Ambrose “Amby” Burfoot, the 80-year-old Mystic resident who won the Boston Marathon in 1968, is lining up for the Eversource Hartford Marathon on October 10 in an attempt to become the first person to run a marathon in an eighth consecutive decade of life. It will be his first time running the Hartford race, and he plans to tackle the 26.2 miles alongside his brother.
Burfoot was a 21-year-old senior at Wesleyan University when he won Boston in 1968, finishing in two hours and 22 minutes, according to WFSB. He explained his decision to run in Connecticut's capital this way: it seemed like time to come home to Connecticut and run his eighth decade in Hartford, he said. Burfoot has run the Boston Marathon multiple times over the years, including this past April, and he spent decades as the longtime executive editor of Runner's World, where he also authored several books on running, according to patch.com.
A Race Built for the Milestone Attempt
The Eversource Hartford Marathon starts at 8 a.m. on Capitol Avenue, in front of the Connecticut State Capitol Building, before winding through Hartford, West Hartford, East Hartford and South Windsor, per the event's own description on hartfordmarathon.com. Marathoners split from half-marathon runners and cross the Founders Bridge, tracing the East Hartford side of the river before reaching South Windsor's town roads. The course is certified by USA Track & Field under certification number CT23022JHP, and it carries a six-hour limit, meaning finishers need roughly a 13:44-per-mile pace to make the cutoff.
The race is also designated as an Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Group World Ranking qualifying event for eligible finishers, the same source notes. The men's and women's course records stand at 2:15:35 and 2:33:26, respectively, figures far removed from the pace Burfoot will need just to finish within the time limit — but finishing, not speed, is the point this time.
Decades of Mileage Behind Him
Burfoot's connection to distance running in Connecticut goes back further than Hartford. He has run the Manchester Road Race, a nearly five-mile fixture, for more than 60 years, and per patch.com he has completed it 63 consecutive years, expecting to run it a 64th straight time this November. He won that race nine times total, including seven in a row from 1971 through 1977, according to run.outsideonline.com, which also noted that the longest finishing streak known at any race belongs to the late Jack Kirk, who finished the Dipsea 67 times.
At 20, Burfoot was logging 120 miles a week; these days, at 80, he runs about 25 miles a week, a dramatic scaling-back reflected in how he trains now. The same outdoor running outlet reported that he runs less often and less aggressively as he ages, now mixing four minutes of running with one minute of walking during workouts of five miles or longer. In an earlier account carried by runnersworld.com, Burfoot said simply, “Now I run about 25 miles a week.”
Burfoot's Own Uncertainty About the Attempt
Burfoot has estimated that only one or two other runners are close to his age and still attempting marathons, and he said other runners have completed marathons across seven decades but not eight. Still, he has framed the effort modestly, saying he is trying to keep going rather than break records. He has also said he does not know whether running has contributed to his health, even as he feels good regardless.
He remains uncertain how many more marathons he has left in him, but he hopes Hartford will not be his last. His goal for October 10 is straightforward: reach the finish line.
