MANCHESTER-- Before the runners cross the finish line, the Manchester Road Race volunteers are working to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Hundreds of volunteers with all different jobs, report to Main Street on Thanksgiving Day to take part in an annual tradition.
"I just love it, I started watching it prior to my involvement and I said to myself, I want to give it a try," said Robert St. Pierre of Manchester.
He's celebrating 30 years of helping out with the race.
Just like the road race is tradition, so is the annual volunteer's breakfast to thank them for all they do.
"It's our way of getting all the people that we need to make the road race successful together," said race director Jim Balcome.
The volunteers call themselves Irene's Army, named after their leader Irene Smith.
"It is an army," she says, "I mean we have probably 600 volunteers."
She says they are like family, and for her it really is a family affair, her entire family is involved in the race.
This year, volunteers got some extra training to be prepared for any emergencies. They took part in a Stop the Bleed training.
"It's just another element, a way of safety that we put into the program," said Balcome.