The Pageantry Of The Manchester Road Race, 2024 Style [PHOTOS]

MANCHESTER, CT — Just over 12,000 officially registered participants (and undoubtedly some last-minute sneak-ons too cheap to fork out the 32 bucks it cost to enter) took to the streets of Manchester Thursday morning in bone-chilling rain for the 88th running of the nation's oldest 5-mile road race. Okay, it's only 4.737 miles, but you get the idea...

A few of the runners were of elite, world-class, even Olympic status; you may find that story here. Instead, this piece focuses on the majority of the field - ordinary citizens, some just jogging or walking - and a great number were there simply for the pageantry and spectacle that has become synonymous with the Thanksgiving morning tradition.

At the top of the grueling hill on Highland Street, just before the left turn and steep downhill course of Porter Street, musicians were playing on the north side of the road and a DJ was set up across the street. Once the leaders passed, the field began resembling Halloween leftovers four weeks after the fact.

There were the traditional gaggle of gobblers and plethora of pilgrims. There were Bruins fans, Whalers fans, UConn fans, Red Sox fans, Yankees fans, Patriots fans and probably even some window fans. There were a number of superheroes, and a good amount of folks were decked out in patriotic red, white and blue, including a few carrying Old Glory itself.

There was a fair amount of frankfurters and blatant advertisements for a wide range of consumer products and retailers: Doritos, Bud Light, Twisted Tea, Dunkin' (America runs on Dunkin', right? Well, I'm here to tell ya, most of the ones done up in Dunkin' gear weren't actually running). Some runners mugged for the camera, while others were too busy rapidly emptying mugs.

This extensive photo gallery by Patch editors Tim Jensen and Chris Dehnel does not encompass every bit of bizarre attire, but it gives a representative idea of the spectacle of Thanksgiving morning in Manchester.