Road Race Saturday Activities Outlined For 87th Manchester Road Race

MANCHESTER, CT — Activities leading up to the 87th Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day will begin on Nov. 18, when race organizers host Road Race Saturday at Manchester High School.

Events will include the popular Little Manchester Road Race on the MHS. track, and the MRR Health & Fitness Expo, which will be staged in the school's cafeteria. Manchester High School is located at 134 East Middle Turnpike.

Hoffman Lexus is the Presenting Sponsor of Road Race Saturday, and will have several new Lexus vehicles on display.

The Little Manchester Road Race is designed to be a fun run for kids ages 12 and younger and features non-competitive races of different distances for children in various age groups. Entries are limited to the first 1000 youngsters who register at www.manchesterroadrace.com. Check-in for the LMRR will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 18 in the high school cafeteria, and running events will start at 10 a.m. on the MHS track. There will also be a precision skydiving demonstration, music, costumed characters, a fire truck display and other fun activities.

All participants in the LMRR will receive a medal. There is no charge, although runners are requested to bring two items of non-perishable food, which will be donated to the MACC Emergency Food Pantry to aid the effort to eliminate food insecurity.

Henkel of Rocky Hill is the Presenting Sponsor of the Little Manchester Road Race.

The MRR Health & Fitness Expo will be held in the M.H.S cafeteria on November 18 from 8:30 a.m. until 12 noon. Exhibits related to health, conditioning and training, goods and services from sponsors, and other subjects of interest to runners will be on display. MRR shirts will be available for purchase.

The Presenting Sponsor of the Health & Fitness Expo is Integrated Rehabilitation Services.

Walk-in registration for the 87th MRR and bib pickup and seeding for runners who have previously registered will also take place in the MHS cafeteria from 8:30 a.m.to 1 p.m. on Nov. 18.

"We have a very full itinerary scheduled on Road Race Saturday, and it is going to be a lot of fun," said Dr. Tris Carta, the president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "It promises to be the exciting start of a great week in Manchester, that will lead up to our road race on Thanksgiving Day and our Ray Crothers Blood Drive on the day after."

The 87th Manchester Road Race, one of the nation's largest and most popular Turkey Day runs, has been designated a World Athletics Label Event by World Athletics, the governing body of the sport of track and field. The road race will be held on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23,) at 10 a.m. on a 4.748-mile loop course through the town’s central streets. It starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.

On-line registration and more details about the MRR and its related events are available at www.manchesterroadrace.com.