Running News Daily

Elite Field Shaping Up For 88th Version Of Manchester Road Race

This year's Manchester Road race will feature several Olympians and world-class runners, who will join others clad in turkey suits, tutus, college gear and pilgrim costumes in a field expected to exceed 11,000 on Thanksgiving morning.

This year marks the 88th version of the famed race. The annual 4.737-mile run through Manchester's central streets, regarded as one of America's largest and most Turkey Day events, will start at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning (Nov. 28) on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St James Church.

Organizers said large crowds of spectators are expected to view the race, which is one of only 22 in the United States, and 298 in the world, designated as a World Athletics Label Road Race by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of track and field.

Defending champion and Olympian Weini Kelati of Flagstaff, Arizona has entered the race. Kelati has won the MRR women’s title for the past three years, and a fourth victory this Thanksgiving will set the record for most consecutive wins by a female competitor. A 13-time All American runner at the University of New Mexico who finished eighth last summer in the 10,000 meters finals at the Paris Olympic Games, Kelati set the MRR women's course record of 22:55 in 2021 during her first Manchester appearance.

Kelati won the women's race in Manchester last November with a time of 23:21 and finished 19th in the overall competition. She will be joined in the elite field this Thanksgiving by Annie Rodenfels, the 2023 runner-up, and 2019 winner and marathon great Edna Kiplagat.

Former champions Ben Flanagan (2021) and Sam Chelanga (2013), Kenyan Olympian Edwin Kurgat, who placed seventh in the 5,000 meters finals at the Paris Olympics, and Andrew Colley, the fourth place-finisher in Manchester in 2022 with a time of 21:07, are expected to lead the men’s elite field.

As of early Monday morning, more than 9,000 runners had registered for this year's race.

(11/11/2024) Views: 116 ⚡AMP
by Chris Dehnel

Morgan Beadlescomb Withdraws From Manchester Road Race

Just hours after Manchester Road Race officials announced that Morgan Beadlescomb was set to defend his title, the elite runner withdrew from the 2024 field.

Race officials said Beadlescomb had committed to compete in Manchester several weeks ago, and his entry was announced by race organizers Monday. He notified the Manchester Road Race Committee later on Monday about his decision not to compete in this year's event.

The 26-year-old Beadlescomb ran in the USATF 5-Kilometer Championship in New York City on Saturday and finished in 10th place. He won that race in 2023.

"We've been informed that Morgan consulted with his coach after Saturday's performance at the national 5-K race, and they decided that he would not be able to compete at the required level to give a good showing in Manchester," said Dr, Tris Carta, the longtime president of the Manchester Road Race. "We’ll certainly miss having him with us this Thanksgiving, and we hope that he’ll be back here in the near future."

Beadlescomb, an All-American runner at Michigan State University, won the 2023 MRR in a close race with runner-up Conner Mantz. A year earlier, he finished a close second here behind Mantz, who set the MRR course record of 21:04. Beadlescomb recorded 21:05, the second fastest time ever run on the Manchester course.

(11/06/2024) Views: 118 ⚡AMP
by Chris Dehnel

Reigning Manchester road race champ Morgan Beadlescomb to defend title on thanksgiving

The reigning Manchester Road Race champion will be defending his title on Thanksgiving morning.

Morgan Beadlescomb, who won the 2023 event with an impressive finishing kick down the Main Street home stretch, has committed to return in 2024, race officials announced Monday. Beadlescomb, of Ann Arbor, MI, will be making his third straight Turkey Day appearance in Manchester. He broke the tape last year with a time of 21:12, edging runner-up Conner Mantz by three seconds.

The 26-year-old Beadlescomb's victory last Thanksgiving reversed the results of the 2022 MRR, when Mantz won with a course record time of 21:04, one second ahead of Beadlescomb, who was the runner-up. Beadlescomb's 21:05 clocking at the 2022 road race is the second-fastest time ever run on the Manchester loop. Beadlescomb was a seven-time All-American runner at Michigan State University, where he holds the indoor and outdoor records for 5,000 meters. His personal best time for the event is 13:03.57.

"We are very pleased that Morgan is returning," said. Dr. Tris Carta, the president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "He is a terrific competitor, and we expect that his presence will mean that we are in store for another exciting road race finish."

Beadlescomb's entry means that both of last year's winners will be competing at the 2024 MRR. Weini Kelati of Flagstaff, AR, who holds the women's course record and has won the race for the past three years in a row, has also committed to the race.

The 88th Manchester Road Race is one of only 22 events in the United States, and 298 in the world, to be designated this year as a World Athletics Label Road Race. World Athletics is the international governing body for the sport of track and field.

