2 World Class Runners Making Their Manchester Road Race Debut In 2022

MANCHESTER, CT — Two world class women will be running in the Manchester Road Race for the first time on Thanksgiving Day.

Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, a two-time Canadian Olympian who finished fifth in the 1,500 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has entered the Manchester Road Race, race officials announced Friday.

DeBues-Stafford, 27, holds Canadian national records of 3:56 in the 1,500 meters and 14:31 for 5,000 meters. According to Jim Harvey, the MRR's elite runner coordinator, her times are the fastest personal records for those events recorded by any of the elite female runners who will run in Manchester on Thanksgiving Day.

DeBues-Stafford lives in Victoria, British Columbia and will be making her long anticipated road racing debut at the MRR.

Anna Dibaba, who competes for Ethiopia in the 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters, mile and half marathon, is another international runner to watch at this year's race. Her entry was also announced Friday.

Dibaba, 23, placed fourth at the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in January with a time of 1:14.09.

Anna is the younger sister of three-time Olympic gold medalist Tirunesh Dibaba, and Genzebe Dibaba, who holds the world record in the 1,500 meters. Vogue Magazine once called the Dibaba sisters the "fastest family on the planet."

This will also be Anna Dibaba’s initial outing at the MRR.

The 86th annual Manchester Road Race, one of the nation's oldest and largest Thanksgiving Day runs, will take place at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24). The 4.748-mile starts and finishes on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St. James Church.

More details about the race and online registration are available at www.manchesterroadrace.com.