By Clark Judge
(August 18, 2026) — Nothing, it seems, changes with the annual Killingworth Road Race except the date. Two years ago, it was held on the first Saturday in August. A year ago, it was the third. Now, it’s the last, with the four-mile run pushed to Saturday, August 29, 2026.
Otherwise, it’s business as usual. Two miles out. Two miles back.
OK, so this year’s course has changed slightly (more on that later), but the people involved haven’t. WTNH-TV meteorologist Gil Simmons is back to run again (photo above, left with Race Chairman Chuck Langevin). First Selectman Eric Couture, who held the finish line a year ago, will return, too. So will the Killingworth Ambulance Association, the Connecticut State Police and Killingworth’s National Anthem Girl, Emma Castiglioni, who two summers ago sang the Star-Spangled Banner at Yankee Stadium.
And, of course, so will the blueberry pies.
“It’s a community event,” said Race Chairman Chuck Langevin, “where we support local charities, bake blueberry pies and ring the church bells. Basically, it’s sort of an Americana thing.” Precisely. So here’s what you should know about it:
WHEN? Saturday, August 29, 2026 at 8:30 a.m.
WHERE? It begins and ends at the Killingworth Congregational Church at 273 Route 81, approximately one-third of a mile north of the traffic circle.
HOW CAN I ENTER? Just sign on to Killingworthroadrace.org., and you’re a click away from registering. The cost is $31.18 (includes a $3.18 fee) for adults 19 and older and $21.18 (same fee) for those 1-18.
HOW MANY RUNNERS ARE EXPECTED? It may depend on the weather. Two years ago, a suffocating early August morning held the field to just over a hundred. Last year, conditions were ideal, with temperatures in the mid-to-upper-60s and little or no humidity. Result: The field nearly doubled. More than 180 registered, with 170 running.
CAN I WALK THE COURSE?
Absolutely. You can walk, talk, push a stroller, accompany a leashed dog … just get out there, exercise and enjoy the view.
WHAT’S THE FORECAST? Fingers crossed …but quite promising. Early signs call for temperatures anywhere from the low 60s to 77. In other words, ideal.
WHAT’S NEW? The course. No, the distance hasn’t changed. It’s still four miles. But the route has. Where participants once began by running the length of Wolf Hollow Road, then turning right on Roast Meat Hill, now they won’t. Because now they’re diverted at the foot of Wolf Hollow through picturesque Lavender Pond Farm and a 300-yard serpentine detour that, as Langevin put it, “is a nice little sojourn designed to relax you.”
WHAT’S NOT? The prizes. They’re the race’s signature blueberry pies, baked by members of the Killingworth Congregational Church and awarded to the first-and-second-place finishers in each category . Once they were donated by Robert’s Food Center in Madison, but that ended when Robert’s went out of business last spring. So members of the Killingworth Congregational Church were called, and they responded … by baking 43 pies. Now they’re ready, willing and eager to do it all over again. “The thing that speaks to me about this,” said Derek Phelps, a UCC member who baked two pies a year ago, “is that the spirit of volunteering is alive and well in Killingworth.” Amen.
WHAT’S THE COURSE RECORD? It’s 20.55.8, set last year by 28-year-old Ben Szuhaj, a former Dartmouth College standout who averaged 5:14 per mile to break the previous mark of 21:13.0. “I knew about the record,” he said afterward, “and I really wanted to beat it.” He did more than that; he obliterated it, finishing six minutes ahead of the second-place finisher … or a distance of over one mile. To put that in perspective, think Secretariat and the 1973 Belmont. He won by 31 lengths.
IS THERE ANYTHING I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE COURSE?
Yes. Beware the second half of the race. Reason: There’s an intimidating hill in Mile 3, a long and steep incline on Wolf Hollow Road. I like to call it the Stairway to Heaven. You might call it something else, but this is a family newspaper.
WHO ARE THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS?
Szuhaj was the overall winner a year ago, while 22-year-old Kaila Lujambio won the Women’s Division in 28:37.6, good enough for eighth overall. As of mid-August, neither had registered to return.
WHERE DOES MY MONEY GO?
To the Killingworth Congregational Church’s missions budget, which last year supported Helping Hands, HK Backpack, Eddy Shelter in Middletown, the Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Pantry, Estuary Council, Doctors Without Borders and Heifer International. Last year’s race netted $7,000 for local charities.
WILL THERE BE FOOD AND DRINK ON SITE?
Of course. As you’d expect, there’s an abundance of water on the course and at the church. Plus, there will be Gatorade at the finish. But that’s not all. Runners will find bananas donated by Stop and Shop … peaches from Bishop’s Orchard … bagels galore, donated by Cohen’s Bagels in Madison … and breakfast sandwiches (eggs and cheese with bacon), hash browns and confections from the Catered food truck parked on the premises. Warning: A year ago that truck was so popular that it sold out of everything. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
ARE REST ROOMS AVAILABLE? Yes. There will be two Porta Potties on site, just off the parking lot behind the church.
WILL THERE BE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE?
Yes. The Killingworth Ambulance Association will be on call, with two or more EMTs. Two years ago, the techs were invaluable, assisting three runners who suffered from heat exhaustion on an exceedingly hot and humid morning.
WHERE CAN I PARK? Your choice. Approximately 20 spaces are available to early birds on the south side of the Congregational Church. Otherwise, try St. Lawrence Church. It’s the Catholic church that sits across the road from the Congregational Church, and it has plenty of parking – with the church accommodating 120 vehicles last year. Plus, there’s this: A state trooper will be there to help you cross Route 81.
