MANCHESTER, Conn — The Manchester Road Race (MRR) is again honoring veterans on Thanksgiving Day.
Race organizers announced that they teamed up with local veterans' organizations to sponsor "Veterans' Row," a tribute for all active duty, reserve, and National Guard service members, along with veterans who run the MRR.
There will also be a pre-race reception with light refreshments on Thanksgiving morning at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, near Main Street and East Center Street. The reception will be held from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and all service members and veterans will receive a commemorative MRR pin.
“Our road race is extremely grateful to every veteran,” said Dr. Tris Carta, President of the Manchester Road Race Committee. “This is our way of saying thanks for their sacrifices and service.”
The service members and veterans competing in the race will also receive recognition when they pass by the Veterans' Row "Path of Honor," which is located on the course near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Path of Honor will be lined with American flags, the POW/MIA flag, and the flags of all branches of the armed forces, race officials said.
The Manchester Road Race has a long history of affiliation with veterans. In 1945, after 10 years when the event was not held due to the Great Depression and World War II, the road race was revived by returning veterans Earl Yost, Charlie Robbins and Fran Leary. The trio formed a committee to rekindle interest in the race and convinced the local Army & Navy Club to co-sponsor it with the town's recreation department.
The MRR, which has been held every year since 1945 (including in 2020 when COVID-19 forced race officials to stage it as a virtual event), has been won 26 times by 17 veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. Olympian Johnny Kelley of Groton was an Army Veteran who won the race six times, and Manchester’s Joe McCluskey, an Olympic bronze medalist who served with the Navy in the South Pacific during WWII, was a four-time winner. Robbins, a Navy vet, won the road race in 1945 and 1946.
The 87th Manchester Road Race will kick off at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23. The race is run on a 4.748-mile loop course through Manchester’s central streets and starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.
For more information on the race, head to their website.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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