Manchester Road Race Also Has A French Connection Rooted In Fame

MANCHESTER, CT — Add a French connection to the Irish one the Manchester Road Race already has.

And fame also precedes it.

Yes, it's a long trip from Paris, France to Manchester, CT, but Mary McCluskey Cotard is making that journey this Thanksgiving for a very special reason. Cotard, 61, lives in France and is the daughter of Manchester’s greatest runner, Olympic medalist and four-time Manchester Road Race Champion Joe McCluskey.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of her Dad’s final win here in 1947 and Cotard is honoring the occasion by entering the road race for the first time.

Her 32-year-old twin sons, Julien Cotard of New York City and Antoine Cotard of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, will be running with her.

“It is a dream come true to be able to run in this race, and my father would be very proud to see his grandsons running, too,” Mary wrote in a recent email to the Manchester Road Race Committee. “My entire family is grateful for all that Manchester has done to celebrate my father’s athletic achievements; he had great pride in his hometown.”

The famed "Irish Connection" is back at the Manchester Road Race this year with brothers John and Ray Treacy serving as the honorary co-chairmen of the traditional Thanksgiving Day event. John Treacy is an Olympic silver medalist who won the Manchester Road Race four times. Ray Treacy, the long-time head cross country and track coach at Providence College, had two second place finishes in Manchester.

To register for the Manchester Road Race, click here.

Patch File Photo