The road race will be staged at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28 of this year). The race, which starts and finishes on Main Street in front of St. James Church, is run on a 4.737-mile course through Manchester’s central streets. Last year, 11,060 runners registered to run in the event, which is regarded as one of America’s largest and most popular turkey trots. As of early this morning, 8,096 entrants have signed up to run this year.

The MRR's principal financial sponsors are Pratt & Whitney, ECHN, and Hoffman Lexus. The road race is organized by more than 400 volunteers from the Manchester Road Race Committee, with support from the town of Manchester.

(11/05/2024) Views: 142 ⚡AMP

Morgan Beadlescomb, Weini Kelati win the Manchester Road Race

 The Manchester Road Race men’s race has a new champion. Morgan Beadlescomb dethroned defending champion Connor Mantz at the line.

Mantz, who won the 2022 Manchester Road Race, came in second place.

"The course was awesome. It's like a cross-country course on the road," Beadlescomb said after the race. "We've got the hills, it's a challenge. The wind was a little bit high today, but it was a great race."

Beadlescomb time on Thursday came in at 21:12, about 6 seconds from the record.

Before the race, Beadlescomb said he wanted to win after coming in second place behind Mantz by fewer than 1 second.

"I am already excited for next Thanksgiving. I love coming here," he said. "I came here last year. I had a great time. The energy is amazing."

In the women’s race, two-time defending champion Weini Kelati won her third consecutive Manchester Road Race, smoking the competition around her.

"This is amazing," Kelati said after the race. "To come back here is amazing."

Much like in her last two races, Kelati went out fast, pacing herself with the elite men’s competition and no other woman could match her pace. She said that as an aggressive racer, she enjoys that the men and women race at the same time because she can use it to her advantage.

"I took the opportunity to follow the guys and it worked," Kelati said.

Kelati won with a time of 23:21, beating her time from 2022. She still holds the record for the fastest course time of 22:55, which she set in 2021.

Annie Rodenfels, of Newton, Massachusetts, came in second place with a time of 23:59. Emily Durgin, from Flagstaff, Arizona, came in third with a time of 24:06.

The race within the race – the King and Queen of the Hill competition – was won by Mantz and Kelati, who won an extra $1,000 each.

(11/23/2023) Views: 723 ⚡AMP
by Lucia Suarez

Men's Record-Holder To Defend Title At Manchester Road Race

Defending Manchester Road Race men's division champion and course record-holding Conner Mantz will return for the 2023 race. 

Mantz, who won two NCAA Division 1 cross country titles when he ran for Brigham Young University, rocketed around the 4.748-mile course in 2022 with the time of 21:04.  He knocked 12 seconds off the prior mark of 21:16 that Edward Cheserek set in 2018.

Also expected to be at the starting line will be last year’s runner-up, Morgan Beadlescomb.

Beadlescomb, a former Michigan State All-American, shadowed Mantz across the finish stripe last November with a time of 21:05.

Beadlescomb’s time is the second fastest-ever run on the Manchester course. Last year’s elite field was so strong that the first five runners to finish all eclipsed Cheserek’s former record, according to race officials.

“We are extremely pleased that last year’s top two finishers, Conner Mantz and Morgan Beadlescomb, are returning this year,” said Dr. Tris Carta, president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. “It is going to be another very exciting race."

Mantz placed sixth last month at the Chicago Marathon with the personal record and Olympic standard qualifying time of 2:07:47. Beadlescomb, 25, ran a personal best time of 13:08.82 for 5000 meters at a meet in Los Angeles in May and won the USATF national 5-K championship at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5-K in 13:44 on Nov. 4th.

 The 87th Manchester Road Race, which was recognized as a 2023 World Athletics Label Event, will be held on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, at 10 a.m. It starts and finishes on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St. James Church. The road race is organized by 500 volunteers from the Manchester Road Race Committee, with support from the Town of Manchester. 

 

(11/08/2023) Views: 565 ⚡AMP

Record-Holder Weini Kelati looking for 3-peat at Manchester Road Race

Manchester Road Race women's course record-holder Weini Kelati has committed to defend her back-to-back titles this Thanksgiving.

The Manchester Road Race Committee announced today that Kelati's manager recently confirmed that the 26-year-old will be at the starting line when the 87th Manchester Road Race takes place on Thanksgiving Day.

Kelati in 2021 won the women's championship in 22:55 while shredding more than a minute off the prior mark of 23:57 held by Buze Diriba. She ran with the men's leader pack for much of that race and finished in 18th place overall.

An 11-time All-American runner when she competed for the University of New Mexico, Kelati also won the MRR last year. Her time of 23:39 at the 2022 MRR rates as the second-fastest time run by a woman on the 4.748-mile Manchester course.

"Weini is an amazing athlete with exceptional grit, speed and endurance who has had two incredible performances at our road race," said Dr. Tris Carta, the president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "We are very excited that she is coming back to Manchester for the third straight year."

