Manchester Road Race Blood Drive To Feature 'Power Red Machine'

MANCHESTER, CT — The Manchester Road Race Committee Wednesday was reminding all of its runners, spectators and friends that they can "help save many lives" on the day after the world-famous Thanksgiving Day run takes place.

Race organizers are again teaming up with the American Red Cross of Connecticut to stage the 38th annual Ray Crothers Blood Drive on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at Manchester High School. The event is one of Connecticut's largest single-day blood collection efforts and is named in memory of the late Ray Crothers of Tolland, who won the MRR in 1965 and ran in it for 43 years before he died of cancer in 2008.

A total of 8,258 pints of blood have been collected since the MRR initiated the annual event in 1986. Last year, 372 pints of blood, which benefitted 1,116 patients in need of blood, plasma and platelets, were donated.

Lance Morgan, an area physician assistant and race executive committee member who oversees the drive, is hoping for even greater success this year.

“Thanks to our terrific donors, volunteers, and sponsors, we’re going to help reduce the critical shortage of transfusable blood in our state," he said.

Morgan noted that the Red Cross will be offering donors at this year’s drive a "Power Red Machine" option that will enable them to maximize the benefit a single unit of their blood can do. During a Power Red donation, an automated process separates the donor’s red blood cells from the other blood components and then safely and comfortably returns the plasma and platelets to the donor, he said.

Power Red donors give more red blood cells (enough to benefit two patients) than they would through a regular whole blood donation, he added.

All donors will receive Manchester Road Race T-shirts and a television and other prizes will be raffled off during the morning. All donors who give blood between 1 and 3:30 p.m. will receive $10 gift cards.

Walk-in donations will be accepted, and appointments, which are encouraged, can be made by calling 1-800-733-2767. A direct link to the Red Cross appointment website can be found at www.manchesterroadrace.com.

ECHN and Eastern Connecticut Connecticut Pathology Consultants are the presenting sponsors of the MRR's Ray Crothers Blood Drive. Additional support is being provided by Fox 61, and Highland Park Market.

The 88th Manchester Road Race, a World Athletics Label Road Race, will be held at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28). The race is run on a 4.737-mile loop course that starts and finishes on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St. James Church. On-line registration and more details about the race are available at www.manchesterroadrace.com.

As of early Wednesday morning, 10,518 runners have registered to run in the event. There were 11,060 registrants for the race last year and the committee is predicting that this year's total will exceed that number before the registration deadline on Nov. 26 at 11:59 p.m. EST.