(c) 2024 Race Outcomes Weekly, all rights reserved, used with permission. MANCHESTER, CONN. (28-Nov) -– Weini Kelati gained her fourth straight Manchester Highway Race right here this morning, three years after her first run on the 4.737-mile course. She is now the one lady to win New England’s second largest highway race 4 consecutive instances.Kelati, 27, an Olympian who lives and trains in Flagstaff, Ariz., gained as we speak’s 88th annual Thanksgiving Day race in 23:14, 19 seconds off her report she set in 2021.
Andrew Colley from the ZAP Endurance staff in Blowing Rock, N.C. gained the lads’s race for the primary time in 21:09 after ending fourth in 2022 whereas operating the fourth-fastest time in race historical past (21:07).
There have been over 12,000 entrants however fairly a number of no-shows because of the wet and chilly climate with temperatures within the excessive 30s at race begin and the gang watching the race was additionally down this 12 months.
Kelati led wire to wire, pacing off the lads round her, as she has carried out in her three different victories.
“It feels nice,” Kelati mentioned. “That is my first race of the season. I took a break after the Olympics. I wasn’t positive what to anticipate however I do know I used to be in actually good condition.
“I used to be comfortable, with these situations. I hoped to run a bit of sooner.”
Solely Amy Rudolph, who gained 5 instances between 1995-2002, has extra victories than Kelati at Manchester. Kelati is tied with Judi St. Hilaire, who gained 4 instances between 1985-92.
Annie Rodenfels of Newton, Mass., completed second (24:05) and Florencia Borelli of Argentina third (24:16).
Kelati had taken a break after the Olympics, the place she completed eighth within the 10,000 meters, and went again to go to her household in Eritrea however her luggage together with her operating gear by no means arrived so she took three further weeks off. It didn’t appear to hassle her Thursday.
“It doesn’t take me a very long time to get match so I wasn’t fearful about it,” she mentioned.
The lads’s pack took the primary mile out in 4:28 and the group thinned out a bit as they tackled the Highland Avenue hill. After Kenyan Olympian Edwin Kurgat and Evert Silva completed in a lifeless warmth on the King of the Hill mark (Kurgat was deemed the winner and awarded the $1,000 bonus), Colley got here into play.
He took the lead down the Porter Avenue hill, citing his browsing background and the way he wasn’t afraid to fall – “I simply let gravity take me,” he mentioned.
However Colley had discovered from his 2022 race to not take the lead too early as a result of the end line at Manchester is deceptively distant after he turned the nook from East Heart Avenue to Predominant Avenue. When Kurgat surged again into the lead once more at Mile 4, Colley remained affected person.
“I assumed, ‘It is a little early to be going,’” Colley mentioned. “I did this two years in the past and paid the results. I promised my coach I wouldn’t do something til Predominant Avenue.”
He continued: “I did it a bit of early however I may inform the others have been fading and I needed to capitalize and actually take the wind out of their sails. I used to be slipping everywhere. The traction on my sneakers isn’t nice. However I used to be having enjoyable on the market.”
Colley handed Kurgat after the ultimate flip onto Predominant Avenue and held on, even lengthening the lead. With 100 meters to go, Eduardo Herrera of Mexico handed Kurgat, his Underneath Armour/Darkish Sky Elite teammate, to complete second in 21:15. Kurgat completed third (21:19).
Herrera mentioned he got here to the Thanksgiving Day race as a result of Kelati, one other Darkish Sky teammate, had talked it up.
“I didn’t know what to completely anticipate,” Herrera mentioned. “I’ve solely carried out highway races in Boston. It was good to come back out to Manchester and get the complete expertise. I didn’t suppose the (Highland Avenue) hill was going to be that unhealthy. However yeah, operating full velocity up the hill – it positively received to me. It’s fairly arduous. I felt like I used to be revving the engine quite a bit going up the hill.”
However he nonetheless had sufficient within the tank to knock off his teammate on the finish.
“I talked to folks in regards to the race they usually mentioned the easiest way to interrupt away from the group was to run the downhill,” Herrera mentioned. “I wasn’t with the pack on the prime of the hill. I made a comeback on the downhill. I caught up with the group. It was motivating to see Edwin with me as nicely. On the 4 mile mark, he did a surge I couldn’t cowl.”
He added: “As soon as he made that surge, I used to be like, ‘Oh, I received to have one thing for the end.’ It’s my first Thanksgiving race. It was such an excellent expertise.”