Kelati was born in Eritrea and became a U.S. citizen in 2021. She now calls Flagstaff, Arizona, home. She was the NCAA Division I champion in cross country and the 10,000 meters while in college. Kelati won the 2023 USATF 10K women’s championship in September with a time of 31:57, and earlier this year she ran a personal best time of 31:04 for the 10,000 meters.

The 87th Manchester Road Race, which will take place at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23), has been named a 2023 World Athletic Label Event by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of track and field. It is one of only 238 races in the world, and 15 in the United States, to receive that designation, which recognizes an event’s commitment to anti-doping and clean sport.

The road race is run on a loop course through Manchester's central streets and starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.

(11/01/2023) Views: 507 ⚡AMP
by Chris Dehnel

Elite women's marathoner Hall to run Manchester Road Race

Sara Hall, who was fifth in the World Marathon Championships last year, has entered this year's Manchester Road Race.  This will be her first appearance in the Thanksgiving Day run.

Hall, 40,  finished in 2:22:10 in the world event in Eugene, Oregon, and was the runner-up at the 2020 London Marathon in 2:22:01.  Her personal-best for the 26.2-mile run 2:20:32, and 1:07:15.

A seven-time All-American when she competed for Stanford, Hall ran the steeplechase before becoming a marathoner. She won the gold medal in the steeplechase at the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico.

Hall is married to retired Olympic marathoner Ryan Hall.  Ryan, who also competed for Stanford, set the United States records for the marathon and half marathon.  In 2017, the couple adopted four young sisters from Ethiopia. The family resides in Flagstaff, Arizona.

 “Sara is a wonderful addition to this year’s race,” said Jim Harvey, the MRRs elite runner coordinator. “She is a very accomplished athlete and a great person.”

The 87th Manchester Road Race, which has been designated a World Athletics Label Event by World Athletics, starts at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day Nov. 23. The 4.748-mile-long road race is run on a loop course through Manchester’s central district that starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.

(10/19/2023) Views: 682 ⚡AMP

Connor Mantz breaks record, Weini Kelati wins again at Manchester Road Race

Connor Mantz won the Manchester Road Race in record time.

The 25-year-old from Provo, Utah, won the race with a time of 21:04, beating the record set more than four years ago. It's a duel celebration for the runner as he is also celebrating his honeymoon.

In the women’s race, 25-year-old Weini Kelati defended her record-breaking 2021 title, handily winning her second Manchester Road Race. She was named Queen of the Hill.

Much like in 2021, Kelati began her race early and paced with some of the elite male runners. During the race, no other woman could pace with Kelani. For some pockets of the race, Kelati paced by herself, running faster than some of the elite men.

Kelati, an Eritrea-born runner, validated her world-class ambitions by winning two national championships in New Mexico. She turned professional and joined the Dark Sky Distance running club. In 2021, she met the Olympic qualifying standard for 10,000 meters. That year she came to the U.S.  

Wesley Kiptoo, 23 from Kenya, won King of the Hill, which has a $1,000 prize.

Kiptoo came in third place overall, while Morgan Beadlescomb came in second.

Over 10,000 runners were registered for this year's race. It is the final year for longtime race director Jim Balcome, who, with his team, built the race into a world-class event.

The course is a 4.748-mile loop through the town’s central streets. It starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.

(11/24/2022) Views: 1,000 ⚡AMP

Ben Flanagan wins 85th Manchester Road Race, Weini Kelati wins women's race and sets new record

What a dominating performance by Weini Kelati!

The 24-year-old runner native of the African country of Eritrea shattered the course record with a time of 22 minutes 55 seconds to win the women’s division of the Manchester Road Race. Kelati, who lives in Flagstaff, Ariz., finished 18th overall.

“It’s amazing!” Kelati told FOX61 News after crossing the finish line on Thursday morning. “The energy … When I hear the people cheering, it helps me to run fast.”

Kelati, who won the women’s national 5K road championship in New York City on Nov. 6, started off the race strong. She quickly got away from the pack in the women’s division and ran the 4.748 miles practically by herself.

She beat the previous course record of 23 minutes 57 seconds in the women’s division – set by Buze Diriba in 2017 – by more than a minute.

Second place in the woman’s race was Keira D’Amato from Midlothian, Virginia. Edna Kiplagat from Longmont, Colorado rounded up the top three.

“Thank you to the people cheering for us,” Kelati said. “It’s amazing.”

In the men’s race, winner Ben Flanagan, 26 of Canada, clocked in at a time of 21 minutes 23 seconds, beating second-place Leonard Korir by more than 12 seconds.

