Webster Bank expands support of RiMaConn Relay with donation to Greenway

WATERBURY, Conn. – Webster Bank, Presenting Sponsor of the Hartford Marathon Foundation’s inaugural RiMaConn relay race, announced today it will donate $5,000 to the East Coast Greenway Alliance’s efforts to protect and enhance trails in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Webster Bank’s grant will focus on the trails used during the RiMaConn Relay, with an emphasis on maintenance, resurfacing, access and amenities.

Last Saturday’s sold-out RiMaConn event engaged 700 participants in a day-long race spanning 20 communities in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The inaugural RiMaConn relay race was produced by the nonprofit Hartford Marathon Foundation, which planned race operations to utilize the region’s trail system and promote sustainability efforts.

Eighty-five percent of the RiMaConn course utilized scenic segments of the East Coast Greenway, a developing 3,000-mile route connecting cities from Maine to Florida. The RiMaConn region consists of 384 miles – more than 10 percent – of the entire East Coast Greenway spine route. Nearly 50 percent of the Greenway route in the region – 187.5 miles – is on protected, off-road trails.

“The investment in multi-use trails has been proven to deliver millions of dollars in health, economic and environmental benefits, and we appreciate the support from Webster Bank to bring the East Coast Greenway to life. Working together with our local partners, we have made tremendous progress toward developing a healthy, sustainable future for thousands of citizens in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, but we still have work to do,” says East Coast Greenway Alliance Executive Director Dennis Markatos-Soriano. “We thank Webster Bank for this generous donation and congratulate all of the finishers of Saturday’s RiMaConn Relay. We hope they return to run our trails after their relay experience.” 

“Webster has a long history of supporting the communities where we live and work, including our ongoing support for renewable energy and our efforts to protect the environment,” says Brian Runkle, executive vice president, Operations, Webster Bank. “Sponsoring the RiMaConn Relay and supporting the East Coast Greenway are just the latest examples of our efforts to promote sustainability and being a good corporate citizen.”

“We’re proud to have brought 700 runners along the East Coast Greenway to experience a unique event that emphasized the importance of sustainable race operations and celebrated the most eco-friendly form of transportation – running!” said Beth Shluger, founder and CEO of the Hartford Marathon Foundation.

The RiMaConn and East Coast Greenway sponsorships are the latest examples of Webster’s commitment to sustainability. Webster invests in energy-efficient solutions at its facilities, including reducing paper and fossil fuel usage, and is active in financing commercial loans for renewable and clean energy, as well as LEED construction. In 2018 alone, Webster entered into approximately $47 million in loans for renewable energy and energy-efficient components

In addition to its financial support, Webster Bank’s RiMaConn relay team and more than twenty employee volunteers participated in the Hartford Marathon Foundation’s "plogging" event in East Hartford, Conn. on Wednesday, August 14, 2019. “Plogging” is a Swedish term referring to picking up litter while jogging. The group run and cleanup was free and open to the community.

For more information about the RiMaConn Relay, visit www.runthegreenway.com.