Run Manchester returns with Street Festival on Aug. 4

The 2018 Run Manchester will be an exciting event, with lots of activities throughout the day at the Street Festival on August 4. (Manchester Mirror file photo)

For many years, the kickoff for the Manchester Street Festival has been an early morning run through the historic village. This year the run will be back, with a redesigned course, and new sponsorship.

The new sponsors for the race are the Manchester Robotics teams, and proceeds from the race will benefit all five of the Manchester Community Schools teams: the third-grade Jr. FLL Builder Bots; the 4-6th grade FLL Annihilators; the 7/8th grade Flying Dutchbots Gold, as well as the new 7/8th grade Flying Dutchbots Maroon; and the high school (9-12) Digital Dislocators. According to Matt Hall, one of the Robotics coaches and the organizer of this year’s race, “What started on a whim at the last minute 3.5 years ago has turned into a growing program. We started with 8 students and next school year will have over 40 kids involved at one level or another. That is tremendous growth in 3 years.”

The race will start in historic downtown Manchester, taking runners quaint neighborhoods, past award-winning schools, and finish back downtown. The recently redesigned, USATF-certified course is sure to be fun and exciting.

The event will begin with a kids 1-mile fun run at 8:30 am, with the 10K/5K race to start at approximately 9 am. Runners who bring a canned food item donation to benefit the Manchester Community Resource Center will also be entered into a raffle the day of the race.
Hurry! Early Bird-registration ends on June 30th. Register now to get a $5 discount on your registration fee. (Day of run registration will be charged an additional $5 entry fee). Sign up by July 23 to guarantee yourself an official Run Manchester t-shirt.

After the race, participants will find more fun with cold drinks, live music, a vintage car show, kids corner, duck races, a pancake breakfast, and more. A full day of Manchester Street Festival activities awaits with so much to offer. Don’t miss this event on August 4!

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.