Thea Digiammerino

Runners Brave Cold for Manchester Road Race

Thursday was one of the coldest Thanksgivings on record, but it did not stop thousands of runners braving the elements at the Manchester Road Race.

“It’s cold out, but I feel great. This is going to be my 38th time,” said Vernon resident Dick Stroiney.

“I’m just going to see how I feel as I go, how fast I decide to go,” his daughter Karen Herman said.

The father-daughter duo are two of more than 12,000 runners determined to finish the race before finishing their Thanksgiving meal, but it’s at a freezing price

“I have 3 on my legs and 4 on my upper body,” Stroiney said.

“Basically I put on everything that I own to run in cold weather, and I’ll strip it off as we get closer to race time,” said Tom Brubaker, who came down from Brunswick, Maine.

Plenty of runners kept their cars running to spare their skin a little bit longer.

“We got here at like 7:30, so we have a long, long wait. But this is spot to be,” said Chris Pagliuco of Ivoryton.

This is Pagliuco’s 29th Manchester Road Race, and he dressed for comfort, while his wife had to make adjustments to her costume.

There were also three warming centers nearby for those without the comfort of a car.

“My fingertips are numb. My nose feels like it’s about to fall off,” said Kevin Dawiczyk of Burlington. “It’s good to stay warm before I go out and pull something.”

Despite the cold, runners counted on the warmth of others to keep them going.

“With the number of people out here, there will be enough body heat from the 15,000 other runners that will keep us warm.”

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