Eversource Hartford Marathon & Half Marathon Raises More Than $420,000 in 2020 Movement With Purpose

October 29, 2020

Nearly 5,000 come together virtually to run, walk & support local charity

October 2020 – Glastonbury, CT– The Hartford Marathon Foundation (HMF) created a widespread community movement with nearly 5,000 participants at the 2020 Eversource Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon earlier this month. The movement with purpose brought the community together virtually and raised $420,712 for local charities (reported to date).  Together with traditional fundraising activities of race participants, every penny of the $25 registration fee for the 26.2 mile and 13.1 mile races, as well as the Hartford HealthCare 10K and Saint Francis Hospital 5K at the Eversource Hartford Marathon, is being donated through the HMF Gives initiative to support charities’ urgent needs.

Since the event began in 1994, more than $8.2 million has been raised for charities, with significant coordinated efforts by non-profit organizations serving as Official Charities.  The top fundraising organization in 2020 was Healing Meals Community Project, a Bloomfield-based organization that provides healthy organic meals to people in health crisis while empowering local youth and adult volunteers. The team raised $169,000 through their Eversource Hartford Marathon involvement and had 55 race participants.  The largest team was organized by Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, with 145 race participants.

Official Charities benefitting from HMF Gives donations:

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
Hospital for Special Care
Achilles International-Connecticut
Girl Scouts of Connecticut
Healing Meals Community Project
United Way of Central & Northeastern CT
American Cancer Society
American Red Cross
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford
Chrysalis Center, Inc.
Donate Life Connecticut
Girls on the Run Greater Hartford
Jordan Porco Foundation
KNOX, Inc.
March of Dimes
Mental Health Connecticut, Inc.
Ron Foley Foundation
Susan G. Komen New England

“We are so proud of the tremendous response to uphold this great race tradition and ensure that the charities who serve those in need in our community continue to be supported during these difficult times,” said Beth Shluger, CEO of the Hartford Marathon Foundation and Race Director of the Eversource Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon. “While we are eager for the time we can safely host 10,000 of our running friends again in person, it’s vital that we continue to encourage each other to keep moving for physical and mental health, and we remain connected with the incredibly inspiring people and worthwhile causes that have made this event so special through the years.”

“While it was a very different Eversource Hartford Marathon this year, the Hartford Marathon Foundation made it a huge success with thousands of runners participating virtually around the state,” said Eversource Foundation President Theresa Hopkins-Staten. “We’re honored to be the title sponsor of this magnificent event which raises much-needed money for well-deserving organizations that support people and communities throughout Connecticut – which is even more important during these unprecedented times.”

Thanks to the support of sponsor partners led by Eversource, all registered race participants received a custom finisher medal and commemorative technical shirt as well as digital event experiences, including race bibs, finisher certificates, custom race day playlists and verified results submissions. In addition, participants were invited to attend socially distanced kick-off celebrations of the Eversource Hartford Marathon on Step One Day at Rentschler Field and finish line moments with the Mobile Medal during race week. The RUNetwork digital race expo hub provided an opportunity to connect, learn and shop.  Competitive runners and those looking for some extra motivation were able to opt for one of three multi-distance challenges in the Sam Adams Challenge Series and receive a special custom finisher medal for their extra efforts.

Learn more about upcoming events at www.HartfordMarathon.com and follow the conversations on Facebook at HMF Events, Twitter at @RunHMF or Instagram at HMF_Events.

 About the Hartford Marathon Foundation

The Hartford Marathon Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 to create and manage fitness events that inspire people to be healthy and fit. Located in Glastonbury, Connecticut, the Hartford Marathon Foundation organizes more than 30 annual athletic races, including the Eversource Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon, and training programs for youth runners.  For more information, visit http://www.HartfordMarathon.com and on Facebook at HMF Events, Twitter at @RunHMF and Instagram at HMF_Events.

About Eversource

Eversource (NYSE: ES), celebrated as a national leader for its corporate citizenship, is the #1 energy company in Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies for 2020 and recognized as one of America’s Most JUST Companies and the #1 utility by Forbes and JUST Capital. Eversource transmits and delivers electricity to 1.25 million customers in 149 cities and towns, provides natural gas to 237,000 customers in 74 communities, and supplies water to approximately 198,000 customers in 52 communities across Connecticut. Eversource harnesses the commitment of approximately 8,300 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and water with superior customer service. The #1 energy efficiency provider in the nation, the company is empowering a clean energy future in the Northeast, with nationally-recognized energy efficiency solutions and successful programs to integrate new clean energy resources like solar, offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery storage, into the electric system. For more information, please visit eversource.com, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more information on our water services, visit aquarionwater.com.

Contact:

Elizabeth Cowles
CJ Public Relations
860-770-4622 / ecowles@cjpr.com