By Clark Judge
(August 26, 2026) — According to its website, the Run 169 Connecticut Towns Society “is a community of runners dedicated to completing a race in every town in Connecticut,” but you and I know better. It’s more than that. It’s also a fixture of this Saturday’s (August 29, 2026) Killingworth Road Race, with so many competitors that it comprised one-third of the 182 runners registered last year.
Estimates put the group at sixty, but nobody did a head count. They didn’t have to. Race organizers just knew it was a throng … and nothing new there. When the 169ers assemble for a group photo (above from the 2025 Race) prior to each summer’s race, the shot includes more and more faces with each year. So, the obvious question: Where would the Killingworth Road Race be without the Run 169ers? Don’t ask.
“They’re critical to this race,” said Killingworth’s Wally Jones (photo above, left, with son, Owen at Cheshire Half Marathon, 2022), “and, honestly, to every race in small-town communities in Connecticut. The Run 169 club’s participation is imperative to the success of small-town races. It’s the one-stop shopping for small-town races to get the word out that they’re on the race calendar.”
Jones should know. Not only has he been a member of Run 169 the past eight years; he’s run the Killingworth Road Race at least six times. In fact, he said he once won a blueberry pie, awarded annually to the top two finishers in each age category. “One of my prouder moments,” he admitted. Now 53, Jones didn’t start running until he was 26. Invited one summer to join a friend for the annual seven-mile Falmouth (Mass.) Road Race, he accepted without having run a single step. Nevertheless, he survived … though barely … and promised himself he’d improve the next time.
Wait. Next time?
“I thought maybe I could do a little better if I did a little bit of training,” he said. “So, maybe I should start using a treadmill. Maybe I should start doing a little bit of running. Maybe I should do a little bit of cardio. I didn’t have college friends to play pickup basketball as I did in school, so why don’t I start acting like a grown-up?” Translation: He was hooked.
Now he runs often, and he runs far. He runs 5Ks, 10Ks, four-milers, five-milers, half-marathons and marathons. He has more than thirty Connecticut towns on his resume and envisions hitting all 169 by 2030 or 2031 (“I absolutely will”). He even completed the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim two years ago, a grueling run/hike/walk that starts at one rim, descends to the canyon floor, then ascends to the opposite rim … before reversing the course back to the finish. Total distance: 48 miles. Total time: 22-1/2 hours. Total elevation:11,000 feet.
“I do some crazy stuff,” Jones said. “Every time I do something like this, my wife will say, ‘This is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.’ And I can’t disagree with her.”
There’s nothing crazy about the Run 169 Society. It’s about touching every part of Connecticut while … what else? … on the run. Maybe that sounds crazy to you, but not to Jones and more than 6,100 of his peers. According to charter member Adam Osmond, that’s how many are enrolled in today’s Run 169 club, a giant leap from 2012 when he and seven others formed the group (originally called “Do Every Blessed Town in Connecticut”).
“The key?” said Osmond, who oversees the group’s informative website. “Two things: One, we don’t have strict rules, and, two, it’s free. The other thing is that people love to see towns that they’ve never heard about. When we started, we didn’t think we’d have this many, but we knew the idea was good. Plus, we make the rules very simple, and it costs nothing. Put them together, and it’s a win-win for everybody.”
Speaking of win-wins, two of the Run 169 Society’s most decorated members are a brother and sister who win just about every race they enter in this state … or, frankly, wherever they appear. A year ago, that was Orlando, Florida, where they swept their divisions at the runDisney Springtime Surprise 10-miler. I’m talking about Stephen and Elizabeth Fengler – a.k.a., “The Flying Fenglers” – and maybe you’ve heard of them. Because you should.
They each won their divisions at the 2023 Killingworth Road Race, with Stephen setting a course record (21:13.0) broken last summer by Ben Szuhaj (20:55.8). “From what I’m told,” said Osmond, “Stephen is hoping to finish his 169th on September 20th. “They’re amazing runners, but they’re amazing persons, too.”
They’re not the only “Amazin’s” in the Run 169 club. There’s Katherine Bunko, who completed 169 towns in 588 days, a staggering pace that’s the fastest of any member. Then there’s Paul Baldini. He’s checked off 169 race three times. Nearly 300 have done it once, while 16 have done twice.
And let’s not forget Mario Hasz, the club’s 99th member and its Honorary King. Shortly before passing away from brain cancer in 2014, he reportedly convinced his doctor to let him enter another race. He was 66. But there’s more. He died before reaching his goal of 169 towns, so the 169ers pledged to do it for him — with each carrying a teddy bear across finish lines until completing the circuit in 2016.
Unusual? Not for this group. The Run 169 Society is more a community than a club, a fellowship of friends rewarded with medals when they reach 100 towns, then again when they hit 169.
“That’s what people love about our club,” said Osmond. “It’s just a simple fun-run group. There are no fees. You just show up and run the race. People meet through races, sometimes car-pool with each other and then develop long-term friendships.”
After Jones ran the 2nd Annual Rocky Hill two-miler two weekends ago, he told a story that reveals all you need to know about the club. Prior to the start, the 169ers were called together for a group photo – a customary practice for all races. But when four members arrived shortly afterward, the group was called back for another photo shoot – this time with the four included.
The message was clear: No one gets left behind.
“That shows you what the group ethos is,” said Jones. “But what makes this club unique is the sheer size of what you’re doing. This is something you can’t just put your head down and do it in three weeks. This is a commitment, and the best part is: They don’t require you to show up at weekly meetings or annual events. It’s a total ‘come-as-you-are run’ that you do just for the sake of doing it. It’s completely guilt-free … and, for me, it’s just a great thing to do because it gives me purpose.”
And the Killingworth Road Race? Apparently, the Run 169ers consider that “a great thing to do,” too. They keep returning, each time in increased numbers.
“Well, first of all, it’s gorgeous,” said Jones. “The scenery is absolutely beautiful. But you also get to tell people you run on Roast Meat Hill Road … so let’s start with that. People drive all over just to see the Roast Meat Hill Road sign. I can’t explain why. It’s unique, it’s quirky, and we’re used to it here in Killingworth. But people love it, and they gravitate toward it. So let’s ride with that.”
Deal.
Photos by Clark Judge and Wally Jones
