News Releases
ROAD RACE ANNOUNCES DONATIONS TO FIGHT HUNGER (February 16, 2026)
The fight against food insecurity in Connecticut is about to receive a major financial boost from last November’s “Race Against Hunger” in Manchester.
The Manchester Road Race Committee announced today that it is contributing $100,000 to Connecticut Foodshare of Wallingford and $38,000 to MACC Charities of Manchester from the unallocated proceeds of the 2025 Thanksgiving Day run.
In addition, MACC Charities has already received a check for $12,000 from the race’s 2025 Honors Club Program, bringing its total bequest to $50,000.
According to Dr. Tris Carta, President of the Manchester Road Race Committee, this is the largest single-year total charitable donation ever made by the organization.
“This is only possible due to the fantastic support and generosity of our wonderful runners, financial sponsors, volunteers and media partners,” said Carta. “Our committee announced prior to last year’s road race that food insecurity would be the primary charitable focus, and we are so grateful that we can make these contributions.”
A total of 12,382 registered runners and walkers signed up last year for the 4.737-mile run through central Manchester, which is regarded as one of American’s largest and most celebrated Thanksgiving Day road races. The Principal Sponsors of the 2025 road race were Pratt & Whitney, Hoffman Lexus, Orthopedic Associates of Hartford and Hartford HealthCare.
Carta added that his committee has already begun planning for the 2026 event, which will celebrate its 90th running on Thursday, November 26th. The road race will welcome Hartford HealthCare as its Presenting Sponsor this year and will be known going forward as the “Manchester Road Race Presented by Hartford HealthCare.”
ROAD RACE MOURNS THE PASSING OF JOHN LONG (December 30, 2025)
John Long, the award-winning photographer who chronicled the history of Manchester’s Thanksgiving Day
John Long at 2009 MRR Road Race for 45 years, passed away on December 28, 2025.
A news photographer with the Hartford Courant for 35 years, John first covered the road race in 1972. He held on to that annual assignment for more than four decades thereafter, continuing as the official photographer for the Manchester Road Race Committee after his retirement from the newspaper in 2006.
You would invariably see John on Thanksgiving morning perched high above Main Street in a bucket lift as he waited to capture the perfect shots of the road race’s start and finish
In 2011, John, a long-time Manchester resident, co-authored a book about the history of the road race. The volume featured dozens of his photographs.
The Manchester Sports Hall of Fame awarded him its “Joe McCluskey Award” in 2014 for his many contributions to the event.
A past president of the National Press Photographer’s Association and the recipient of numerous journalism awards during his career, John was a vigorous advocate for ethics in visual journalism. The NPPA now annually presents the “John Long Ethics Award.”
“We were deeply saddened to learn of John Long’s passing,” said Dr. Tris Carta, President of the Manchester Road Committee. “John was an exceptionally talented photojournalist and an extremely kind and generous friend to everyone on our committee. Our sincere condolences are extended to his wife Mary, and to all the members his family.”
MRR AND RED CROSS HOLD ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL BLOOD DRIVE (November 28, 2025)
On the day after Olympians Edwin Kurgat and Weini Kelati rewrote the record book at the Manchester Road Race, the event organizers partnered with the American Red Cross of Connecticut to set a different kind of record.
MRR officials announced that a total of 385 pints of blood were collected Friday at the annual Ray Crothers Blood Drive, which was held at Manchester High School.
The total number of units of blood donated Friday set a record for the event and surpassed the prior high total of 376 pints that were collected last year.
Friday’s effort will help to reduce a critical blood shortage in the state and benefit 1,155 patients in need of plasma, platelets and whole blood.
The new blood drive standard was set one day after Kurgat won the road race in the course record time of 20:54 and Kelati captured the women’s title for an unprecedented fifth straight year.
The Manchester Road Race Committee has been sponsoring a blood drive on the Friday after its Thanksgiving Day Road Race annually since 1986. The event is now named in memory of former champion and long-time participant Ray Crothers of Tolland, who died in 2008.
Donations of non-perishable food were also collected Friday at the high school for the MACC Charities emergency food pantry. The Manchester Road Race Committee designated the effort to alleviate food insecurity in Connecticut as its primary philanthropic focus this year.
“We are very grateful to all of our friends who gave blood and stopped by the school to donate food items,” said Lance Morgan, a local physician assistant and MRR board member, who coordinated the drive. “Their kindness and generosity will help many of our neighbors in the community.”
The Presenting Sponsors for the blood drive were Hartford HealthCare, and Eastern Connecticut Pathology Consultants. Additional support was provided by Highland Park Market and Fox 61.
HARTFORD HEALTHCARE NAMED PRESENTING SPONSOR OF MRR BEGINNING IN 2026 (November 19, 2025)
The Manchester Road Race Committee and Hartford HealthCare today announced a new partnership that will bring expanded support and visibility to one of Connecticut’s most cherished traditions. Beginning in 2026, Hartford HealthCare will serve as the Presenting Sponsor of the iconic Thanksgiving Day event, which will be officially named the “Manchester Road Race Presented by Hartford HealthCare.”
The 90th running of the Manchester Road Race will take place in November 2026, continuing a legacy that spans nearly a century. As one of the nation’s oldest and most celebrated Thanksgiving Day races, the event draws more than 10,000 runners—including elite international competitors—and over 30,000 spectators to the streets of Manchester each year. Recognized as a World Athletics Label Race for the past three years, the Manchester Road Race is a hallmark of athletic excellence and community spirit.
“Our financial sponsors are so important, because they enable us to hold the Road Race and several related events, including a blood drive, luncheons for scholastic and senior runners, and the Little Manchester Road Race for kids, while simultaneously keeping entry fees low, and making significant donations to area charities,” said Dr. Tris Carta, President of the Manchester Road Race “That’s why we are so pleased to welcome Hartford HealthCare as the Presenting Sponsor of the 90th Manchester Road Race next year,” he continued.
This new partnership reflects Hartford HealthCare’s enduring commitment to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves.
“The Manchester Road Race is a celebration of community, resilience, and health,” said Jeff Flaks, President and CEO of Hartford HealthCare. “We are honored to become the Presenting Sponsor of this beloved tradition. At Hartford HealthCare, we believe in the power of connection and the importance of supporting events that bring people together in the spirit of wellness and unity. We look forward to deepening our roots in Manchester and continuing to elevate the standard of care and community engagement across Connecticut.”
Hartford HealthCare is one of four principal sponsors of the 89th Manchester Road Race, taking place this Thanksgiving. The organization’s support helps make possible a series of related events, including a community blood drive, luncheons for scholastic and senior runners, and the Little Manchester Road Race for children—all while keeping entry fees affordable and enabling generous donations to local charities.
