Thursday, November 17, 2011

Thanksgiving in Connecticut for Team USA

Four Team USA Minnesota distance runners will spend their Thanksgivings in Connecticut.

Meghan Peyton, Matt Gabrielson, Andrew Carlson, and Matt Llano (pictured) will compete in the 4.748 mile Manchester Road Race in Connecticut, on Thanksgiving Day.

Peyton will be making her first appearance at the 75th annual race. She placed fifth at the NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5K in New York City earlier this month. Peyton also finished fifth at the USA 5K Championships and sixth at the USA 10 Mile Championships this fall.

Gabrielson will return to Manchester for the third time, having previously run the race in 2007 and 2009. He has a best in the 8K distance of 23:08. In June, Gabrielson posted a personal best in the marathon of 2:13:28.

Carlson will make his second trip to the Thanksgiving Day race, having finished fourth in 2008 with a time of 21:59. Carlson is a two-time national champion (15K and 25K) and this year was a member of the USA World Cross Country team.

Making his professional debut at the Manchester Road Race will be Matt Llano, who joined Team USA Minnesota in September. Llano is a 2011 graduate of the University of Richmond, where the All-American posted 28:43.30 in the 10,000 meters and was a four-time NCAA qualifier with two times each in cross country and track.

Find information and results from the race HERE.

Photo by Daniel Petty, courtesy of Team USA Minnesota.

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