Elite runners at the Manchester Road Race presented by Hartford HealthCare will have a little more incentive when they compete for the race’s top two places this November.
The Manchester Road Race Committee announced today that it has increased the monetary prize awards for the first and second place male and female finishers at the annual Thanksgiving Day run.
The champions will each receive $10,000. First-place finishers previously earned $7000. The second-place prizes have been increased from $4000 to $5000.
“The new prize structure reinforces our status as one of the top races in the United States and brings us in line with our peers,” said Jim Harvey, the committee’s elite runner coordinator. “It should definitely help with recruiting and hopefully further strengthen the elite field.”
The world-famous road race will be held for the 90th time at 10 a. m. on Thanksgiving Day (November 26, 2026). Run on a 4.737-mile loop course through Manchester’s central streets, the annual event attracts thousands of entrants, including some of the sport’s best long-distance competitors.
Edwin Kurgat, a Kenyan Olympian, won last year’s race in the course record time of 20:54 and became the first athlete to post a time under 21 minutes. U.S. Olympic Team member Weini Kelati won the women’s title for the fifth straight year in 23:18. Kelati holds the women’s course record of 22:55, which she set in 2021.
“We’re expecting it will be another exciting road race when we celebrate our 90th running this year,” said Dr. Tris Carta, President of the Manchester Road Race Committee. “We’re hopeful that the increase in prize money will help us to continue our tradition of attracting exceptionally talented athletes to run here on Thanksgiving Day.”
Carta added that on-line registration for the Manchester Road Race presented by Hartford HealthCare is now open at www.manchesterroadrace.com. This year’s field will be capped at 14,000 runners. As of early this morning, 2417 entries had already been received.