Boston Half winner Habtom Samuel withdraws from 2026 Manchester Road Race
· Yahoo Sports
MANCHESTER - Boston Half marathon winner Habtom Samuel announced Monday night that he will not be running in this year's Manchester Road Race due to fatigue.
Samuel, who won the Boston Half marathon Nov. 8, had committed to running in the annual Thanksgiving Day race in Connecticut on Sept. 9, according to a news release from the Manchester Road Race Committee. Race officials announced his entry alongside a lineup of other elite athletes and former Manchester Road Race winners in a media release Monday.
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However, Samuel's manager informed the race in an email Monday night that Samuel was withdrawing from the race due to "fatigue from such a long competitive season," according to the race committee's release.
"We are disappointed, but hopefully Habtom will compete in Manchester in the future," said Jim Harvey, the Manchester Road Race's elite runner coordinator. "We still have an exceptional elite field and it will be another great race this year."
Harvey announced Monday that this year's race participants will include 2025 men's division winner Edwin Kurgat, 2025 runner-up Dave Mullarkey and World Champion Dawit Seare. They will be joined at the Main Street starting line by 2023 Manchester Road Race winner Morgan Beadlescomb and two-time Manchester Road Race champion and Olympic silver medalist Sally Kipyego.
Presented by Hartford HealthCare and organized by more than 400 volunteers, the annual Manchester Road Race will be held Thanksgiving Day at 10 a.m. The race will be held on a 4.737-mile loop through the central streets of Manchester, starting and finishing on Main Street in front of St. James Church.
Registration is available online for $40, and then will increase to $42 on Nov. 21.
Participants unable to make it to Manchester on Thanksgiving Day can sign up for the race's virtual option, according to Danie Kennedy, registrar and executive board member of the Manchester Road Race Committee. Participants can register for the online option for $30 and download the race app to track their progress, Kennedy said.
All registration will close at 11:59 p.m. Nov. 24, Kennedy said.
Main Street will close at 5:30 a.m. the day of the race and remain closed until 11:30 a.m., according to the event's website. All roads intersecting the racecourse as well as exit ramps from Interstate 384 will be closed at 9 a.m., with normal traffic resuming after 11:30 a.m., the website said.
All proceeds from this year's race will be split between Rebuilding Together of Manchester and Habitat for Humanity of North Central Connecticut.
For more information, visit the Manchester Road Race website.
This story includes prior Hearst Media Connecticut reporting.
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