2027 Hamden Hills Half Marathon & Flat 5K

The Hamden Hills Half Marathon doesn't hide behind a cute name. Run by the Shoreline Sharks out of Hamden, Connecticut, this is a race that tells you exactly what it is: a half marathon with hills, and a companion 5K that goes out of its way to be flat. Pick your challenge.

The half is the headline act, and the terrain is the point — a course that rolls through the hills of its namesake town rather than chasing a fast time. The 5K is the counterweight, a flat, straightforward hit-out for runners who want speed or a gentler introduction to race day. Both start early, at 7am, and both share the same morning and the same finish line.

The race is branded "The Real McCoy," and the organizers put weight on the hardware: a four-inch finisher medal that's clearly meant to be worn with pride afterward. It's a local, club-run event — the kind where the volunteers know the course and the community turns out. Details on field size and history are thin, but the premise is honest and the setting is classic New England: a May morning in the Connecticut hills, hills included.