Manchester Road Race Announces $100,000 In Charitable Donations

MANCHESTER, CT — The Manchester Road Race Committee Friday announced that it will make donations totaling $100,250 from the proceeds of last year's Thanksgiving Day run to 18 charities and non-profit organizations.

"We are sincerely grateful to our runners, financial sponsors, volunteers, and spectators," Manchestr Road Race Committee President Dr. Tris Carta said. "Thanks to them, we held another highly successful road race last November, and are able to make these donations to the groups that do such great work assisting our community."

Carta said that the committee was able to increase its charitable reach by approximately 18 per cent this year. The MRR donated $81,650 following the 2023 event.

Among the 18 recipients is the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The fight against Muscular Dystrophy and other disabling childhood diseases has been a charitable objective of MRR organizers since 1951.

Other organizations receiving contributions from the road race committee include: the Community Emergency Response Team; Case Mountain Inc.; Gentle Love Diaper Pantry; Girls on the Run Greater Hartford; the Manchester Sculpture Project; MARC; Manchester High School (for athletic equipment); the Manchester High School Marching Band; Manchester High School (for performing arts technology); the Manchester High School Track and Field program; the Manchester Running Club; the Manchester Police Activities League; Rebuilding Together Manchester; STEAM Camp; and the TLC Foundation.

A special donation of $12,000 was made to the Lutz Children’s Museum from the MRR Honors Club Program. Each year, up to 120 runners sign up to run the race in support of a designated local non-profit organization and pay $100, instead of the traditional entry fee. The Manchester Road Race Committee donates all of the money collected to that cause.

The MRR also contributed $600 to the Irish Cancer Society in honor of Mark Carroll, the Irish Olympian and two-time MRR Champion who served as the honorary chairman of last November’s run.

The Manchester Road Race is one of America's largest and most popular Thanksgiving Day events (the field topped 11,000 in 2024) and it recognized by world athletics organizations. It features world-class and Olympic runners, recreational runners and costumed characters. The race is staged on a 4.737-mile course through the town's central streets.

The 89th MRR is scheduled for Nov. 27 at 10 a.m. Registration will open on Sept. 1. More information is available on the event’s website at www.manchesterroadrace.com.