Help me help Mental Health Connecticut

The Cross-Connecticut Run for Mental Health

Lace up your shoes for the 5th annual Cross-Connecticut Run for Mental Health Awareness (CCR)! In this group running challenge, you will traverse the state of Connecticut north to south along the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail (FCT). This is a fundraiser for Mental Health Connecticut. The CCR will take place on Saturday, May 13, 2023, starting at 6:00 am.

The course

The route begins at the northern end of the FCT in West Suffield, CT and follows the FCT for roughly 57 miles to its terminus on the harbor in New Haven, CT, leading runners through rural, suburban, and urban centers through the state. The course is scenic and flat — very flat — the entire way.

Fundraising

There is no event fee to participate, however, all runners are asked to make a donation to, or raise donations for Mental Health Connecticut click Start Fundraiser to help us reach our goal. How about a $57 donation- a buck for every mile! It's got a nice ring to it, and you'll be helping others. Or even, $23, for 2023? Whatever you choose, you gift will make a difference.

Why participate

This is not a race. We organize this event to give runners the opportunity to support some of the more important things in life: physical activity and wellness, helping others, and the chance to run across an entire state (pretty cool and a bonus perk of being in one of our country’s smallest states).

Course support

This trek, while epic, is unsupported. All runners will be sent a digital map with mile markers that correspond to convenience stores and other stops along the route, should they need to refuel or use a restroom. *Note: With the COVID pandemic still ongoing, some shops may have restrictions.

We will have several very basic aid stations along the way set up by volunteers, all of which will operating with an eye towards safety first. Please bring your own cup and know that we won't have the smorgasbords you've seen at pre-pandemic events.

We'll let you know where the aid stations will be, of course, however we cannot guarantee how long the stations will be staffed. If you are planning to set a course record of some sort, you may get to planned aid spots before people can set up - you've been warned. Runners are encouraged to have a crew or work together to set up a group crew. This event requires a bit more self-support than an official race…because it’s not a race.

Requirements

All runners must be confident in their abilities to make this 57-ish mile journey on foot and on their own. There is a hard cut-off of 16 hours to complete this run, which comes out to more than 16 minute/mile pace - on a completely flat, paved course with minimal disruptions and negative elevation. Runners who are not at the southern-most end of the Stop & Shop Plaza in Hamden (approx. mile 50) by hour 14 will be pulled. This is a safety issue, period.

This is an end-to-end journey, so all runners must arrange for transportation to the start at the border by Southwick, MA, (parking lot/meet-up spot in West Suffield, CT), and from the end in New Haven, CT. Event organizers will do their best to facilitate ride sharing if possible, but that will NOT be done on the day of the event. All runners must have a headlamp, spare batteries, and some form of hydration. There will be just over 14 (fourteen) hours of daylight, and the start is just after sunrise. Our hope is to have all runners in by/before sunset. Please note that runners are responsible for their own health, safety and wellbeing during this trek.

All runners are required to have a back-up plan, including for emergencies, medical issues and injuries, and for the unlikely event that you have to drop out. Please have someone reliable on standby, though there’s also always Uber or Lyft (hopefully, though may be limited). Should a runner need to stop early and drop out, said runner is responsible for his/her own transportation. Bring a cell phone and backup charger, please.

Finishers

Along with the pride and general "feel good" vibes that giving back is sure to bring, all finishers will also earn unique bragging rights when they arrive back at work on Monday. When you’re asked the question, “Hey, what’d you do this weekend?” while filling up at the Keurig, you can respond with something that will no doubt impress: “I ran across the state of Connecticut and raised money for mental health awareness. What’d you do?”

If we can score some swag, we'll let you know!

To sign up for the run, visit: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=93441&fbclid=IwAR2FC8mxZSqTMjRL_QaOIXP39jPAhmDpyX7-kWh1LqCo5J6NHiT6RW5YdTY

For questions, please email Michael Lo Presti (michael.lopresti@mac.com) or Andy Orefice (andyorefice@gmail.com).