Welcome to from the Fox 61 Archives,
where we take a look at stories
from years past. I'm Erica Arias.
And I'm Tim Lammers.
Yeah, one of the best days of
the year for us is to get out
and cover the Manchester Road
race every Thanksgiving Day
since 2000, Fox 61 has brought
you the race live 15 times.
We've gone back in our archives to see some
of our old coverage. Yeah,
so join us as we run down memory lane.
And remember, you can watch our
race coverage live this Thanksgiving
starting at 9:00 AM on air.
On fox61.com and on Fox 61 plus.
11,500 runners start Thanksgiving
with a morning stretch warming up
for the big race, some looking
like they just rolled out of bed.
The race draws world class runners
Bozo and Santa, as long as a few
less recognizable characters.
What's with Bullwinkle, moose?
There are runners who've
been training for years,
so you know, I'm just
doing this to get in shape.
They run every day,
so you might as well.
And you give it at least a
little more room for Turkey.
And then there are the.
Gluttons for punishment.
We're just gonna go out here
and run 4.7 miles. Yeah,
we're not ready for this. Not even close.
While the runners may come in
all different shapes and sizes,
they do share one thing in common.
For them, the race is more about
Thanksgiving tradition than competition.
It's a great way to start Thanksgiving.
And you you can eat guilt free, right?
That's right, a real family affair for the
SD sisters running together for 10 years,
we always saw
the runners come through the town
and we couldn't imagine who would
want to run on Thanksgiving.
And we grew up running
the same race we watched.
Stuart Kennedy's been
watching since it started.
58 years ago, in the early days,
we used to try to watch
it from 2 spots. We could
halfway through the race and then jump
in the car and
come down here and and see the finish.
You can't do that.
This can't do that anymore,
not with a field of thousands and
streets lined with spectators.
This is Thanksgiving in
Manchester. Have a good day.
We'll see you when we get back
in Manchester. Christina Defranco,
Fox 61 News at 10. Believable.
It's a nice it's a nice
tradition to do this every
year you feel fortunate to be healthy
and to be able to do the 4.7 thousands.
Join some of the world's best runners
on one of the coldest days of the year
for the Thanksgiving Day tradition.
Warming up and that kind of thing.
That's called weather.
It's cold enough for you. Cold enough.
I can't feel my hands. Timothy
Vaughn may have lost the use of his
legs a little more than a year ago,
but not his love for competition.
I've always been athletic.
I've always enjoyed doing
workers will start at the
back things and more events.
Probably being in a chair.
Middle of the road competitors
joined elite Runners just for
a chance to run with the
best. Not too serious this year.
I just wanna run because I
haven't run a race in a long time
and I just want to finish. No.
The thousands who ran were
happy to finish champion,
while defending champion Phillimon
Hanneck of Zimbabwe earned $2000,
winning the race and breaking
a 16 year old course record.
Some runners, including law scholar
John Britton, are warming up for
the 100th anniversary of the Boston
Marathon next spring. You are
a runner. I mean,
you've been doing this for 20 years,
and I run competitively for the
Hartford Track Club and their
men's Division 50 to 59.
I'm 51 years old. For most of us,
celebrating Thanksgiving is sitting down
at the table with family and friends.
But for these people,
celebrating Thanksgiving means
running to the table.
So what do you do after this?
Army Navy club and warm up and then
I go to my parents for Thanksgiving.
After this what do you do?
Hi eat and eat and eat some more.
So it's good to way to to get up
Thanksgiving Day appetite. Yes
in Manchester with photographer Paul
Quinby. Tony Gill. Fox 61 News at 10.
To this, the 61st running of the Manchester
Thanksgiving Day, Five Mile Road race,
9:00 AM and the streets of downtown
Manchester are filled with
stretching bodies and moving feet.
It's a Turkey day tradition.
It's a pretty well known race
and just looking forward to it.
Good excuse to eat a lot later. Yeah, I'm
doing this. I'm gonna have seconds
later and I feel guilty about
it. Runners and spectators warm
up with coffee and goodies.
The Harvest Bread Company is giving all
proceeds from the day to a local charity,
and today's race has extra meaning for some.
Bob Griff and 15 others are
running in honor of Bob's wife,
Christine, who was hit by a drunk
driver while riding her bike,
training for a triathlon on Mother's Day,
she still can't walk or speak.
I run with her number on every
time I run a race.
Ladies and gentlemen, would you
please give your attention to the plan
that our national anthem
because Christine's run this
race for the past 10 years.
At 10:00 AM they start.
It takes about 8 minutes for all
the runners and walkers to cross the
starting line of the 4.7 mile course,
and less than 22 minutes later
the first across the finish line.
Or ralio MIDI of Angola.
