The 83rd unning of the Manchester Road Race takes place on Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, at 10 a.m.
Some people run to win the race, some run to win their age group and some run for a title -- the title of best costume.
Dani Kennedy, a volunteer with the Manchester Road Race Committee, will be running her 27th Manchester Road Race this year, but she’s never worn a costume in one.
“I do not race in a costume -- I take my races very seriously,” Kennedy said.
While she’s not knocking those who race in zany outfits, it's just not something she’d do. Kennedy said it would slow her down.
“I run a pretty decent race, and I had a banana in front of me that I could not pass one year and I thought, ‘How could you run that fast in a banana suit?’” Kennedy said.
Even though you won’t see Kennedy in anything other than running gear, some of the costumes have impressed her.
“The Silk City Striders, which is a local running club, ran as a silkworm once, which meant they were all attached to each other, which is not easy to do for almost 5 miles,” Kennedy said.
As long as those in costume have a race bib over the front of their costumes, they’ll be in the running for a $150 gift card to a local restaurant courtesy of CTNOW.
To participate, costumed runners should meet at Center Memorial Park on Main Street in Manchester between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on race day.
