MANCHESTER, Conn. — The oldest person to win a championship at the Manchester Road Race will be returning to Main Street this Thanksgiving.
Edna Kiplagat won the women’s championship at the 2019 MRR at the age of 40 in the time of 24:30. She is the oldest athlete, male or female, ever to win the MRR.
Kiplagat, is a two-time Boston Marathon champion in addition to winning major titles at the New York City, Los Angeles, and London Marathons.
At the Boston Marathon this year, she placed third with a time of 2:23:21. Kiplagat was born in Kenya, and now lives in Colorado with her husband and five children. She was the World Marathon Champion in 2011 and 2013. Her personal best time for the 26.2-mile event is 2:19.50 and she has run the half-marathon in 1:07.52.
Kiplagat also had a third-place finish at the 2021 MRR. Her time that year---24:03---was her fastest performance on the Manchester loop and set an age group record in the women's 40-44 division.
“Edna is an amazing athlete who has compiled an inspirational record in the sport of distance running, and we are so happy that she is returning to our race,” said Dr. Tris Carta, President of the Manchester Road Race Committee.
In addition, runners who can’t be in Manchester on Thanksgiving Day can still participate in the event virtually.
Runners who wish to participate in this year’s Virtual Manchester Road Race can register at www.manchesterroadrace.com. The entry fee is $30. No prizes will be awarded, but VMRR finishers will have their times recorded, and their participation will count as an official MRR finish for longevity streak purposes.
The GPS-enabled app will permit entrants to view an image of the actual MRR course on their smartphones as they run the 4.737-mile distance. The virtual race can be completed at any time between 6 a.m. EST on Nov. 28, and 6 p.m. EST on Friday Nov 29.
The 88th Manchester Road Race, which has been designated a World Athletics Label Road Race, will be held at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28.
Last Thanksgiving, 11,060 runners signed up to compete in the MRR. As of Monday, 6,229 entrants have already registered for this year's race.