This year's race broke some records.
About 11,000 runners took part.
That's up from about 10,500 last year.
And it looks like a lot of the newcomers
will be coming back next Thanksgiving.
It was my sister's first ever.
My brother got me into it.
Nutrition came in from New York
City last night about midnight.
Finish new Thanksgiving
in Manchester. Lynn Jolicoeur,
Fox 61 News at 10.
And good morning to all of you,
and welcome to this Friday at
the Manchester Thanksgiving Day
Five Mile Road race. Every year,
the Manchester Road race takes over
Main Street on Thanksgiving morning,
10,000 people, 5 miles,
all kinds of weather.
You're gonna roll a fence up,
throw it over there.
It's been going on for 70 years and it's
grown into an internationally acclaimed race.
30 seconds.
But there's a race within the
race that most people don't see.
Once the gun is fired, everybody's
watching these elite runners go.
But but meanwhile, someone's
gotta get ready for the onslaught,
the challenges, not a steep hill or fatigue.
And there are first
they have to get all those
people across the starting line.
We've gotten it down,
we to approximately 5 minutes
and 30 seconds to get the last
runner over and then the first
ones coming in under 22 minutes.
So the race to get the finish
line set up can't take any
longer than about 16 minutes.
Now today we have a small
computer chip on this shoe so the
they catch the computer chip.
So all we have is approximately.
Even against the set up just to
control them coming through and
getting them into the Postgate system,
it takes an experienced team.
Most of them have been added
since the 70s in the old take years.
We used to be still setting this up
and see the runners coming down the
street via international incident
if we didn't have it set up.
Every rope is accounted for and
labeled and they're stored in barrels.
No one else can touch these ropes.
They won't let you touch them,
and this year's rainy
weather doesn't seem to stop
them. It's called the Manchester
Road race, but really what it is, is
the Manchester with a lot of Pride
road race. The whole community is
involved with it in Manchester.
Doug Stewart, Fox 61 News at 10.
And they're off.
He is the orange clad enigma known
as safety Man, a hero to some.
Who is safety man?
I don't know, but he's my favorite
part of the Manchester Road race,
a road running renegade to others.
Little is known about safety man,
except that each Thanksgiving he's
here on the roads of Manchester like
Santa Claus or the Great Pumpkin.
He only shows his face once a year.
But people in Manchester say
they have a right. To know.
Manchester Hardware owner Bob Doran
store is steps from the starting line.
We just want to know who he is.
Even the non packed taxpayers
want to know who he is.
My mother-in-law wants to know who he is.
Our investigation took us to the
office of local dentist Tris Carta.
Watch your step Sir.
Who double s as a race director?
The safety man.
We don't know who he is.
Nobody on the committee
has ever met this person.
He comes and he's goes.
He's like a ghost.
Fox. Connecticut contacted
both the dot and OSHA.
Neither have a record of a
safety man among their ranks.
So we went to the Manchester
Police and Lieutenant Chris Davis
where right before the race,
it seems we're the ones
getting the runaround.
I think for public safety,
we we kind of keep things.
Somethings, you know,
close to the vest.
And that would be the
identity of him would be.
On one of those things that we wouldn't,
we wouldn't really get
into at this point, there
are those officers who say if safety
man is out there doing your job,
what do we need you for?
We can dance for
now. The man who claims he's dead.
Safety.
I have never seen safety man
other than Thanksgiving morning.
I would love to find out who he is.
So I just don't know who is
in Manchester. Jim Altman, fox, Connecticut.
The running mystery continues
that orange clad site heart
crossing guard, part Jedi Knights.
We're still trying to figure
out the ghost of the road race.
His reputation precedes him, yes.
With the slide kit.
I don't know who he is,
but I see him every year.
But his identity eludes us.
We don't know who safety man is.
We can't figure it out.
He's a big mystery, but he comes
once a year like Santa Claus. As
the Manchester Road race nears another year,
the question remains, who is safety man?
Trying to pinpoint just to safety man is
has been more of a marathon than a Sprint.
What is his agenda and
where will he show up next?
It's still a road race Riddle.
Maybe two, 2 1/2 knots. He's been
spotted high atop the starting line.
Hey, you got to tell me where you shop.
I'll tell you this is some good
stuff here and on the street level.
Fox Connecticut has been on the trail.
Of the trailblazer at the
Manchester Police Department.
We obtained this tape of a polygraph test.
I know that you are correct. Safety men,
it says right on your shirt, safety man.
My real name is somewhat cautious.
Man, this is the wrong suit.
Talk to my dry cleaner.
And then there was this recent trip to
the Highland Park market. How we doing?
Have a good race. Keep it safe, huh?
It revealed a different picture.
