Manchester Road Race Main Street Legend Named 2019 Chairman

MANCHESTER, CT — A runner known for his finishing kick will be kicking off the 2019 version of the Manchester Road Race. John Gregorek, a four-time Manchester Road Race champion who was known for his exciting finishes on Main Street, will serve as the honorary chairperson of the famed race on Thanksgiving Day.

Gregorek, 59, was an All-American runner at Georgetown University and a U.S. Olympic Team member. He competed in the MRR 11 times between 1985 and 1996, winning four races that were all decided at the finish line.

In 1988, Gregorek beat two-time winner John Doherty to the tape by two seconds and won the road race with a time of 21:30. His winning margins were even smaller in 1989, 1991 and 1993, when his famous finishing kick propelled him to one-second victories over the second-place runners in each race.

Gregorek also placed second twice, notched a pair of third-place finishes, and had two other top-ten showings during the 11 years that he competed at the MRR.

"John compiled an amazing record of consistent successes and exciting performances at our road race for more than a decade," said Dr. Tris Carta, President of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "We are very pleased to welcome him back to Manchester this Thanksgiving, and to honor him for all the contributions that he has made to our race."

Gregorek ran personal best times of 3:51 for the mile and 8:18 for the 3,000 meter steeplechase.

He qualified for the United States Olympic team in the steeplechase as a college sophomore in 1980, but did not compete that year due to the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games. Gregorek subsequently ran in the steeplechase at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and in the 5,000 meters at the 1987 World Track & Field Championships

After he ended his professional athletic career, the Seekonk, MA, resident served for nearly a decade as the distance running coach at Brown University.

He is currently employed as a representative of the ASICS Corporation.

Gregorek is married to Christine Mullen Gregorek, who was an All-American at Georgetown and the NCAA champion in the 600 and 1,000 meters. Their son, Johnny, is an elite athlete who ran a 3:49 indoor mile earlier this year in Boston. Johnny Gregorek was an All-American runner for Columbia University and the University of Oregon. He finished in 15th place at the 2015 MRR. John and Johnny hold the record for the fastest mile times ever recorded by a father and son. Including Chris, whose personal record in the mile was 4:29, the Gregoreks also own the world’s fastest average father-mother-son mile time.

The 83rd Manchester Road Race will be held on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28, 2019). The race, which is run on a 4.748-mile loop course through the town’s central streets, starts and finishes on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St. James Church. More information about the road race, and electronic entry applications, can be obtained at www.manchesterroadrace.com.