Half Marathon With Temporary Road Closures Proposed In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — The Greenwich Road Runners Club is seeking road closure approvals from the Board of Selectmen to host a half marathon in Old Greenwich on Sunday, Sept. 27.

Christopher Dawson from Greenwich Road Runners Club and John Bysiewicz, who was hired as the event's race director, went before the Board of Selectmen last week to request a temporary restriction of traffic on Shore Road, Sound Beach Avenue, Raymond Street, Park Avenue, Lockwood Avenue, Harding Street and Tomac Avenue to one-way.

Greenwich Road Runners is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit running club that organizes daily group runs, hosts community 5Ks at Greenwich Point and supports local races, including the annual Jim Fixx 5K.

Proceeds from the event, which could exceed $20,000, according to Dawson, will mainly benefit local nonprofit Kids In Crisis, plus other charity organizations, and Greenwich-based volunteer groups that will help out with the event.

The race will begin and end with a loop around Greenwich Point Park and include two clockwise loops through the Old Greenwich business district before runners return to the park. The last runner is expected to re-enter the park by 10 a.m.

During the race, which is slated to begin at 7 a.m., traffic will be restricted along portions of the route.

Southbound traffic will be permitted on Sound Beach Avenue from 7 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., while the northbound lane will be reserved for runners. Northbound traffic will be permitted on Tomac Avenue and Harding Street from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., with the southbound lane reserved for runners.

Eastbound traffic will be permitted on Shore Road from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., while the westbound lane will be reserved for runners. Two-way traffic will resume as runners clear each roadway.

Volunteers, race officials, and police will be stationed along the race route.

Bysiewicz noted the route was designed to impact fewer people than a previous route used for a half marathon held at various times from 2010-2019, and again in 2023.

"That impacted over 600 more households. That might have had an impact on 1,500 more people than our route would currently have," Bysiewicz said of the previous route, which dipped into Riverside. "We tried to make it as low impact on the community as possible, impacting a lot fewer families by not going into Riverside."

Bysiewicz said event organizers will hand-deliver notices to residents who live on the course or those who will be impacted.

"Those few hundred homes will be notified before, and we'll put signage up around the course about the traffic issues from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on event morning, and those will be posted approximately a week beforehand," Bysiewicz said.

He noted everyone should be off of Sound Beach Avenue by 9 a.m., so residents who might attend 10 a.m. Mass at one of the two nearby churches could do so without any issues.

First Selectman Fred Camillo said he appreciated the effort to let people know and minimize the impact on residents. He said electronic signage could also be deployed to the area to let residents know about the traffic impacts.

In his weekly newsletter to the community this week, Camillo said "business owners have expressed some concern" about the road closures, but he didn't elaborate.

According to submitted documents, organizers claim local businesses will benefit from having an influx of people in the area. About 800 to 1,000 runners are expected to participate, with an equal number of family members and friends in attendance.

Over 500 runners and volunteers from Greenwich are expected to attend, with another 350 runners from other CT towns, and 300 runners from 13 states and Washington, D.C.

"We're trying to be good neighbors in terms of donating money to local organizations. We're going to do our best to benefit the Old Greenwich Merchants Association and promoting them to our participants and potentially having specials for our participants at the Old Greenwich Merchants Association businesses," Bysiewicz said.

Dawson said the Greenwich Road Runners Club Board determines which charity organizations receive event proceeds.

The selectmen requested a list of the beneficiary organizations before the next scheduled meeting on Aug. 27, when a vote on the temporary traffic restrictions is expected to take place.

The request is also being reviewed by police and Greenwich Parks & Recreation.