Morning in Manchester

Guess who has sworn off next year's MRR already.

On Thanksgiving Day, Amby Burfoot ran his record-breaking 51st consecutive Manchester Road Race. I ran my not-quite-a-record 2nd consecutive MRR, which means if Burfoot retires (he isn't) and I run every MRR until I'm 86 (unlikely), I'll still be a participation short of the record. It's looking increasingly unlikely that I'll be writing my name in the history books for this one; nevertheless, it's a fun way to spend Thanksgiving morning. Except for the painfully cold conditions for this year's race. Temperatures were in the low to mid-20s at the start, and dipped into the single digits with the wind chill. Thankfully, the downpours from Wednesday had passed though. Although at these temperatures, it would have snowed, which might have been more realistic for the folks dressed up as Santa's reindeer.

In its 77th edition, the MRR is steeped in history. It started out as a competition for high school cross-country runners, and remains popular with local students today. Although running technology certainly has advanced since the first race in 1927, there are always those who refuse to adopt good ideas. While waiting in the starting corral, I watched a high schooler, who had shown up over a half an hour early in shorts and a singlet, shiver ingon the brink of hypothermia. No arm warmers, no gloves, no disposable sweat shirt, no hat and his socks stopped at the ankle. I was freezing in my ski hat, wool socks, compression sleeves, thermal tights, triple layer of long sleeve tops and sacrificial gray sweatshirt. On another day, I might have been overdressed, but the stiff headwind over the last 1 - 1 1/2 miles of the run were sufficient to prevent overheating.

It was cold and brutally windy on street level, so this guy
must have drawn the shortest straw when security 
details were being assigned.

Unlike last year, this year's MRR (capped at 15,000) sold out early, although only ~12,900 finished the race (down by ~500 compared to 2012). The drop in finishers was probably due to the coldest race temperatures in 15 years. At 15,000 participants, the MRR is one of the largest and oldest Turkey Trots in the country. It's hard to track down good statistics, but here it's listed as the 4th largest in 2012; however, wikipedia lists at least two larger races. No doubt some of the uptick in interest was due to the Boston Marathon bombing, and the impact of April's tragic events were ever-present in this year's race. Trash cans near the starting /finishing line were sealed and there was greater security everywhere. Actually, the people in the SWAT gear had the most realistic looking costumes I saw. I wonder why they weren't running?

Runners lined up in the main pack on Main Street for the
MRR.

Condensing 15,000 runners and >30,000 spectators on a (less than) 5 mile circuit makes for quite a spectacle, even without the Avengers, the Minions and the Hanson brothers (the ones from Slap Shot not of MMMBop fame) making appearances. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be Superman, not Supermans. I saw at least 5 impostors Thursday. Glaringly obvious doppelgängers since the real Son of Krypton probably wouldn't be that winded after running 4.748 miles. Yes, the MRR is 4.748 miles. As the legend goes, it was originally branded as a 5 mile race, but was later discovered to be short by just over 1/4 mile. It always seems strange to me that this was not discovered a lot sooner. If every Thanksgiving my 5-mile race time improved by nearly 2 min, I might start getting suspicious that the course measurement was a little off. Even without a Garmin.

Masses of runners coming down Main Street to the finish 
shortly after the wives crossed the finish line.

Both years that I've run the MRR, I qualified to start in the under 35 min corral. I also managed to secure my spot for next year by finishing in 31:43. Last year, I went to the MRR solo, but this year I convinced my wife and another couple to join the fun. The wives were relegated into the unseeded main pack behind the under 40 min corral. Hearing about their experience made me appreciate earning my seed card even more. Before the start they heard someone exclaim: "I haven't run 5 miles since last year's race!" Apparently running in the main pack requires its own set of special skills. The ability to stop on a dime when the person in front of you quits running without warning is essential, as is keeping your head on a swivel trying to avoid the guy running with a glass Sierra Nevada bottle. The ability to throw elbows in the scrum doesn't hurt either. As my wife said: "We didn't even break a sweat for the first 3 miles!" It can easily take over 10 min to reach the starting line if you start in the back. With race winner Sam Chelanga crossing the finish line at 21:32, the gap between the last runner/walker leaving and the first finishers arriving is quite small.

Don't blink or you might miss me

The race is broadcast on the local Fox affiliate, so it's interesting to see the elite runners. We recorded the race and watched when we got home. Particularly noteworthy was the scramble for information on the women's race winner, Alice Kamunya. Kamunya was not on anyone's list of pre-race favorites, and the broadcasters were left fumbling on live TV for several minutes after she finished before someone could track down her name. The MRR appears to be Kamunya's biggest win to date, but she's an accomplished runner who trained with a Kenyan talent development program. The real highlight of the broadcast, however, was a 2 second shot of me cresting Porter Street, a 0.8 mile climb at 3.6%. The MRR isn't flat. After 1 relatively flat mile, it's uphill to the halfway point, and then mostly downhill to the finish. If you can't win the race, I suppose this is the best way to get on TV if you're not prepared to run in a Speedo.