2 Babies, Olympians Among Manchester Road Race 'Finishers'

MANCHESTER, CT — A dentist, an Olympic steeplechaser and a pair of babies were among the more than 1,700 runners who registered official times in the unique version of the 2020 Manchester Road Race.

The race went virtual when organizers deemed it too risky to field an on-course event amid the coronavirus pandemic. Most runners completed the 4.748-mile distance on their own or on the course itself during November. A smattering actually braved a wet and chilly Thanksgiving Day morning to run the course, despite the urging of town officials not to.

The best recorded time was registered by Olympic steeplechase racer and Glastonbury native Donn Cabral. The 30-year old turned in a time of 23:00.

Cabral may have a big name, but two little competitors easily stood out on the results sheet. They were "Baby" Huckins, 1, who was one second ahead (1:51:42) of 35-year-old Lisa Huckins of South Windsor.

Lucy Gagliardi, 1, of Tolland also finished the race (52:32), but the score sheet did not suggest who may have pushed the stroller.

Past champions running included:

• John Treacy, age 63, 37:23
• Amy Rudolph (5-time champion), age 47, 38:07
• Charlie Duggan, age 67, 46:27
• Mark Carroll, age 48, 24:10
• Amby Burfoot (9-time champion), age 74, 45:13 (ran course last week)
• Edna Kiplagat, age 41, 32:42
• Diane Nukuri, age 35, 35:32
• John Gregorek, age 60, 34:35
• Kim Smith, age 39, 34:09
• Aaron Braun, age 33, 25:43

Molly Huddle, 36, had a time of 34:06. Huddle, a two-time Olympian and All-American runner at Notre Dame, ran the second fastest time by a woman on the MRR course in 2017 when she finished second to Buze Diriba. Diriba broke the course standard with a time of 23:57, with Huddle a half step behind in 23:58.

Popular local dentist and Manchester Road Race Committee President Dr. Tris Carta had a rare opportunity for a peaceful jaunt around the course. The 66-year-old Carta had a time of 31:52.

Burfoot's appearance kept his record streak of 58 consecutive races intact.

See the full slate of times here.