Run for the Hills 5K at Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve
Run for the Hills 5K at Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve returns Saturday, September 5, inviting runners and hikers onto the trails of one of East Lyme’s largest protected natural areas while raising money to maintain the land they’re traveling through.
The fifth annual trail race begins at 9 a.m. at the preserve in Niantic. Check-in opens at 8 a.m., and an awards ceremony follows at 10:30 a.m.
This isn’t a conventional road 5K. The approximately 3.3-mile route follows hiking trails through the preserve, including a stretch by Clark Pond, with exposed rocks, roots and uneven footing along the way. Hikers are welcome to participate alongside runners.
Online registration is currently $30 before the registration service fee. Day-of registration is $35 cash.
A 5K That’s Actually a Little Longer Than a 5K
The name is easy to remember.
The course isn’t quite as simple.
Run for the Hills covers approximately 3.3 miles, making it slightly longer than the traditional 3.1-mile 5K distance.
More importantly, those miles aren’t on pavement.
The route follows trails within the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve, where runners should expect exposed rocks, tree roots and the naturally uneven surfaces of a coastal Connecticut forest.
That makes the event a trail race in the real sense rather than a road race that happens to pass through a park.
The route takes participants around the perimeter of the preserve and past Clark Pond, combining a competitive event with an introduction to a landscape that can be surprisingly rugged considering how close it sits to downtown Niantic.
You Don’t Have to Run It
One of the more welcoming aspects of Run for the Hills is that organizers explicitly invite hikers.
There’s no requirement to attack the course at racing speed.
Someone who wants to support the preserve and experience the route at walking pace can register and hike it instead.
That makes sense considering the purpose of the event.
Run for the Hills isn’t simply using the preserve as a convenient location for a race. Proceeds go directly toward maintaining the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve.
The land is the reason for the event.
More Than 450 Acres of Coastal Forest
The Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve protects more than 450 acres in Niantic, creating a large block of forest remarkably close to the developed shoreline.
Visitors find ponds and wetlands, rocky ridges, glacial features and stretches of forest threaded together by miles of trails.
The preserve’s main entrance is reached from Memorial Park Drive off Route 161, with parking near the athletic fields.
For Saturday’s race, organizers say parking will be available adjacent to the preserve. Overflow parking will be available at East Lyme Town Hall at 108 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The preserve is maintained with help from Friends of the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve, the nonprofit organization behind Run for the Hills.
That maintenance takes work.
Trails need attention. Invasive plants need to be managed. Signs and educational resources need to be maintained. Storms and erosion can create new problems.
Run for the Hills turns one morning of recreation into a fundraiser for that continuing stewardship.
The Oswegatchie Hills Are Bigger Than the Existing Preserve
The protected nature preserve is also part of a larger environmental story.
For years, conservation organizations have fought to protect additional undeveloped land in the Oswegatchie Hills overlooking the Niantic River.
Friends of the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve and Save the River-Save the Hills have worked with other conservation advocates to preserve more of the surrounding forest and prevent large-scale development in the watershed.
That’s where the geography becomes particularly important.
The hills don’t exist in isolation from the river below.
Rain falling across the landscape moves through soil, wetlands, streams and groundwater on its way toward the Niantic River. Forested land can absorb rainfall and slow runoff before it reaches the estuary.
Protecting the hills therefore has implications beyond preserving hiking trails.
It’s also part of protecting the watershed.
Last Year’s Race Drew More Than 120 Runners
Run for the Hills has grown quickly.
The fourth annual race in 2025 drew more than 120 runners to the preserve.
Participants ranged from 8 to 77 years old and came from eight states, including competitors traveling from as far away as South Carolina, Georgia and New Hampshire.
Organizers reported that the race brought many first-time visitors into the preserve.
That may be one of the event’s most useful side effects.
People can read about open-space preservation. They can look at acreage numbers on a map.
Running three-plus miles through the actual forest makes the thing being protected considerably less abstract.
Awards Follow the Race
Saturday’s schedule begins with race-day check-in at 8 a.m.
The race starts at 9.
At 10:30 a.m., participants will gather at the nature preserve for an awards ceremony and refreshments.
Awards will recognize the overall first-place male and female finishers.
The top three men and women will also be recognized across seven age divisions: 19 and younger, 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69 and 70 and older.
The race will be professionally timed by SNERRO, LLC.
And because hikers are welcome, nobody needs to be chasing an age-group medal to have a reason to participate.
One of Two Save the River-Save the Hills Events Saturday
The trail race isn’t the only conservation-themed event happening around the Niantic River on September 5.
Later Saturday, Red Lion Reggae Band is scheduled to perform at a separate Save the River-Save the Hills event on the Niantic River.
That event begins at 5 p.m. and is accessible by boat rather than from a conventional land-based concert venue.
The two events are separate and require very different plans, but they share the same larger environmental backdrop: protecting the Oswegatchie Hills and the Niantic River watershed.
Event Details
Event: 5th Annual Run for the Hills 5K
Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Check-In: 8 a.m.
Race Start: 9 a.m.
Awards Ceremony: 10:30 a.m.
Location: Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve
Address: 10 Memorial Park Drive, Niantic, CT 06357
Distance: Approximately 3.3 miles
Course: Trail course with rocks, roots and uneven terrain
Hikers: Welcome
Online Registration: $30 before registration service fee
Day-of Registration: $35 cash
Parking: Adjacent to the preserve
Overflow Parking: East Lyme Town Hall, 108 Pennsylvania Avenue, Niantic
Timing: SNERRO, LLC
Beneficiary: Maintenance of the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve
More information is available at the Event Website link below.
To register, click the Event Ticketing link below.
Featured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people, location, or activities shown.