The lottery. Put your money in the bank.
That's what I say. Keep it safe.
As safety man picked up his pace, so did we.
Our team of Super Sleuths finally
tracked him down. Guys, safety man.
Let's go.
OK gang, now let's find
out who you really are.
Al Turzy, what would you think I
was going to do in my retirement?
And it would work too,
if it wasn't for you meddling kids.
Really, Jimmy, you had to go
with the scooby-doo ending.
Alright guys, no scooby-doo ending.
So when you see that fluorescent flash,
that renegade of the roadway,
it's a safe bet the holidays are here.
Got to health, safety be up there.
He just appears out of nowhere.
No matter where you are,
safety man is the man.
Keep it safe. Happy. Thanksgiving.
It's a running tradition in Manchester.
But this ritual is just
off the road race route.
Every year the Manchester Road
race his honors club springs into
action this year working with
the charity rebuilding together.
There are landscaping and removing leaves.
He got his roof replaced,
we got his chimney repaired.
Traditionally the Manchester Road
race gives out over $100,000
a year back to the community.
The team is helping Ronald and Sharon Therio.
Ohh fantastic. I just can't.
Sharon is just back from the hospital.
It's overwhelming.
So about a dozen volunteers,
some from the fire department,
are using funds from the race to
make Manchester a better place. This
is why you live in Manchester.
People like this, they're willing to go out
on their own and help people
and it's just amazing.
I'm 83 years of history of giving back
to the local community because that's our
biggest thing with rebuilding together,
is we want to keep the house very
safe so the homeowners can stay
in the house as long as possible.
And with safety in mind,
a driving force appeared
on Alice Drive.
From out of the safety van
going on here, the safety man.
This year the orange clad Enigma is
joined by sidekick Velma safety.
And while we might not know who
the whistleblower is looking good,
it's good to know he's on our side.
That looks expensive, doesn't it?
Very nice. That's a good one.
What a great thing they're doing.
This is a great thing.
Give back to the community.
Obviously this House needed
a little TLC. I say we
take the whole Rd down.
Jimmy, what do you think?
All the Pines? It looks great.
And you know what?
I think the people here
that are taking their time
deserve a double thumbs up.
So awesome.
And they offer a holiday
message from Manchester.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Keep it safe. Out of control.
A roller coaster of emotions there.
The the safety man has
his own Twitter page now,
so if you wanna follow him, we have a
link at fox61.com or on our news app.
He'll be out there tomorrow,
so everybody will go up and
say hi to the safety man.
What great work they're all doing.
The man doing good stuff
absolutely is great. Alright.
Unfortunately, this won't be the scene
at the Manchester Road race this year.
The pandemic of course, forcing
organizers to change direction.
But race organizers are stressing
safety and they are still getting ready
for the running in the virtual world.
This year Fox 61 Jim Altman takes
us to the Manchester to Manchester
rather with more. Welcome to
the 82nd running
of the Manchester Road race, Thanksgiving
in Manchester. Things will run.
They'll just run differently.
In 2020. There's no possible
way we could have the,
you know, 12,000 runners,
who knows how many spectators.
And all socially distanced.
Another casualty of COVID-19,
the Manchester
Road race is plotting a course virtually.
Jim Balcom is the longtime race director.
We have people signed up from Ireland,
from London, from Australia already,
like 25 or 30 different
states are represented.
They're gonna run 4.748
miles wherever they are.
You're downloading an app to your to your
smartphone between the 19th and the 25th,
whatever day you choose.
Wherever you choose any place
in the world and at 4.748
it's gonna say you are done.
You just ran the Manchester Road race. I
saw the safety man signal
up on Yonder cloud.
Also spreading that word of
safety comes the orange clad
icon. Just want to remind all
the folks out there this year the
race is virtual among so many
masked men these days there is
just one legend of the 4.748
mile loop race royalty.
The safety man has a message
for the Manchester masses.
What I want to tell everyone out there
is have a great time on Thanksgiving.
Stay safe now. Unfortunately,
you're not going to be able to come
out and run the actual race course,
but using your imagination and the app,
you're going to want to recreate that
experience in your neighborhood.
And from the street level,
they say it's all about getting back
up to speed for next year. Yeah,
and you know what?
I noticed this year?
That a lot more people are
listening to my message.
We need to come out the other side.
We need to come out 2021
with the town behind us.
That the sponsors behind us with money
in the bank so we can go ahead and
put on the race that everybody wants.
We want people to be safe.
We want Thanksgiving Day to
be happy for everybody. And
a special note for me to all my crew
here at mile marker 2, the Highland
Park market. I will miss you
this Thanksgiving for the first
time in 12 years since this
is all happening virtually in 2020.