Registration is now open for the 2025 Celebrate! West Hartford FUNd RUNS, which will include both a 5K and Kids’ K.

By Ronni Newton

Celebrate! West Hartford has become synonymous with a weekend of enjoyment through a variety of activities – and that includes the FUNd RUNS – a key event held as part of the town’s signature festival which returns June 7th and 8th and is now in its 38th year.

The “FUNd RUNS” moniker was first used during the pandemic, replacing the former “road races” name to emphasize the charitable nature of the run when it took place virtually in 2020. The name stuck, further emphasizing that a portion of proceeds from the FUNd RUNS is donated to West Hartford families in need through The Town That Cares and the Leisure Services Scholarship Fund.

There’s not only a 5K, but also a non-competitive Kids’ K, which is two loops in Blue Back Square. Open to children ages 3-10, all Kids K finishers receive a medal.

In 2024, organizers charted a brand new course for the 5K, which for years had headed south along Raymond Road and then through the Webster Hill neighborhood. The route change was initially prompted by safety considerations to avoid having to cross Park Road near the I-84 interchange, but the new USATF-certified course also gives participants a chance to experience a different West Hartford neighborhood as the route heads north through the Center before turning east and heading to the picturesque new Trout Brook Trail.

“The Celebrate! West Hartford road races truly represent a cross section of our community, with runners of all ages and abilities coming together,” said Peter Travers, chair of the FUNd RUNS Committee and co-chair of this year’s Festival Committee. “Whether someone is running their first race or is an elite runner, everyone is welcome and supported. In a similar way, the current 5K course spans our business district, residential areas, and the natural beauty of the now-completed Trout Brook Trail.”

The 5K finishes in Blue Back Square, and participants will be treated to refreshments donated by generous sponsors in the Celebrate! West Hartford festival tent, where awards are also presented. The highly-coveted divisional awards are given to the first-, second-, and third-place finishers in male and female divisions in 10 different age categories.

“Through the generous support of donors, the Celebrate! West Hartford 5K stands out for great post-race snacks like Dunkin bagels and bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes and for giving over 80 awards like Goodr brand sunglasses from Fleet Feet and gift cards to local retail and services,” said festival director Linda Geisler. “The FUNd RUNS are also special because proceeds support West Hartford neighbors in need through the Leisure Services Scholarship Fun and The Town that Cares.”

There’s also a raffle, with prizes that include gift cards to Ski Sundown and Restore Hyper Wellness.

Runners in the 5K are also eligible for FUNd RUNS named awards, and there’s a new award this year.

Beginning in 2025, the first place overall male winner will receive the Peter Hawley Memorial Award. Hawley, the longest-serving member of the Celebrate! West Hartford 5K planning committee, died suddenly on Oct. 24, 2024 at the age of 74. A longtime member and former president of the Hartford Track Club, he was involved as an organizer of the Celebrate! West Hartford 5K for nearly 30 years. As a runner, he completed more than a thousand races which included 49 marathons, among them every Hartford Marathon from 1996 through 2022, according to his obituary.

The Sherman Malley Memorial Award, which had been given to the first overall male winner, is being rededicated this year. The first-place male finisher from West Hartford will be presented with the award honoring Sherman L. Malley, a longtime West Hartford resident and devoted runner who died in February 1991 at age 57. The Sherman Malley Memorial Award has been presented after the Celebrate! West Hartford 5K each year since 1991, was the first named award incorporated into the race. Having an award named for Malley, “really helped with the grieving process,” his son, Ken, shared with Geisler.

Other named awards include the Fleet Feet Sports Trophy, which has been presented since 2002 to the first-place overall female winner. The Don Lloyd Memorial Award is given to the first-place finisher over age 65, and honors Donald J. Lloyd, who died in 1997 at age 67, and was an avid runner and course record-holder as well as a former Hartford Track Club president and race director. Lloyd’s wife, Caroline, who died in 2021, was also very involved in the running community and was a former teacher in West Hartford schools and taught Sunday school at First Church West Hartford.

The first female finisher from West Hartford also receives an award, as yet unnamed.

Another contest related to the FUNd RUNS is perhaps the most visible but doesn’t need to involve any running at all. Ten years ago, the steering committee decided to hold a non-race competition, providing the opportunity for community input in the design of the logo for the race shirts, which are included in the cost of registration and guaranteed to all who register by May 23, 2025.

The winner of this year’s design concept, from among the 13 submissions, is Conard student Ila Williams. The winner receives a $250 gift card to Jerry’s Artarama, sponsor of the contest.

“I believe it’s not just cool to have each year’s shirt designed by a high school artist from the town, but it’s important to have real tangible reasons for teens to put themselves out there besides ‘getting good grades,’” said Andrew Shoham, manager of Jerry’s Artarama of CT.

The FUNd RUNS will be held on Sunday, June 8, 2025. The Kids K will begin at 8 a.m., while the 5K begins at 9 a.m.

Registration is now open, and early registration pricing ($30, plus $1.40 fee) is in place through 11:59 p.m. on May 31, 2025. The registration fee for the Kids K is $5 (plus $0.65 fee). There is also a special category for registrants who are affiliated with 5K youth clubs Zoomerangs, Girls In Stride, and MPower. Registration can be done online in advance. Race day registration will also be available.

More information about Celebrate! West Hartford, as well as online registration for the races, is available at www.CelebrateWestHartford.com.

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