MANCHESTER, Conn. — The Manchester Road Race is one of Connecticut’s premier sporting events.
Held annually on Thanksgiving morning, the race attracts some of the world’s top athletes to run the 4.748-mile course through Manchester’s central streets. Each year, it is Elite Athlete Coordinator Jim Harvey’s responsibility to recruit runners to the race, and he’s done so with considerable success.
Harvey has been so effective at bringing top athletes to Connecticut each November that 14 recent Manchester Road Race runners are participating in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. This week, Harvey is flying to Paris to root for the athletes he’s become acquainted with over the years.
“It’s very encouraging. I see these athletes at various races throughout the country. I’ll see some of them at the Olympics, and I have the relationships with them,” Harvey said. “I’m excited because I know a good number of them personally, which is always a big incentive.”
Who from the Manchester Road Race is participating in the Olympics?
The following 2024 Olympic athletes have participated in an edition of the Manchester Road Race in the past several years.
- Conner Mantz, USA – Marathon
- Leonard Korir, USA – Marathan
- Fiona O’Keefe, USA – Marathon
- Emily Sisson, USA – Marathon
- Weini Kelati, USA – 10,000 meters
- Eilish McColgan, Great Britain – 10,000 meters
- Calli Thackery, Great Britain – Marathon
- Patrick Dever, Great Britain – 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters
- Cam Levins, Canada – Marathon
- Rory Linkletter, Canada – Marathon
- Ben Flanagan, Canada – 5,000 meters
- Joselyn Brea, Venezuela- 5,000 meters
- Florencia Borelli, Argentina – Marathon
- Sharon Lokedi, Kenya – Marathon
Of the 14 Olympic athletes with ties to the Manchester Road Race, nine are marathon runners. The men’s marathon will occur on Aug. 10, while the women’s marathon will take place the following day.
Harvey explained what makes the Manchester course so attractive to the marathon athletes.
“It’s the nature of the course; it’s a non-standard course,” Harvey said. “It’s an interesting course in that it plays to the marathon runner’s strengths in the fact that the big hill in the second mile is a test of endurance, and marathon runners respond well to that. From one mile to two miles, it’s uphill along Charter Oak Road and Highland Street. The athletes and marathon runners (are able to) test their strength and fitness against the track runners.”
While Mantz is not the Olympic marathon favorite, Harvey predicts he will do well in France because he runs with pace and is well-suited to conquer the challenging course in the hot weather.
“The form goes out of the window. It’s going to be who’s lighter on the day and who can handle the heat and humidity. I’m very high on Conner Mantz’s chances,” Harvey said, noting that Mantz won the U.S. Marathon Trials in Orlando in January.
O’Keefe also won the U.S. Marathon Trials for women on the same course in January, Harvey said, pointing out that Sisson, who finished second in that race, is the U.S. record holder for the marathon.
“We’ve got a fantastic array of talent that have been to Manchester that are participating in the Olympics marathon. Nine athletes in total; four out of the six Americans on the American team have a Manchester connection over the past two years,” Harvey said.
Harvey noted that Levins, the Canadian, set the North American record for the marathon by running in two hours, five minutes and 36 seconds in Tokyo in 2023. Lokedi, the Kenyan runner who participated in the Manchester Road Race three years ago, won the New York City Marathon the following year, Harvey said.
Meanwhile, Kelati, the American, is the course record holder for Manchester.
“She’s run the past three years. She’s run the three fastest times ever in the Manchester Road Race by a long, long way,” Harvey said. “She won the U.S. 10,000-meter Olympic trial. She’s going to the games not as one of the favorites, but she could do very well in the final. Everyone in Manchester will be rooting for Weini Kelati.”
Who is Jim Harvey and what does he do?
Originally from Oldbury, Great Britain, Harvey currently lives in Lincoln, R.I. He entered the world of coaching after injuries prevented him from reaching his full potential as a runner and has been affiliated with the sport for around 50 years.
Harvey’s trip to Paris will mark the third time he’s attended the Olympics, although he plans to be a spectator this time around, whereas in the past he’s served as a coach.
Harvey has spent nearly a decade recruiting runners for the Manchester Road Race. Previously, he was the Elite Athlete Coordinator for the U.S. National 5K Championships in Providence, R.I.
He explained his role working for the late November race and how it has allowed him to become familiar with so many Olympic athletes.
“My job is to recruit elite athletes to compete in the race. I’m given a budget that I have to speak to, and I can bring in whichever athletes I can fit,” Harvey said. “Obviously, I go for the top athletes that are available; Olympians, national record holders, people who have medaled in the Olympics, medaled in the world championships. We have a truly elite field for Manchester; a world-class field.”
Harvey must coordinate with the runners’ agents and managers. He works out travel fees, participation fees, lodging and other events such as meet-and-greets with local high schoolers that help make the Manchester Road Race special.
When asked why such high level, internationally recognized athletes visit the town of Manchester each Thanksgiving, Harvey first pointed to the race’s atmosphere, organization and tremendous history. The race is nearly 100 years old.
He also elaborated on how the course isn’t a standard distance; the 4.748-mile race is unique from the typical lengths the runners are used to, which offers them a prime opportunity to gauge their fitness.
Harvey said the Manchester Road Race occurs at the perfect time, as athletes participate in the world championships or Olympics during the summer months and have some down time in September and October. They use this period to prepare for the next season, and Manchester offers them a great chance to see where they stand while competing against their peers at a high level.
“Manchester gives them a great checkmark,” Harvey said. “Being on Thanksgiving, it’s a nice time of year to race, and it gives feedback to the athlete and coach as to where they’re at and where their progressions are going with the work they’ve been doing.”
Even if the race serves as a measuring stick, make no mistake about it, the intensity is always high.
“When the athletes come in, they come in to win,” Harvey said.
He noted that many of the high-end runners at the Manchester Road Race have competed against each other many times. Their performances on Thanksgiving are very important to them.
“There’s a certain knowledge of other people’s tactics, strengths and weaknesses. It gives them a chance to explore a little how to capitalize on their own fitness techniques and tactics,” Harvey said.
While Harvey said he’ll assume the role of a spectator at the Paris Olympics, he’ll also conduct business, as he meets with agents and managers and discusses what their clients’ plans are for November.
“So, their managers will help them plan as far as what they’ll do after the Olympic Games for the rest of the year. I’ll talk to them and make them an offer to come to Manchester, and hopefully, they’ll oblige,” Harvey said.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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