Flanagan, who lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, took the lead after the Highland Street hill, at about the 2-mile mark, and ran alone the rest of the way.

“I feel amazing,” he told FOX61 News after the race. “I knew I was in pretty good shape, but this time of year, you really don’t know what to expect, it’s so early in training. So, to come out here and take the win at a historic race like this is a huge privilege. I am so happy.”

He was about six seconds off the pace of the course record for the men’s division (21:15) set by Edward Cheserek in 2018.

Flanagan, who is a two-time winner of the Falmouth Road Race (2019, 2021), was running his second Manchester Road Race. He is the first Canadian male to win since Christian Weber in 1990.

Sam Chelanga, the 2013 Manchester winner, won the King of the Hill title at the top of Highland Street hill. He came in third overall.

“You do it right here (in Manchester),” Flanagan said of the crowds. “It was electric. As soon as I took the lead, the last two miles, the crowd just fueled me the whole time … it was so exciting.”

More than 8,700 runners hit the racecourse this year. The race was held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(11/25/2021) Views: 1,619 ⚡AMP
by Lucia Suarez Sang

Drew Hunter and Weini Kelati Will lead fields for Thursday’s Manchester Road Race

The elite fields for Thursday’s Manchester Road Race in Manchester, Conn., have been finalized, race organizers reported this morning.  The classic Thanksgiving Day race, founded in 1927, will return to its usual 4.748-mile, hilly loop with the start and finish on Main Street after being held virtually last year.  Among the hundreds of “Turkey Trots” to be held in the United States on Thursday, Manchester is the only event with a truly top-class elite field.  Organizers expect 8,700 runners to answer the starter’s gun at 10:00 a.m. EST.

“Our elite runner coordinator, Jim Harvey, has done a brilliant job of assembling excellent fields of elite runners for our return to Main Street and the celebration of our 85th Manchester Road Race this year,” said Dr. Tris Carta, president of the Manchester Road Race Committee, through a statement.  “It is going to be a very exciting road race.”

The women’s contest will feature an interesting match-up between USA 5-K champion Weini Kelati and 2:22 marathoner Keira D’Amato.  Both American women will be running Manchester for the first time.

Also likely to contend for the win are Kenyans Edna Kiplagat, the two-time world marathon champion, and Monicah Ngige, most recently fourth at the Boston Marathon.  Also entered are Britain’s Amy-Eloise Markovc, the 2021 European indoor 3000m champion, and Americans Taylor Werner, the 2019 NCAA Championships 5000m runner-up, and Katie Izzo, fourth at the 2019 NCAA Championships in the 10,000m.  In all, ten women have track or road 5-K personal bests under 16 minutes.  Kiplagat was the Manchester winner in 2019.

Drew Hunter, the newly-crowned USA 5-K road running champion, leads the men’s field and will be making his Manchester debut.  Hunter’s biggest challengers will likely be 2:07 marathon Leonard Korir, veteran Sam Chelanga, and two-time Falmouth Road Race champion Ben Flanagan, a Canadian.  A total of 14 men have sub-14:00 5000m personal bests.

Thursday’s race has a generous $47,800 prize money purse, and the top-3 men and women will receive $7,000, $4,000 and $3,000, respectively.

Behind the elites, 75 year-old Amby Burfoot will run Manchester for the 59th consecutive year (he ran virtually in 2020 using the race’s traditional course).  Burfoot, the 1968 Boston Marathon champion, won the Manchester Road Race nine times from 1968 through 1977.  Should he finish the race on Thursday he will earn sole ownership of the record for most total Manchester finishes at 59.

Thursday’s races will be broadcast on the Connecticut Fox affiliate, Fox 61.  Their coverage will be streamed live and free globally at fox61.com at 10:00 a.m. EST.

The complete elite fields are below with 5000m personal bests.

WOMEN

–Weini KELATI (USA), 14:58.24

Amy-Eloise MARKOVC (GBR), 15:03.22

Aisling CUFFE (USA), 15:11.13

Taylor WERNER (USA), 15:11.19i

Katie IZZO (USA), 15:13.09i

Monicah NGIGE (KEN), 15:16 (road)

Edna KIPLAGAT (40+/KEN), 15:20 (road)

Sarah INGLIS (GBR), 15:24.17

Fiona O’KEEFFE (USA), 15:31.45

Tristin VAN ORD (USA), 15:53.44

Emeline DELANIS (FRA), 16:02.54

Keira D’AMATO (USA), 16:09.86

Annmarie TUXBURY (USA), 16:17.45

Emily SETLACK (40+/CAN), 16:26.31

Whitney MACON (USA), 35:36 (road 10-K)

MEN

–Sam CHELANGA (USA), 13:04.35i

Leonard KORIR (USA), 13:15.45

Drew HUNTER (USA), 13:17.55

Ben FLANAGAN (CAN), 13:20.67

Donn CABRAL (USA), 13:22.19

Jordan MANN (USA), 13:27.68i

Blaise FERRO (USA), 13:31.54

John DRESSEL (USA), 13:36.29

Alex OSTBERG (USA), 13:42.44

Mo HREZI (LBA), 13:42.80

Matt McCLINTOCK (USA), 13:47.68

Alfredo SANTANA (PUR), 13:48.10

Joey BERRIATUA (USA), 13:49.16

Julius DIEHR (USA), 13:56.79

Tai DINGER (USA), 14:09.41

Brendan PRINDIVILLE (USA), 14:10.96.

