2020 Manchester Road Race To Take Place Under 'Hybrid' Format

MANCHESTER, CT — The 84th running of the Manchester Road Race will forge ahead on Thanksgiving Day, but it will have a retro feel combined with an event trend that has emerged since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

In short, the 2020 race will go on without an elite, international field and will be limited "for safety reasons" to 500 runners with a virtual version of the 4.748-mile run open to anyone who wishes to participate.

The race traditionally draws a field of more than 10,000 with thousands more lining the streets of central Manchester as spectators.

"Obviously, due to the Covid-19 health crisis, this year's 84th-annual Manchester Road Race will look and be much different from all of our past events," said Dr. Tris Carta, the president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "But we sincerely believe that by utilizing this hybrid approach, we can safely keep the town's Turkey Day tradition alive in a manner that is totally consistent with state public health mandates."

Carta said that beginning on Oct. 1, runners can register for the virtual road race on the event's website:

• www.manchesterroadrace.com

The registration fee is $20.

Registered runners will be able to download a phone app with GPS capabilities to their smartphones. They can then run the 4.748-mile distance at any location of their choice. The app will measure their distance, signaling when they have completed the full course, and upload their times to race officials. Runners will be able to see their progress on an event map of the actual MRR course, even if they are running on a rail trail. The virtual race must be completed between 8 a.m. (EST) on Nov. 19, and 5 p.m. (EST) on Nov. 25.

Runners who wish to compete in the actual on-the-course race on Thanksgiving Day will be able to indicate that when they register for the virtual race. Only those who sign up for the virtual race will be eligible for selection to compete at the actual race on Thanksgiving Day.

The road race committee will choose 500 entrants — the maximum number of participants permitted for road race fields under current state guidelines — to run the loop course through the town's central streets on Thanksgiving morning.

Under a staggered, "wave" starting system, 20 heats with 25 runners in each heat will start the race at five-minute intervals. The overall order of finish will be determined on the basis of net times.

Carta said race organizers plan to select runners for the Thanksgiving Day on-the-course race from each of the MRR's men and women's age group divisions, based on times that the applicants posted at the 2019 or 2018 events.

The first wave of this year's road race is slated to begin at 8 a.m. — two hours earlier than the usual starting time of 10 a.m. — on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26). The race will start and finish on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St. James Church.

Carta said that completion of either the on-the-course or virtual race will qualify as an official MRR finish, and count towards longevity streaks.

He indicated that race organizers will take all steps necessary to ensure the "safety" of the runners and volunteers on Thanksgiving Day.

"We will be following all recommended social distancing and hygiene protocols at the starting line and throughout the race," Carta said.

He is also discouraging poachers on the course.

"Because state guidelines limit the number of participants in a road race to 500, we're urging anyone who is not officially registered to run on Thanksgiving morning to stay off the course while the road race is being held. We are also respectfully reminding all of our volunteers and anyone who may be watching the race to wear facial coverings, stay six feet apart, and avoid gathering in large groups."

The decision to scrap the elite, international field was made "due to the global nature of the pandemic and the travel advisories affecting foreign countries and many of the states throughout the nation."

The MRR will not be awarding prizes this year, he added.

The road race committee also announced that its annual Ray Crothers Manchester Road Race Blood Drive will take place in conjunction with the Connecticut Chapter of the American Red Cross. It is on tap for Nov. 27 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Manchester High School. The MRR blood collection effort has become one of Connecticut’s largest blood drives in recent years.

Other race events not taking place in 2020 include:

• The Earl Yost Media Conference
• The scholastic luncheon
• The Honor’s Club program
• The Veteran’s Row reception
• The annual pre-race spaghetti supper
• The Charlie Robbins Club gathering of senior finishers

Race officials are discussing the possibility of staging a virtual Little Manchester Road Race for youngsters. Carta said the race committee will announce a decision about the status of that event in the "near future."

"The exigencies of the horrible coronavirus pandemic have forced us to scale our operations and events way back this year," Carta said. "But we hope and pray that the Manchester Road Race as we know it will be back even bigger and better in 2021."

More information about the 2020 Manchester Road Race and on-line entry applications will be available at www.manchesterroadrace.com starting Oct. 1.