Kelati Going For Four Straight In Manchester Road Race

MANCHESTER, CT — Olympian Weini Kelati will be seeking her fourth-straight victory at the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day.

Race officials announced her commitment Monday.

The 27-year-old Kelati, who lives in Flagstaff, AZ, has won the MRR women's championship for the past three years and holds the women's course record of 22:55, which she set during her initial Manchester appearance in 2021.

Kelati's other two winning efforts — 23:21 at last year's event and 23:39 in 2022 — are also the second- and third-fastest times ever recorded by a female competitor on the course. In addition to winning the women’s title last Thanksgiving, Kelati placed 19th overall. She finished 18th in the race’s open division during her record-setting run here in 2021.

A fourth victory this November will give Kelati the MRR record for most consecutive wins by a woman and place her in some very prestigious company. Olympic runner Amy Rudolph won the women's race five times (in 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2002) and Olympian Judi St. Hilaire had four wins (in 1985, 1988, 1989 and 1992).

A 13-time All-American runner at the University of New Mexico, Kelati earned a spot on the U.S Olympic team in June with a thrilling last-lap victory in the 10,000 meters trials at Eugene, Oregon. She placed eighth and was the top U.S. finisher in the 10,000 meters finals at the Paris Olympic Games with a time of 30:49.98.

Earlier this year, Kelati set an American record when she won the 2024 Houston Half Marathon in 1:06.25. She also recorded her personal best time of 30:33.32 in the 10,000 meters last March.

"We are extremely pleased that Weini Kelati is returning this November to defend her title and seek a fourth straight win at our race," Manchester Road Race Committee President Dr. Tris Carta said. "She is an amazing athlete who generates a lot of spectator interest and excitement every time she appears in Manchester."

The 88th Manchester Road Race, one of America’s largest and most popular holiday events, will be run at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28, 2024). The race, which is run on a 4.737-mile loop course through central Manchester, starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.

Last year, 11,060 runners registered for the event, which is organized by more than 400 volunteers from the Manchester Road Race Committee with support from the Town of Manchester. The MRR’s Principal Sponsors are Pratt & Whitney, ECHN and Hoffman Lexus.

The Manchester Road Race has recently been designated a World Athletics Label Road Race by World Athletics, the international governing body of the sport of track and field. It is one of only 22 road races in the United States, and 298 throughout the world, to receive that recognition this year.

Online registration and more details are available 24 hours a day at www.manchesterroadrace.com.