(11/24/2021) Views: 1,571 ⚡AMP
by David Monti

Everything you need to know for the 85th Manchester Road Race

The 85th Manchester Road Race (MRR) is almost here and runners from all over the country are lacing up their running shoes.

The race was forced to be held virtually in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But with vaccinations, and efforts made by the state and race officials, the race will happen in person for the 2021 race.

Here's what you need to know:

How to Watch

The race will be held on Thanksgiving Day. 

FOX61 and CW20 will broadcast the race entirely. Fans who cannot make it out to Manchester on the day can watch it live on TV or stream it on FOX61.com, FOX61 News App, ROKU and Amazon Fire TV apps and on the FOX61 Youtube page from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. 

The race will be rebroadcast in its entirety on CW20 starting at 4 p.m. 

The race will start at 10 a.m. sharp. It will begin and end on Main Street at Oak Street. From there, runners will head onto Charter Oak Street where they will hit the first mile.

At the second mile, runners will head onto Highland Street before turning onto Porter Street where they will hit the third and fourth mile. 

The length of the course is 4.748 miles. 

COVID-19 Safety Measures

With COVID-19 still impacting the community, race officials have implemented safety measures.

Officials strongly urged everyone participating to be fully vaccinated before race day, which includes athletes, volunteers, and fans. 

Additionally, officials mandated that all of the elite runners, many of whom are coming from out of state, provide proof of vaccination. 

Masks must be worn at all of the MRR indoor events and on shuttle buses transporting runners and spectators to the race. 

The MRR canceled its indoor Spaghetti Supper and Charlie Robbins Luncheon this year due to the mask requirement. 

While masks are not required outdoors, race officials are asking runners, volunteers, and spectators to still wear masks and follow social distance protocols as much as possible at the race and all the associated events.

Elite Runners

Sam Chelanga, winner of the 2013 MRR, and Edna Kiplagat, who won the women's title at the 2019 race, will return this year.

Other world-class male athletes who have entered this year’s 4.748-mile Turkey Trot include Ben Flanagan, who won the Falmouth Road Race in August and finished eighth at the 2019 MRR; Drew Hunter, the 2019 USA indoor two-mile champion who won the national 5K road championship in New York City on Nov. 6; and Olympian Donn Cabral, who was second at the 2015 MRR and has had seven top-10 finishes in Manchester.

Cabral, a graduate of Glastonbury High School who was the NCAA champion in the steeplechase when he competed for Princeton, was the fastest runner (23:00) in last November’s Virtual Manchester Road Race.

Weini Kelati, who won the women’s national 5K road championship in New York City on Nov 6th with a time of 15:18, and Monicah Ngige, the fourth-place finisher at this year’s Boston Marathon who had a fourth-place finish here in 2018 (25:02), are also expected to make strong showings in the women’s race.

(11/22/2021) Views: 1,695 ⚡AMP
by Jennifer Glatz

Eric Jenkins of Portland, Oregon win men’s and Edna Kiplagat wins women’s divisions of 83rd running of the Manchester Road Race

Eric Jenkins of Portland, Oregon and Edna Kiplagat of Boulder, Colorado have won the men’s and women’s division of the 83rd running of the Manchester Road Race.

Jenkins covered the 4.748-mile (7.641-kilometer) distance in 21:18 (unofficial), almost besting the old mark of 21:16 set last year by Edward Cheserek.

Edward Cheserek, last year’s men’s division winner, of Johnson City, Tennessee, was second.

In the women’s race, Edna Kiplagat finished with an unofficial clocking of 24:29.

Kiplagat is a policewoman in Iten, Kenya. She started the Edna Kiplagat Foundation to raise awareness of breast cancer. Is is the 2011 and 2013 IAAF World Champion, and has established herself as an elite marathon runner in 2010 with wins at the Los Angeles and New York City marathons.

Jenkins competed for Northeastern University and transferred to the University of Oregon in 2013 where he won the men’s 3K and 5K at the 2015 NCAA DI Indoor Track and Field Championships.

