Manchester Road Race Honors Club To Aid MACC Charities

MANCHESTER, CT — The Manchester Road Race will again be offering its Honors Club program, which this year will boost a local nonprofit organization that is on the frontline of the fight against food insecurity in Connecticut.

Race officials have designated Manchester Area Conference of Churches Charities, which operates a community kitchen that serves lunches during the week along with an emergency food pantry, as the beneficiary of the MRR's 2025 Honors Club proceeds.

Each year, the Manchester Road Race Committee sets aside 120 bibs for entrants who elect to participate in the MRR Honors Club. The runners pay $100, instead of the traditional registration fee. All of the money is donated by the road race to a designated charitable or non-profit agency, which this year will be MACC Charities.

A total of 60 have been sold so far.

"MACC Charities does a wonderful job providing food assistance to people in our community who need it," Manchester Road Race Committee president Dr. Tris Carta said. "Our race is very pleased to support its efforts, and we are extremely grateful to the generous runners who join the Honors Club and make this contribution possible."

Entrants who register for the 2025 Honors Club will receive several perks on race day, including a special number bib and the ability to await the start of the race in the basement of nearby St. James Church, where indoor plumbing and light refreshments will be available.

Carta said that the effort to alleviate hunger in Connecticut is the MRR's primary charitable objective this November. In addition to the Honors Club stipend, the race committee has also promised to donate all of the net profits from this year's event to two organizations — MACC Charities and Connecticut Foodshare, which distributes healthy foods through a network of more than 650 food pantries, community kitchens and meal programs across the state.

"It is with profound gratitude that MACC Charities accepts the honor of being named the 2025 recipient of the Manchester Road Race’s Honors Club Program, as well as one of the primary beneficiaries of this year’s net race proceeds," said Shannon Baldassario, the executive director of MACC Charities. "This recognition comes at a time of critical and growing need in our community. It strengthens our resolve to continue the vital work of building partnerships to break cycles of poverty throughout Greater Manchester. We are humbled by this opportunity and remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring every neighbor has access to the resources, dignity and support they need to thrive. Together, we can create lasting, transformative change."

More details about the MRR Honors Club and on-line registration for the road race are available at www.manchesterroadrace.com.

As of the beginning of this week, more than 1,700 runners have entered this year's Thanksgiving Day run. Registration began Sept. 1.

Race officials are urging runners to register before Oct. 1, when the regular entry fee increases from $32 to $37. All entrants who sign up prior to that date will receive personalized bibs with their names printed on them.

The 89th Manchester Road Race, one of America’s oldest and most popular Thanksgiving Day runs, will be staged at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 27 this year). The annual race attracts thousands of runners, including some of the world's best long-distance competitors. It is run on a 4.737-mile loop course through central Manchester that starts and finishes on Main Street, in front of St. James Church.