MANCHESTER, Connecticut — Bob Moran, Manchester Road Race's starter since 1989, has died, according to an announcement from a spokesperson Wednesday.
A statement from the MRR noted Moran as a "longtime and highly popular volunteer" who fired the starter's pistol every Thanksgiving Day at 10 a.m. to mark the start of the race for thousands of runners.
Moran was a veteran track official and assisted for decades at local scholastic track meets, the spokesperson said.
“I called him the fastest runner at our race,” said Dr. Tris Carta, president of the Manchester Road Race Committee, said.
Carta noted that Moran had to "sprint to the side of Main Street" every year to avoid the runners as they dashed off.
Moran was also a "standout quarter miler" at East Hartford High School and Central Connecticut State University, the spokesperson said. In 2016, the Manchester Sports Hall of Fame awarded him the Joe McCluskey Award for his service to the MRR.
“Bob always had a smile and a joke, and we are extremely grateful for his many decades of wonderful contributions to our race,” Carta added. “He will be terribly missed.”
In 2019, FOX61 spoke with Moran at the MRR, who said "it's always a great time" and that he was "always ready to shoot that gun and run away, the fastest guy out there now."
Sean Humphrey is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at shumphrey@fox61.com
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