4340 Farmington Heritage Canal Trail, Hamden CT
Saturday, May 23rd, 2026
Our 15th 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: Streaker@ShorelineSharks.com 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 Defer@ShorelineSharks.com. 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
