Police say they are ready for Sunday's Mystic Half Marathon
Mystic — Stonington and Groton Town police, who will have 30 officers on duty Sunday for the inaugural Mystic Half Marathon and 10K, say they have worked with the race organizers to develop a plan to ensure the safety of the 1,800 runners and minimize any traffic problems.
Stonington Capt. Todd Olson and Groton Town Lt. John Varone praised the cooperation and professionalism of the Hartford Marathon Foundation, saying the organization has complied with all their requests leading up to the event. This past winter, HMF representatives outlined their plan to police and officials from both towns before receiving permission to stage the 13.1-mile race and an accompanying 10-kilometer event.
“They’ve been a fantastic group to work with,” Olson said about the HMF, which stages 40 road races and triathlons across the state each year, including the Hartford Marathon. It also stages the annual Surftown half marathon in Misquamicut for 2,000 runners each September. Executive Director Beth Shluger has a summer home in Niantic.
“Anything we’ve asked of them, they’ve done. They are a very professional group and very detail oriented,” said Olson. “It was nice to work with a group that has done this hundreds of times.”
Entry into the 7 a.m. races sold out in just a few weeks after the HMF announced the event. It will be one of the largest events ever staged on the roads of the two towns.
The half marathon begins at the Olde Mistick Village parking lot, heads down Route 27 to Holmes Street and across the drawbridge onto West Main Street on the Groton side of the village. Runners will proceed down Pearl Street and Grove Avenue to River Road, turn onto the northern section of Route 27 and then on to Jerry Browne Road, out and back on Deer Ridge Road, back to Jerry Browne, Mistuxet Avenue Extension, Pequot Trail, Flanders Road, Deans Mill Road, Mistuxet Avenue, Jerry Browne Road and Coogan Boulevard, ending at Mystic Aquarium.
Olson said Stonington will have 20 officers out on the course with a command post set up at the start. The $4,000 to $5,000 cost of the Stonington officers is being paid by the HMF. The Mystic Rotary Club, which is hosting the race and expect it to help it raise $30,000 for charitable efforts, said an additional 200 volunteers will help with the event.
Stonington and Groton Town police also have worked with area fire departments, ambulance services and state agencies on the security and traffic plan. Representatives from all the groups will be at the command post during the race to coordinate any needed response.
Olson said police are ready.
“We want everyone to be safe and have a good time,” he said. “Hopefully this will be a smooth event and they’ll want to come back next year.”
After the start, Olson said runners will quickly clear Route 27 and go over the drawbridge into Groton, where they will run along River Road.
Olson said one area that motorists can expect delays is from the intersection of Route 27 south to Jerry Browne Road. He stressed roads are open to traffic so both runners and drivers have to be cautious.
Varone said his department will have 10 officers on duty along the section of the course that includes West Main Street (Route 1), Pearl Street and River Road. Groton police will employ similar procedures that it uses for the Tarzan Brown race in November and the Mystic Irish 5K. As it is in Stonington, the HMF is paying for the Groton officers.
He said the HMF has mailed fliers to businesses and residents along the course in Groton. It also has posted detailed traffic alerts on its website, www.hartfordmarathon.com. Olson said Stonington will use its emergency email, text and phone alert system to notify residents in affected areas.
Varone said motorists can expect Route 1 to be closed for about 20 minutes after runners come over the drawbridge. He said there will be 30- to 60-minute closures on the other roads but they will remain open to local traffic with officers letting cars proceed as conditions allow. He said officers also will be directing drivers to alternative routes.
Chief David Smith and Chief J. Darren Stewart "are very safety conscious and concerned about not impacting residents," Varone said about the Groton Town and Stonington police chiefs. “But everything we’ve asked for, or if we said something didn’t look safe or it was too much, (the HMF) came up with a solution.”
Twitter: @joewojtas
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