Guilford Eversource Employee To Run All Hartford Marathon Races

GUILFORD, CT — Jacob Lewis isn't doing the half-marathon. He's not doing the 10K. Or the 5K. He's doing all of them. Yup. Lewis, a dad of two from Guilford and an Eversource employee, will run 48.6 miles at the virtual Hartford Marathon starting Oct. 8.

“Is it crazy to say I’m looking forward to it?" Lucas asked rhetorically. “It’s been difficult to get out and run since the pandemic hit, especially because my kids are home – there’s no daycare and schools are hybrid. This event has motivated me to get back into the swing of things and to push harder to train.”

The run is part of the Grit & Gusty Challenge, one of a few new competitions added to the mix since all the events are virtual this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Lucas plans to take on one race a day, starting Thursday.

Lucas, the Director of Eversource’s Transmission System Planning department, is no stranger to running long distances. He’s completed four prior marathons - one in Washington D.C., one in Washington State, and two at the Eversource Hartford Marathon. His favorite part is having the crowd’s support and feeding off their energy as he runs. Since there won’t be spectators this year, Lucas is relying on his two biggest fans, his daughters, 9-year-old Brielle and 3-year-old Audrey. Both girls love training with Lucas on one-mile loops around their neighborhood. Audrey even competes in youth races and has a tradition of wearing mix-matching calf sleeves with Lucas on race days.

“The girls will see me off at the starting line the day I run the marathon and we’ll pick another place for them to catch me on my route,” Lucas said. “Having them out there makes such a big difference.”

To practice safe social distancing, runners won’t be following the usual marathon course. Instead, they’ll create their own marathon course in their communities whether it’s in a park, on a trail, or through their community. Lucas’ route will take him on some main roads in Guilford and along the coastline. Local businesses will be setting up water stations along his course and will be cheering him on.

“It may be virtual this year, but the community support has been overwhelming,” he said. “I’m excited.”

Thousands of runners from across the country and beyond typically participate in the marathon and this year is no different. More than 4,000 people, and counting, have signed up with 300 of those runners being Eversource employees. This is the seventh year Eversource is sponsoring the Hartford Marathon, and will be supporting runners again from Thursday, Oct. 8 through Sunday, Oct. 11 as the races kick off virtually.