21/2026

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Event details and schedule