November 29, 2023 / By mobanmarket
MANCHESTER, CT — Just over 11,000 officially registered participants (and undoubtedly some last-minute sneak-ons) took to the streets of Manchester Thursday morning for the 87th running of the nation’s oldest 5-mile road race. Okay, it’s only 4.748 miles, but you get the idea…
A few of the runners were of elite, world-class, even Olympic status; you may find that story here. Instead, this piece focuses on the majority of the field – ordinary citizens, some just jogging or walking – and a great number were there simply for the pageantry and spectacle that has become synonymous with the Thanksgiving tradition.
At the top of the grueling hill on Highland Street, just before the left turn and steep downhill course of Porter Street, musicians were playing on one side of the road and a DJ was set up across the street. Once the leaders passed, the next 40 minutes looked like a strange cross between Halloween, Mardi Gras in New Orleans and a nightmare I recently had.
There were a ton of turkeys and a plethora of pilgrims. There were Bruins fans, Whalers fans, UConn fans, Red Sox fans, Yankees fans, Patriots fans and probably even some ceiling fans. There was Pooh and Tigger, there was a Tom Hanks impersonator, there were football uniforms and referee jerseys.
There were a number of couples in matching outfits; most of the men looked as though they’d rather have gotten a knitting needle in the eyeball, but they had already meekly said “yes dear, whatever you say dear, right away dear” when told of their plans for the morning.
There was a guy wearing tie-dye who must have been between 75 and 200 years old, who probably should have been told that Woodstock is actually over. There were grown men wearing tutus (and no, it wasn’t pretty).
A cacophony of costumes passed by at varying speeds, none of whom seemed to care who was leading the pack or if a course record would be broken (not this year).
This extensive photo gallery does not encompass every bit of bizarre attire, but it gives a representative idea of the spectacle of Thanksgiving morning in Manchester.
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