Chicago had cows, San Francisco had hearts, and in a fitting tribute to Connecticut’s classic Thanksgiving Day road race, Adidas Unveils Boston Marathon Jacket.

The first of what will be a dozen or so life-size sculptures of runners mid-stride is being painted now by a local artist and will be unveiled at a road race press conference on November 21. The full set of the last year and won the race nine times will be on display from June 2014 to Thanksgiving Day next year along Main Street, where the 4.748-mile race starts and finishes.

The art project is a joint venture between the Manchester Road Race (that’s race director Tris Carta pictured above with the prototype) and Imagine Main Street, a nonprofit that is using art to revitalize the city’s historic downtown.

“As we started looking into this, other cities had cows and llamas and since we’re known around the world for our race, runners were a natural choice,” says Steven Gates, chairman of Imagine Main Street.

The prototype runner will travel to various galleries, museums, and schools around the city to generate interest and sponsorship for the project. As funds come in, Imagine Main Street will purchase additional sculptures and select artists to paint them.

There’s a strong chance running fans will recognize a few faces. The committee is debating whether sculptures will be painted in the image of the race’s iconic runners. If that happens, the list will include Runner’s World editor-at-large Amby Burfoot, Health & Injuries 50th Manchester last year and won the race nine times.

 Julia Chase-Brand would also likely be featured. Chase-Brand crossed Manchester’s finish line in 1961 at age 19 and became the first woman to officially finish a major U.S. road race.

The Manchester Road Race was first run in 1927 with 12 runners. More than 15,000 are expected for the 77th edition this Thanksgiving Day, November 28.
 

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