FIFTH WIN FOR KELATI, CURGATY RECORD AT MANCHESTER TRACK
By David Monty @d9monti:
(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, used by permission.
MANCHESTER, CONN. (27-Nov.) — A bright, windy, and cold Thanksgiving morning here, Vani Kelati and: Edwin Kurgat won the 89th edition of the Manchester Road Race, the second largest race in New England after the Boston Marathon. Kelaty, 28, led the first mile from the gun in 4:40 and won his fifth straight title in 23:18, 50 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. The 29-year-old Kurgat ran a brilliantly tactical race and, despite a strong headwind in the third and fourth miles, ran a course record of 20:54 over the hilly 4.737-loop course. Both athletes won $7,000 in cash and an additional $1,000 in Prime for topping Highland Street Hill past the two-mile mark.
KELATI TRIED FOR THE RECORD
Not content with a fifth consecutive win, equaling American Amy Rudolph’s record for most wins by a Manchester woman, Kelati attempted to break her own record. That 4:40 first mile (helped by a brisk tailwind) kept him on track, but the steep climb up Highland Street in the middle of the race, followed by the Porter Street dive, left him off the pace.
“Every year I’ve been back, it’s been a bumpy ride,” Kelati told reporters.
Running with his partner Abraham TessamarioKelati reached the four-mile mark in 19:42. Even with Tesfamarion helping to block the wind, Kelati was already descending at a record pace. He should have been satisfied with the victory.
“I tried,” Kelati continued. “I came here to run under the record, so I feel like I have to run fast in this first mile to finish strong. But I think it cost me a bit.”
However, Kelati was thrilled to become a five-time Manchester champion.
“I didn’t even think I’d make it to five when I do my first race here (in 2021),” said Kelati, a Paris 2024 Olympian. “I’m really happy.”
Dorcas Evoy, The Kenyan, who won silver in the 1,500m at the World Athletics Championships in September, was expected to challenge Kelati today, but she was well behind her American rival and was never a factor in the race. Evoy finished seventh in 24:40.
Britain Hannah Nuttall American took second place in 24:08 Taylor Werner – who has been living and training in Australia for most of the past year, finished third in 24:23.
MEN START FAST
A tailwind on Main Street propelled the men to a fast opening mile in 4:18. of Kenya Amon Kemboi and Ireland’s Peter Lynch, training partners with Puma Elite Running in North Carolina, were the early leaders.
“The wind is going to be howling down there after the first mile,” Kurgat coach Steven Haas said from the lead car in the race.
Indeed, that opening mile was ten seconds faster than last year, and soon the other main contenders caught up to Camboy and Lynch. The leaders started up Highland Street, then split 4:35 for the second mile despite the climb. Kurgat and Kemboi made a small surge for the King of the Hill premiership (Kurgat came within half a step), but that surge put them ahead of the rest of the pack, with the exception of the 25-year-old Brit. David Malarkeywho was running in only his second professional road race. Malarkey, wearing his Northern Arizona University gear, led Kurgat and Kembo as the leaders turned left, running down Porter Street.
“I think right now it’s trying to get the confidence to run with these guys,” Malarkey told Race Results Weekly. “That’s why I hit the front today to prove to other people but also to myself that I can compete with these guys.”
The third mile split was 4:34, which wasn’t particularly fast for such a steep descent, but a strong headwind slowed them down a bit. Malarkey ran ahead, Kemboi and Kurgat behind him. America behind two leaders Morgan Biddlescombe and Lynch managed to make it a five-man pack, at least temporarily until Camboy was dropped. Four miles in (17:49/4:25), Malarkey and Kurgat were running on the right side of the road, lining up a small utility vehicle carrying a television camera operator. Biddlescombe was on the left and Lynch was behind.
Kurgat was about to make his big move. He didn’t want to hit too hard and too early like last year when he was third. Instead he gently picked up the pace and began to let loose on Malarkey.
“Last year I just picked up the pace and didn’t save any energy at the end,” Kurgat told reporters. “This time I wanted to be really, really methodical and plan my race. I waited until the end when I knew I had it.”
Kurgat entered the race’s final turn onto Main Street with a six-second lead, and his lead was never in jeopardy. Behind him, Malarkey and Biddlescombe battled for second. Biddlescombe overtook Malarkey on the descent, but the Briton fought back to hold on for second place in 20:58, six seconds off Conner Mantz’s 2022 course record.
“It’s an uphill battle, so you never know,” Mularkey said of his battle with Biddlescombe. “He came back a little bit. Too much to cover the gap.”
Biddlescombe settled for third place in 20:59 (also the previous course record). She is preparing for the USATF Cross Country Championships starting Saturday in Portland, Ore., where she will run the 10-K and try to qualify for the world track and field championships.
“I wasn’t really stuck and I think the tailwind hurt from those waves,” Biddlescombe said. He continued:
Kurgat was clearly pleased with the win and said he was not focused on the course record. He only found out he broke it when a reporter told him during his first interview after the race.
“I didn’t know I was on record pace,” Kurgat said. “I just knew when I was getting an interview. I was like, ‘That’s great.’ I wanted to come here and run hard and make sure I had a good time and I’m so glad it happened.”
He is far behind the leaders – 79 years old Amby Burfoot completed the race for the 63rd consecutive year, the most in history. The former editor-in-chief of Runner’s World has clocked 44:48, averaging an impressive 9:28 per mile.
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Today’s race had it 10,624 finishers 27% more than last year when it rained. It is the largest number of finishers since 2019, the last individual edition of the race before the pandemic, when 11,097 athletes crossed the finish line.
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FINISHING
