MANCHESTER, Conn. — Runners who want to participate in the 2020 virtual Manchester Road Race can register starting October 1.
The Thanksgiving tradition in Manchester will be a little different this year as race officials have canceled the large scale event due to concerns over COVID-19.
Runners can register for the virtual race on the race’s website, www.manchesterroadrace.com. The registration fee is $20.
Runners who register will download a phone app with GPS capabilities to their smart phones. They can then run the MRR’s 4.748-mile distance at any location of their choice. The app will measure their distance, signaling when they have completed the full course, and upload their times to race officials. The runners will be able to see their progress on an “event map” of the actual MRR course that will be displayed on their phones, even if they running at some other location.
The Virtual Manchester Road Race must be completed between 8 a.m. (EST) on Thursday, November 19, 2020 and 5 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, November 25, 2020. “We are concluding the virtual race before Thanksgiving Day for safety reasons,” Carta said. “We are urging our virtual entrants and everyone else to stay off the course on Thanksgiving Day, because our 600 road race volunteers, officers from the Manchester Police Department, and other public safety personnel and town employees won’t be on hand to block the streets and provide protection for large groups of runners.”
Anyone who registers and runs in the virtual road race will be credited as an official 2020 MRR finisher, and that the effort will count toward longevity streaks.