Elite entry for the Virtual Manchester Road Race

This time last year, I had a guest article from John Walshe up on the blog about Michael Coakley from West Waterford who was running the famous Manchester Road Race in Connecticut.

First held in 1927, this year's race scheduled for Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) of course won't take place. As with most races at the moment, there is a 'virtual race' with over 1,880 entered.

John Walshe sent on a note about 22 elite entries this year which includes six Irish (including two from Cork, Mark Carroll and Richard O'Flynn). 

The website is: www.manchesterroadrace.com

An excerpt about the 22 elite entries is shown below...

Virtual Manchester Road Race Will Have a World-Class Elite Field

Runners who sign up for the 2020 Virtual Manchester Road Race will find themselves in excellent company this November. They will be joined by some of the best performers in the history of Manchester’s storied Turkey Day run.

Twelve former winners who have accounted for 35 MRR championships, and ten other elite athletes who have strong connections to the race, have volunteered to participate in the virtual event by running the road race’s 4.748-mile distance at locations throughout the country and the world.

“These great athletes won’t be receiving prizes or appearances fees this year, but they will all earn our eternal gratitude for supporting the Manchester Road Race during the Covid-19 crisis,” said Dr. Tris Carta, President of the Manchester Road Race Committee.  “Jim Harvey, our elite runner coordinator, did a terrific job soliciting their participation, which adds excitement and enthusiasm for the virtual race.”

Past champions who are participating in the virtual road race are Edna Kiplagat, John Treacy, Amy Rudolph, Amby Burfoot, Diane Nukuri, Eamon Coghlan, Kim Smith, Paul Chelimo, John Gregorek, Aaron Bruan, Mark Carroll and Charlie Duggan.

Other notable entrants include Molly Huddle, Donn Cabral, Chris Thompson, Eilish McColgan, Johnny Gregorek, Christine Gregorek, Ray Treacy, Frank Conway, Brendan Reilly and Richard O’Flynn.

Carta said that the elite runners will download apps with GPS capabilities to their smart phones that will permit them to run the virtual race at any location of their choice between November 19-25.  An event map depicting the MRR route will appear on their phones, enabling them to monitor their progress on the actual Manchester course as they run. Their names and times will be uploaded to MRR officials when they complete the virtual race.

EDNA KIPLAGAT:  Kiplagat is one of the world’s most distinguished female marathon runners and a two-time World Champion. She has won the New York City, London and Boston Marathons. Her time of 2:19.50 at the 2012 London Marathon is a personal record for the event. Kiplagat became the MRR’s oldest champion last Thanksgiving when she won the Thanksgiving Day run in 24:30.
 
JOHN TREACY:  Part of the MRR’s famous “Irish Connection,” Treacy won the silver medal in the marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and was the world cross country champion in 1978 and 1979.  Treacy, an All-American runner at Providence College, won the MRR four times (1978, 1979, 1984 and 1985).  His winning time of 21:26 at the 1979 MRR set a course record that stood until 1995

 
AMY RUDOLPH:  Rudolph is a two-time U.S. Olympian and All-American runner at Providence College. She had personal records of 14:56.04 for 5000 meters and 31:18.96 for 10,000 meters. Rudolph is the MRR’s most prolific female champion.  She finished first here in 1995, 1996, 1997,2000 and 2002.  Rudolph is now an assistant track and cross country coach at Iowa State University.
 
AMBY BURFOOT:  Burfoot won a record nine Manchester championships between 1968 and 1977. He was the Boston Marathon Champion in 1968. Now 74, this year will mark the 58th consecutive time he’s run in the MRR, which is a longevity streak record. Burfoot lives in Mystic and is an author and editor emeritus at Runners’ World Magazine.
 
DIANE NUKURI:  Nukuri competed in three Olympic Games for Burundi . She ran in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games (5000 meters) the 2012 London Olympic Games (marathon) and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. She set her country’s national record of 31:38.69 for 10,000 meters at Rio. Nukuri won back-to-back championships at the MRR in 2014 and 2015.
 
EAMONN COGHLAN:  Coghlan won four NCAA titles running for Villanova University. He represented Ireland in three Olympics and was a world champions in the 5000 meters.  Nicknamed the “Chairman of the Boards,” Coghlan ran the indoor mile in 3:48.45, a former world record that is one of four sub-3:50 indoor miles run in the United States.  Coghlan won the MRR three years in a row, 1981-1983.  He ran his fastest time on the Manchester course—21:36—in 1983
 
KIM SMITH:  Smith won the NCAA individual cross country championship and three NCAA titles in track when she competed for Providence College. Smith holds five national records in New Zealand, which include a 1:07.11 half marathon and a 2:25.21 marathon. Smith won the MRR in 2004 and 2005.
 
PAUL CHELIMO:  Chelimo captured the silver medal for the United States in the 5000 meters at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. His personal best time for the event is 12:57.55.  Chelimo won the 2017 MRR with a time of 21:32. He placed second at the 2018 MRR behind Edward Cheserek in 21:44.
 
JOHN GREGOREK:  Known for his blistering finishing kick on Main Street, Gregorek won the MRR four times (1988, 1989, 1991 and 1993). He ran his fastest time on the 4.748-mile course when he won the 1993 road race in 21:28.  Gregorek was an All-American runner at Georgetown University.  Gregorek has personal records of 3:51.34 for the mile, 13:17.44 for 5000 meters and 8:18.45 for the steeplechase.
 
