MANCHESTER — When you’ve got more than 25,000 people to get in one place at one time, it takes a bit of planning.
If you are going to the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day, you’ll need to plan a little too. Many have their own secret parking places, or come early and just hang out. Others depend on the shuttle buses that run from Manchester Community College to get to the course.
The free shuttles will run from MCC continuously between 7:45 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. before the race and depart from the east lot on campus. That lot is the one closest to the Bidwell Street entrance. The buses will drop off at Main and Center Streets.
Runners should plan on boarding the buses by 8:30 a.m. to get to the course in time.
The Road Race Committee says on their website, “We encourage riders to be prepared to load the buses before 8:30 am to ensure time to get into the starting pack.”
The trip is free, and return buses will also run continuously between 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Main Street from the intersection of Hartford Road to Center Street will be closed at 7 a.m. It will reopen around 12:30 p.m. Roads that are part of the race course will close at 9:15 a.m. In addition, Exits 3 and 4 off I-384 will be closed.
Roads reopen as the trailing police car passes.
There will be portable toilets in the following locations:
• St. James Church Parking Lot
• Mary Cheney Library (on Linden Street)
• Top of Main Street (Park area)
• Municipal Parking Lot behind Manchester Hardware
• Forest Street Parking Lot (rear)
• Bennet Academy
• Manchester Community College Parking Lot (shuttle)