Sports
Record Smashed at Frigid Manchester Road Race
A pair of athletes from Kenya won the men's and women's races at the 82nd annual Thanksgiving morning run through the streets of Manchester.
MANCHESTER, CT — On a morning where record cold temperatures and wind chill factors were expected, a record was in fact broken at the 82nd running of the Manchester Road Race.
Edward Cheserek of Kenya blazed his way up the grueling Highland Street hill and maintained a great distance from the other men's favorites, finishing in 21 minutes, 16 seconds to break the previous mark of 21:19, set in 2012 by Aaron Braun.
Defending champion Paul Chelimo took second, about 28 seconds behind the 23-year-old Cheserek, a 17-time NCAA champion.
Find out what's happening in Manchesterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The women's race was decidedly closer, with 19-year-old Celliphine Chespol of Kenya edging defending champion Buze Diriba of Ethiopia by a second, finishing in 24:33. Emily Sisson of Providence, R.I. was another two seconds behind to place third.
Click here for complete race results.
Find out what's happening in Manchesterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Photo credits: Chris Dehnel
Video credit: Tim Jensen
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
