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Local businesses find themselves back in the running ahead of Manchester Road Race

The return of the race has a positive domino effect for all involved.

MANCHESTER, Conn. — Getting back up to speed is a welcome endeavor for business owners on Main Street – especially before the Manchester Road Race.

With the 2020 edition of the local staple canceled, businesses owners also lost the benefits of the thousands of people that the Manchester Road Race brings in.

Dee and Bob Sulick, the owners of Mulberry Street – the popular tavern on Main Street, say they are excited about opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day once again.

“Last year was so quiet, so quiet and eerie,” Dee Sulick said.

FULL COVERAGE OF 2021 MANCHESTER ROAD RACE

Bob Sulick added: “Last year was like a vacuum, it was just an awful feeling and I can’t wait to be back to it this year.”

The Sulicks say the Manchester Road Race is more than just about getting a business boost on Thanksgiving Day – it lasts most of the week.

“The Tuesday and Wednesday nights before Thanksgiving are huge for us, the people come, and you can just sense that the week is special to everyone,” Bob Sulick said.

RELATED: Record holder Buze Diriba withdraws from Manchester Road Race due to illness

Just about two blocks up Main Street, Michael Gerrity, the owner of the Urban Lodge Brewing Company, is also ready for the Thanksgiving rush. Urban Lodge is just steps from the start/finish line and will also be opened on Road Race morning.

“It was like the most exciting news you can get,” Gerrity said, adding: “it’s a huge boost for us, and thank God it’s back because it’s a really nice way to send us into winter.”

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Manchester Road Race Executive Committee Member Molly Devanney said the return of the race has a positive domino effect for all involved.

“We’re back again,” Devanney said, “we’re here, we are competitive, we’re going to have a great week and it’s really exciting to our community.”

RELATED: 60 and 70-somethings all in step | “Running Amigos” ready to return to the Manchester Road Race

If you want to learn more about the Manchester Road Race or register to run the 85th edition of the race click here.

Tune in at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day for FOX61's full coverage of the Manchester Road Race. The race will be broadcast live on FOX61, fox61.com, FOX61's news, ROKU and Amazon FireTV apps and on FOX61’s YouTube page.

The two-hour show will be re-broadcast on CW20 at 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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