Seven high school faculty members ran in the Hartford Marathon events on October 12. The Eversource Hartford Marathon holds numerous races, such as a full Marathon, Half Marathon, Team 26.2 Relay, Charity 5K, and FitKids run.

Spanish teachers Dannah Ortiz and Francesca Ciniglio, American Studies teachers Patrick Mulcahy and MJ Martinez, library media specialist Jessica-Lynn Johnson, math teacher Meghan Glanovsky, and social studies teacher Caitlin Landa represented the high school at the events.

For Ciniglio, running the half marathon has been a goal for a long time, ever since she ran the Cheshire Half Marathon in 2015. A knee injury kept her out of running for a few years, but running another half marathon has always been on her bucket list.

“Training for this race was not easy. When I ran Chesire half, it was in the spring, which meant that the majority of my training was done throughout the winter, and I trained with a friend so we did all of our long runs together. This time around my training started mid-July, which meant I had to get some runs in during the hot weather, and I trained by myself. It also became harder once school and swim season started to schedule runs during the week and long runs on the weekend,” Ciniglio said.

Cinigio was thrilled to finish with her parents, who ran the 5K, but also with fellow teachers.

Johnson ran the half marathon as well, and it has been something she had been looking forward to due to her frequent training in and around the Hartford area. She switched up her training routine, switching to cross-training rather than running, and she credits her ability to recover from previous races to this new method.

“Race day was perfect. The weather was cool and cloudy, perfect conditions for a longer race. Hartford is unlike any other race I’ve ever run. The fans along the route are so supportive. I loved running past my friends, family, and even FHS students. The energy that day makes you feel like you’re a part of this huge community,” Johnson said.

The support by the students came from various clubs, such as Student Council, Interact, and National Honor Society. Among the students volunteering was senior Amanda Rodrigues. Rodrigues has volunteered for the Hartford Marathon all four years of high school, and she loves going back each year.

“It’s a fun way to hang out with people outside of the school while doing something nice for others. I like to try to motivate the runners and keep the race fun and interesting for them,” Rodrigues said.

Martinez, who ran the Charity 5K this year with friends, ran the full marathon last year. She ran the Newport Marathon the following the Hartford 5K this year, but missed the outdoor support of the Hartford races.

“As much as Newport offered beautiful views, I missed the excitement and energy of Hartford. The crowd support is amazing. If you need to run a first ‘anything,’ have it be in Hartford. The fans will not let you down,” Martinez said.