During his time at the school, a famous rivalry formed between him and his teammate Edward Cheserek who would always finish either closely behind or ahead of Jenkins in several races (including today!).

(11/28/2019) Views: 2,034 ⚡AMP

Wilhelm "Willi" Frederich, 85, will be running his 50th Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day

An 85-year-old retired master craftsman and cancer survivor will achieve what organizers are calling a "remarkable" achievement when he lines up to start the 2019 Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving morning. It will be Wilhelm "Willi" Frederich's 50th appearance in the famed race.

Frederich, a retired contractor and master craftsman from Ellington, ran in his first MRR in 1968. He has finished the 4.748-mile run every year since then with the exception of 1999 and 2000. He missed those races due to illness in the family, race officials said.

Frederick's own illness did not stop him last Thanksgiving,. Frederich, who was then battling bone cancer that is now in remission, braved the 14-degree weather with a zero wind chill and covered the road race course in a wheel chair equipped with a hand crank.

He plans to walk and jog the course next Thursday, accompanied by 10 family members and friends. Frederich will be easy to spot on the race course. He will be wearing one of the special red, white and blue numbers bibs that the road race committee issues to its longtime entrants. Frederich and his running mates will also don special yellow jerseys emblazoned with "Team Willi" on the front.

This is a fantastic accomplishment," said Dr. Tris Carta of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "We are very proud of Willi Frederich, and all of our perennial performers."

(11/23/2019) Views: 1,887 ⚡AMP
by Chris Dehnel

Two-time Olympic steeplechaser Donn Cabral is in good shape and feeling confident about the Manchester Road Race

His goal, for a while now, has been to win the race he grew up running, the fabled Manchester Road Race, on Thanksgiving Day.

Cabral, 29, of Hartford finished third over the 4.748-mile course in 2012 in 21:33. He was fourth in 2014 (21:51) and second in 2015 in 21:36.

“If I were to win Manchester,” Cabral said at Thursday’s annual press lunch at the Manchester Country Club, “that would trump winning the Penn Relays, the national title – it would be on the same level as making the Olympic team.

“I’m feeling as confident now for my fitness this year as any year I’ve ever run this.”

The 83rd annual race will take place Nov. 28 at 10 a.m. on Main Street in Manchester. Over 12,000 runners and walkers are expected.

Cabral, who grew up in Glastonbury, said he had a “horrible track season.” Last year, he finished 20th at Manchester in 22:36. But his recent workouts are mirroring his successful past runs.

“I just did a workout which was a 5-mile run, where four miles are at a comfortably hard pace and the last mile’s hard,” he said. “I did that same workout eight days before Thanksgiving in 2012. I ended up running 21:33. I just did the same workout this past weekend, and given conditions and pacing, it was at least equivalent to what I did in 2012. I’m confident going forward. I’m ready to go.”

Cabral has been going to law school and business school but he’s taking the spring semester off to focus on making it to the Tokyo Olympics.

“I’ve had a couple years where I’ve been struggling to kind of get my legs under me and find out what’s been going on,” he said. “I had little bright spots here and there but they’re becoming fewer and further between. To an outside observer, maybe it is age. But there are plenty of 30-year-old runners who are at the top of their career, so I ignore that.

“I’ve spoken with some doctors and I think it’s being able to keep some stressors in my life down and being able to keep the amount of calories up I need to meet those needs.”

Defending champion Edward Cheserek is returning. Cheserek ran a course record 21:16 in bitter cold conditions last year.

“Well, Edward Cheserek is one of the best runners in American history,” Cabral said. “If he wants to go out and run what that time is equivalent to on a good day, I don’t think anyone’s going to be stopping him - 21:16 on the coldest day in Manchester Road Race history is otherworldly. That said, he’s human and he gets beat and he’s not always on his game. When he’s on his game, it would take something I haven’t seen in myself yet to beat him. I think I’m ready to run phenomenally and if he’s at all off, or compromised, I’m ready to take him down.

(11/22/2019) Views: 1,981 ⚡AMP
by Lori Riley

Manchester Road Race director Jim Balcome Gets Major National Award

The director of the Manchester Road Race has been recognized nationally for his efforts to coordinate the Thanksgiving Day event.

Jim Balcome, the director and backbone of the Manchester Road Race for about four decades, has been recognized nationally for his efforts to coordinate the annual Thanksgiving Day run.

Balcome is known for his meticulous — and personal — approach to the annual Thanksgiving Day event and, last weekend, he was awarded the "Marathon Foto/Road Race Management RaceDirector of the Year Award," which is presented by MYLAPS Sports Timing.

The honor has been described by Boston Marathon champion Bill Rodgers as "the goldmedal of race directing," has been presented annually since 1987 to the nation's best race director. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious awards in the sport of road racing.

