It's Now 62 Straight Manchester Races For Running Legend Amby Burfoot

MANCHESTER, CT — Running legend Amby Burfoot kept his eye-popping streak alive in the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving morning.

The 88th edition in 2024 marked his 62nd straight appearance in the famed 4.737-mile race.

"I'm ready to go," Burfoot said Thursday morning in the media center as the rain pelted the course.

The 78-year-old Burfoot said being there was more important than getting a bit wet.

Earlier in the week, Burfoot posted on social media that he had dug out his Manchester Road Race cap and marked it with a "62" for the years he has run consecutively.

He maintained he only had to finish, but he did so with a respectable time of 44:37. That was 2,760th overall in a field of 12,000, and good for fifth in his age group.

Burfoot’s longevity streak began in 1963, when he first entered the road race as a high school senior. He won the scholastic title, and finished in 14th place overall.

He has run in every MRR since then.

The Wesleyan University graduate won the race a record nine times between 1968 and 1977. Seven of those victories (1971-1977) came in successive years, which is a MRR record in addition to the longevity streak.

Burfoot was also the winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon.

Burfoot is an editor emeritus at Runner's World magazine and an author of a number of books about the sport of distance running. He lives in Mystic.