The Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day Committee traveled to the deck of the U.S.S. Constitution in Boston recently to officially announce that the Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day 5K Road Race will be held for the twelfth straight year on Thanksgiving morning.
The Committee felt it appropriate to visit “Old Ironsides” for the announcement because Commodore Isaac Hull, for whom the race is named, was the captain of the Constitution during the War of 1812, winning one of the most famous battles in U.S. history over the British frigate Guerriere and catapulting the US Navy into the ranks of a world naval power.
Click here to read more about Commodore Hull from a Valley Indy story published last year.
In making the announcement that the popular race will once again be run through the downtown streets of Derby and Shelton, the Committee also announced that Greco & Haines will be back as the main sponsor as they have been every year since the race started in 2002.
Speaking on behalf of the Committee, Glenn Gaetano said, “We are absolutely thrilled that Greco & Haines is once again supporting our efforts for the great community event at the same time that they are celebrating their 50th year in business. The commitment as the very first race sponsor back in 2002 made the race possible, and their continuing support has allowed us to grow this into a community institution that has raised over $100,000 to support the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley.”
Jeanne Connors, President of Greco and Haines, said “Helping children is the primary reason for our participation. Children are our future and they must receive all the support we can give them to achieve their goals in life. The Boys & Girls Club is a stellar example of an organization committed to providing that support.”
The Committee also announced that the field for this year’s race is being expanded to 750. They noted that back in 2002 they were hoping for 200 runners, but had over 300.
Ever since then, they have increased the number slowly to make sure that the quality of the race is not diminished. Two things that have made the expansion possible are the building of the pavilion by the City of Shelton and the Derby-Shelton Rotary Club which accommodates more runners than the tents used earlier, and the use of FastTrack Timing to handle the timing.
Registration for the race will not begin until September.
For more information about the race, visit the website at http://electronicvalley.org/derby/HullRace.