A committee comprised of race directors, athletes, media representatives, corporate executivesand club officials selected Balcome from a group of nominees who were judged on several factors,including overall ability, the reputation of the race, creativity, and organizational ability.

Balcome, 76, coined the race day phrase, "This is Thanksgiving in Manchester," and is known for making Manchester "a runners race" from the elite athletes kicking toward the tape down Main Street to the guy in the back of the 11,000-strong field kicking back in a bunny suit.

Balcome has served as the MRR's race director for 40 years. He's a past president of the Silk City Striders Running Club and competed in the road race for several years before being asked to lead its operations.

He's an Air Force veteran and retired Rockville High School teacher, guidance counselor and track coach who spends between 500 and 600 hours each year performing the "countless tasks" that are necessary to stage a major road race like the MRR, other race officials said.

(11/14/2019) Views: 1,776 ⚡AMP
by Chris Dehnel

Defending champion and course record holder Edward Cheserek will be back in 2019 to defend his title at the 83rd Manchester Road Race

Defending champion and course record holder Edward Cheserek has entered the 83rd Manchester Road Race, race officials announced Thursday.

Cheserek hails from of Flagstaff, AZ, by way of Kenya.

Cheserek, 25, won the annual Thanksgiving Day run last year in 14-degree weather with zero wind chills and set a new record for the 4.748-mile course with a time of 21:16. He sliced three seconds off the old mark of 21:19 that had stood since 1995.

"Edward Cheserek ran a super race under very difficult conditions last year," said Dr. Tris Carta, president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "We are very pleased that he will be back this Thanksgiving to defend his championship."

Cheserek captured 17 NCAA running championships when he competed for the University of Oregon. He won the Carlsbad 5,000 Road Race in California this past April with a time of 13:29. Cheserek recorded a personal best time of 13:04.44 for 5,000 meters this summer during an outdoor meet in Belgium, and also placed third at the seven-mile Falmouth Road Race in 32:30.

The 83rd Manchester Road Race will be run at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28, 2019).

The 4.748-mile race is run on a loop course through Manchester's central streets and starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.

(11/13/2019) Views: 1,863 ⚡AMP
by Chris Dehnel

Edna Kiplagat, one of the world's top marathon runners plans to compete in the 2019 Manchester Road Race

One of the world's greatest marathon runners will compete at the 83rd Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day. Race officials announced Monday that Edna Kiplagat, who won the 26.2-mile event at the World Championships in 2011 and 2013, will return to Manchester after a two-year absence.

She finished fourth at the 2016 MRR with a time of 24:34.

Kiplagat, who turns 40 on Nov., 15, grew up in Kenya and recently relocated to the Boulder, Colorado area. She won the 2017 Boston Marathon, the 2014 London Marathon, and the New York City and Los Angeles Marathons, both in 2010. Kiplagat recorded her best time for the event in 2012 when she placed second behind Mary Keitany at the London Marathon in 2:19:50.

The mother of five children and a former police physical fitness instructor in Kenya, Kipligat was the runner-up at the Boston Marathon last April, and finished fourth in the marathon at the 2019 World Championships, which were held last month in Doha, Qatar.

Kiplagat will join Olympic silver medalist Sally Kipyego in a highly competitive womens elite field at the annual 4.78-mile Thanksgiving Day run through Manchester's central streets.

The 83rd Manchester Road Race is scheduled will take place on Nov. 28 at 10 a.m.

(11/12/2019) Views: 2,118 ⚡AMP
by Chris Dehnel

NCAA champ Cheserek breaks course record on a frigid day at the Manchester Road Race, and Celliphine Chespol of Kenya wins for the women runners

In frigid conditions, Clutching hand warmers to fend off the frigid cold, Edward Cheserek broke the course record, winning the 82nd Manchester Road Race in 21:16 Thursday morning. Cheserek, a 17-time NCAA champion from Flagstaff, Ariz., broke the record for the 4.748-mile race set by Aaron Braun (21:19) in 2012. It was his first time running Manchester. “I looked at the time, it was 21:17 or 16 and I thought that’s really OK,” said Cheserek, 24, who didn’t know he broke the record until somebody told him. “That’s a very good time.” Cheserek broke away from the pack at the top of the Highland Street hill and ran alone down Main Street toward the finish. Last year’s champion Paul Chelimo was second and Andy Butchart, who defied the elements by wearing a singlet and shorts, was third. Celliphine Chespol of Kenya was the women’s winner, outkicking last year’s winner Buze Diriba and 2016 winner Emily Sisson at the finish. It was the first road race for Chespol, 19, who is a steeplechaser. She ran the third fastest time (8:58.78 in the 3,000 meter steepchase in May 2017 at the Prefontaine Classic. “I’m so happy because this is my first time to run a road race,” Chespol said. It was about 16 degrees at the start but the wind chill lowered the temperatures to single digits. About 12,000 people ran and walked Thursday. (11/22/2018) Views: 1,753 ⚡AMP