AARON BRAUN: Braun tied the MRR course record (first set by Phillimon Hanneck in 1995) when he won the 2012 MRR in 21:19.37.  The mark stood until 2018, when Edward Cheserek won in 21:16. Braun also finished second at the 2013 MRR. Braun holds a personal best time of 2:12.54 in the marathon.  He is a cross country and long distance coach at California State University at` Sacramento.
 
MARK CARROLL:  Carroll, a native of Cork, Ireland, was an All-American competitor at Providence College who won the 2000 European Indoor Championship in the 3000 meters. A two-time Olympian, Carroll won the MRR in 1998 and 2000, both times in 21:49. He also had three second place finishes here (1996, 1997 and 1999). He was one of Ireland’s most versatile distance runners, with a range that extended from the mile (3:50.62) to the marathon (2:10.54). Carroll presently coaches the Boston Athletic Association’s elite team.
 
CHARLIE DUGGAN: Persistence paid off for Duggan at the 1980 MRR , when he won the road race on his 13th try. During 12 prior attempts, Duggan finished second twice, had a pair of third place finishes, and always placed among the top 20 runners.  The Springfield College All-American finished among the road race’s top 25 runners 23 times between 1968 and 1991.  This will be Duggan’s 53rd consecutive MRR.
 
MOLLY HUDDLE:  Huddle, a two-time Olympian and All-American runner at Notre Dame, ran the second fastest time by a woman on the MRR course in 2017 when she finished second to Buze Diriba.  Diriba broke the course standard with a time of 23:57, with Huddle a half step behind in 23:58.  Huddle also placed fourth in the 2007 MRR. She set a U.S. record (30:13.17) when she finished sixth in the 10,000meters at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.  Huddle has won 28 U.S. championships on both road and track.
 
DONN CABRAL:  Cabral grew up in Glastonbury and was the NCAA champion in the 3000 meters steeplechase when he ran for Princeton University.  He finished eighth in the steeplechase finals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. His personal best time for the event is 8:13.37. Cabral was the runner-up at the 2015 MRR with a time of 2l:36. He also placed third here in 2012 and was the fourth in 2013 and 2014.
 
CHRIS THOMPSON: Thompson is a British runner who won the silver medal in the 10,000 meters at the 2010 European Championships.  He won the King of the Hill competition and finished third overall at the 2017 MRR with a time of 21:26. He also placed third here in 2016 in 21:35. Thompson ran a personal best time of 1:01.07 in the half marathon this past March in London.
 
EILISH McCOLGAN:  McColgan represented Great Britain at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.  She holds the Scottish record in the steeplechase (9:35.82) and recorded her personal best time of 31:16 in the 10,000 meters at a race in London in 2019.  McColgan had a strong showing at the 2016 MRR when she placed fifth in 24:16.
 
JOHNNY GREGOREK:  Gregorek was an All-American runner at Columbia University and the University of Oregon.  He finished 10th in the 1500 meters at the 2017 World Championships in London and won the silver medal in that event at the 2019 Pan American Games.  He ran the indoor mile in 3:49.98 during a meet in Boston in 2019, and recorded his personal best time of 3:35 in the 1500 meters at a meet in New York City later that year. The son of John Gregorek, Johnny holds the world record with his Dad for the fastest combined mile times recorded by a father-son duo. He placed 15th at the 2015 MRR.
 
CHRISTINE GREGOREK:  Christine Mullen Gregorek competed for Georgetown University and won individual NCAA championships in the 600 and 1000 meters.  She is married to John Gregorek and is the mother of Johnny Gregorek.  Christine has run the mile in 4:29.  Christine, John and Johnny hold the world record for the fastest combined father-mother-son times in the mile.
 
RAY TREACY:  Ray Treacy was raised in tiny Villierstown, Ireland and followed his younger brother John  to Providence College. Ray finished second at the MRR twice.  He was the runner-up to his brother John in 1979 and finished second behind Eamonn Coghlan in 1981.  Treacy has served for many years as the head cross country and track coach at Providence College.  He led the Friars’ women’s cross country team to an NCAA Division 1 championship in 2013.
 
FRANK CONWAY:  Conway, a native of Ireland, was a standout performer for Ray Treacy at Providence College. He ran a 3:56.78 indoor mile at a meet in Boston in 1989. Conway placed third at the 1990 MRR with a time of 21:49.  He also finished in 13th place at the 1992 MRR in 22:34.
 
BRENDAN REILLY:  Reilly, a graduate of Loomis Chaffee, Boston College and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, founded Boulder Wave, a company which provides high altitude training and management support to some of the world’s best distance runners.  Among his clients are 2019 MRR Champion Edna Kiplagat.  Reilly finished in 22nd place at the 1982 MRR (23:57) and was 13th at the 2013 MRR (23:05).
 
RICHARD O’FLYNN: O’Flynn is a native of Cork, Ireland who was a three-time All-American and Big East Champion at Providence College.  He finished second at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 1985.  O’Flynn placed second at the MRR in 1985 and 1987 and was the third place finisher here in 1983. He ran his fastest time on the Manchester loop---21:34---in 1987.