Andrew Colley recorded the biggest win of his career on Thanksgiving Day taking down a stacked field at the 88th Manchester Road Race. Andrew came into the race as the 4th fastest performer ever over the 4.737 mile race, thanks to his 4th place finish in 2022 where the top 4 all broke the previous course record. He was 2 seconds slower today, but he played his tactics brilliantly to record the come-from-behind victory. Teammate Dan Schaffer was also a few seconds slower than he was in 2022, but moved up to 2 spots to finish 12th in 21:55.
The cold, drizzly weather contributed to a relatively slow start with the lead men passing the first mile in 4:28. Andrew and Dan both remained tucked into the pack. As the group started up the signature hill just past the mile mark, a grueling, 1.25 mile climb, the pack began to thin. Pre-race favorite Edwin Kurgat, 7th in the Olympic 5,000m final in Paris, surged to the front at the top of the hill to claim the $1,000 King of the Mountain premium.
Andrew was content to let Kurgat stretch out the field as he drifted a few seconds behind in 4th place, next to another Paris Olympian, Patrick Dever of the UK. The rest of the field was in a straight line stretching back as the group crested the hill and shot down the steep descent on the other side. Andrew quickly closed the gap on the downhill and vaulted into the lead as he, Kurgat and Dever passed the downhill 3rd mile in 4:20.
Just past 3 miles, Mexican 1500m National Record Holder, Eduardo Herrera made it a lead group of 4. Kurgat got antsy a couple of minutes later and began to press up front. Herrera covered the move, and it appeared to be a 2 man race as they approached the 4 mile mark, which the duo covered in 4:21. Andrew and Dever ran a few second behind, with Andrew keeping close tabs on the leaders. Afterward Andrew commented to Lori Riley of Race Results Weekly, “I thought, ‘This is a little early to be going.’ I did [the same thing] two years ago and paid the consequences.”
Kurgat kept the pressure on, and at the 4 mile mark began to pull away from Herrera. However, unbeknownst to either, Andrew was deliberately biding his time and was gearing up to unleash a ferocious push to the tape. As Herrera began to struggle Andrew blew past him into 2nd with his sights set firmly on Kurgat. “I [made my move] a little early but I could tell the others were fading and I wanted to capitalize and really take the wind out of their sails,” commented Andrew after the race.
As they made the final turn onto Main Street with about 600m to run Andrew drew even with Kurgat. Kurgat began to visibly struggle while Andrew launched into another gear, quickly pulling clear of Kurgat with 200m to go. What started as a 2 meter lead grew to 5 meters and 10 meters within a matter of seconds. Andrew attacked the final uphill to secure the win, pumping his fist across the finish line.
Andrew’s win caps a remarkable 2024 for the recently married 33-year old. In a year that saw him become the only man to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the 5k, 10k, and marathon, and also run PR’s at 5k, 10k, 10 miles and the half marathon, he closed out his year with the biggest win of his 10 year career. He’ll be right back at it in 2025 when he race next at the Houston Half Marathon in January alongside teammates Dan Schaffer and Ryan Ford.
You can catch the full race replay and Andrew’s post race interview below and the full results here.