Paul Chelimo will return to defend his title at Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day

Paul Chelimo, the Olympic silver medalist who won the Manchester Road Race last year, and Buze Diriba of Ethiopia, who set the women’s course record last year, will return for the annual Thanksgiving Day 4.748-mile race on Nov. 22. Chelimo, 27, won the race last year in 21:32, edging out runner-up Kirubel Erassa, who finished in 21:34. Erassa, who moved from Ethiopia to Georgia when he was 11, is a naturalized American citizen and was an All-America runner at Oklahoma State. He is also returning to run at Manchester. Chelimo, who competes for the U.S. Army’s World Class Athletes Program, won the silver medal in the 5,000 meters at the Rio Olympics. Last summer, in a meet in Brussels, he ran the fourth-fastest time ever by an American in the 5,000 meters, 12:57.55. Last year, Diriba, who lives and trains in Albuquerque, won the women’s title in 21:57, outkicking Olympian Molly Huddle, who also finished under the course record (23:59, set by the late Emelie Mondor in 2003). Nick Willis, a two-time Olympic medalist in the 1,500 meters from New Zealand who won Manchester in 2005, is also returning, as is Olympic steeplechaser Donn Cabral, who lives in Hartford. (11/14/2018) Views: 1,721 ⚡AMP

The 82nd Manchester Road Race Committee will honor veterans and current members of the U.S. Armed Forces at this year's race on Thanksgiving Day

The Manchester Road Race Committee will honor veterans and current members of the U.S. Armed Forces at this year's race. All active duty and reserve military personnel and veterans who are entered in this year's road race are being invited to a pre-race reception on Thanksgiving morning. The reception is slated for 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Main Street, near the corner of East Center Street, in Manchester. A "Veteran's Row," lined with the military flags of all five service branches and the POW/MIA flag, will be located near the race course in front of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A color guard from the Veterans of Foreign War Anderson-Shea Post 2046 in Manchester will salute all veterans as they run down the Main Street home stretch. The military flags and a three-quarter-ton restored Army truck that will also be on on display are being be supplied by American Legion Post 133 of South Windsor. The Manchester Road Race Committee is being assisted in its tribute to veterans by Bob Venti and other members of the Manchester Veterans' Council. The Manchester Road Race Committee also announced that it will donate all of the proceeds from its "Honors Club Program" this year to the Veterans Support Foundation's Dinda House, a transitional living facility for veterans located in Manchester. Dinda House is named in honor of Army Specialist Fourth Class Michael J. Dinda of Kensington, CT, who was killed in action in South Vietnam on Dec. 29, 1969. "We are extremely pleased to honor all of our veterans at this year's race," said Dr. Tris Carta, president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "It is our small way of saying thanks for their service and sacrifices." (11/13/2018) Views: 1,957 ⚡AMP

Running legend Amby Burfoot is going to run his 56th consecutive Manchester Road Race

Running legend and nine-time champion Amby Burfoot is expected to run in the Manchester Road Race for a record 56th consecutive time on Thanksgiving Day, race officials announced this week. Burfoot, the 1968 Boston Marathon champion, won the 4.748-mile road race in Manchester nine times between 1968 and 1977. Burfoot competed in Manchester for the first time in 1963 as a 17-year-old high school senior, and he hasn't missed a Thanksgiving morning on Main Street since then. The retired Runner's World magazine editor already holds the MRR record for most consecutive runs at 55. "Amby Burfoot running in our road race is as much of a Thanksgiving Day tradition in Manchester as turkey and pumpkin pie," said Dr. Tris Carta, president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "We are delighted that he's with us again this year, and we deeply appreciate his long standing devotion to the race." (11/06/2018) Views: 1,816 ⚡AMP

Buze Diriba of Ethiopia is set to defend her title at Manchester Road Race

Buze Diriba of Ethiopia will defend the Manchester Road Race title she captured with a record-setting time last Thanksgiving. Race officials this week announced today that Diriba, 24, has entered the 2018 MRR. She edged Molly Huddle at the finish line last year to win in 23:57. Her time beat the course record of 23:59 set by the late Emilie Mondor of Canada in 2003. Joining her in the 2018 field will be former winners Diane Nukuri and Emily Sisson. Nukuri, an Olympic runner from Burundi, captured back-to-back road race championships in 2014 and 2015. Sisson, who was an All-American competitor at Providence College, won the 2016 MRR. The 82nd Manchester Road Race will take place at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22 of this year). The race starts and finishes on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St. James Church. (11/06/2018) Views: 1,876 ⚡AMP