2 Past Men's Champs Commit To 2025 Manchester Road Race

MANCHESTER, CT — Defending champion Andrew Colley is scheduled to return to the Manchester Road Race this Thanksgiving in search of a second straight title, race officials announced Monday.

He'll be joined at the starting line by Morgan Beadlescomb, winner of the 2023 MRR.

Colley, who is 34 and competes for the ZAP Endurance Team based in Blowing Rock, NC, won the Thanksgiving Day run last year in 21:09, the fifth fastest time ever recorded on the Manchester course. A former All-American runner at North Carolina State University, Colley also had a fourth-place finish at the 2022 MRR. His time of 21:07 that year ranks as the fourth fastest performance in the race's history.

Colley has compiled a highly successful competitive record during the past year, setting personal records in every road event from 5K to the marathon. Those personal bests included a 1:00:47 half marathon in January, and a 2:09:46 marathon, which he ran in May.

Colley is expected to be challenged at this year’s race by Beadlescomb, who was an All-American long-distance star at Michigan State University. Beadlescomb, 27, won the 2023 MRR with a time of 21:12 and finished second here in 2022. His time of 21:05 at the 2022 MRR — when he shadowed course record holder Conner Mantz across the finish line — is the second fastest ever run on the Manchester loop.

Beadlescomb holds personal records of 7:38.55 for 3,000 meters and 13:03.57 in the 5,000 meters.

"We are extremely pleased that Andrew and Morgan are running this Thanksgiving," said Dr. Tris Carta, the president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "The anticipated matchup of these two great champions should make it a very exciting race.”

Also expected to be in the lead pack at this year's road race are Eduardo Herrera and Edwin Kurgat, who finished second and third respectively at the 2024 MRR.

Herrera, a three-time national champion at the University of Colorado, was timed in 21:15 last November. Kurgat, an Iowa State University All-American who placed 7th in the 5000 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics, followed in 21:19.

Canadian marathoner Rory Linkletter has also entered the elite field. Linkletter, 29, finished fourth at the 2023 MRR and has personal bests of 2:06:49 in the marathon and 27:48.23 in the 10,000 meters.

The 89th Manchester Road Race will be held at 10 a.m. Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 27) at 10 a.m. The world-famous event, one of America's oldest and most popular Turkey Day road races, is staged on a 4.737-mile loop course through Manchester’s central streets.

The race starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church. Online registration and more details about the event are available 24 hours a day at www.manchesterroadrace.com.

The road race is organized by more than 400 volunteers of the Manchester Road Race Committee, with support from the Town of Manchester. The Principal Sponsors of the MRR are Hartford HealthCare, Hoffman Lexus, Orthopedic Associates of Hartford, and Pratt & Whitney.