Manchester Road Race Again Giving Vets, Military Members, Special Recognition On Thanksgiving Morning

MANCHESTER, CT — Veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Forces will be honored again this year on Thanksgiving Day at the Manchester Road Race presented by Hartford HealthCare.

The Manchester Road Race Committee and local veterans organizations will co-sponsor another Veterans Row tribute on race day for all veterans and active duty, reserve and National Guard members who have registered to run in the annual race.

A pre-race reception will be staged from 8:15-9:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26 this year) on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, located at 489 Main Street in Manchester, near the corner of Main and East Center Streets.

It is the ninth consecutive year that the race committee has held the event. Pratt & Whitney is the presenting sponsor of Veterans Row.

All service members and veterans will receive a commemorative pin. Light refreshments will be served.

The vets and service members will also be saluted during the race when they run by the Veterans Row "path of honor" in front of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which will be lined with flags of all six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Manchester's iconic Thanksgiving Day run, which will take place for the 90th time this November, has long-standing ties to the local veterans community.

After a 10-year suspension caused by the Great Depression and World War II, the road race was revived in 1945 by three local World War II veterans —Earl Yost, Fran Leary and Charlie Robbins — who convinced the Army-Navy Club and the town Recreation Department to sponsor it.

According to Dr. Tris Carta, the president of the Manchester Road Race Committee, the race has been won by veterans 27 times.

"Our committee is extremely grateful to everyone who has served in the military and we want to honor their contributions and sacrifices on race day," he said\.

The Manchester Road Race presented by Hartford HealthCare is expected to attract thousands of runners, including some of the world's best distance competitors. It will be staged at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Morning and starts and finishes on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St. James Church.

Online registration, and more information about the road race and its Veterans’ Row tribute, are available at www.manchesterroadrace.com.