[Pcalumnixctrack] Providence Coach Ray Treacy and John Treacy To Be Honored At The 81st Annual Manchester Road Race

[Sullivan, Brendan T]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 22, 2017

Contact- Brendan Sullivan (401) 865-1245



Coach Ray Treacy and John Treacy To Be Honored At The 81st Annual Manchester Road Race

The brothers will serve as Honorary Chairmen of the MRR.



MANCHESTER, CONN. – Providence College Director of Cross Country/Track Ray Treacy and John Treacy ’78 will serve as the Honorary Chairmen for the historic Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving (Nov. 22). The brothers are being honored for both their Manchester Road Race accomplishments and their lasting impact on the race.



“We are so pleased that John and Ray are returning to Manchester, where they have so many friends and fans,” said Dr. Tris Carta, President of the Manchester Road Race Committee. “They both have done so much for our race. And it will bring back some terrific memories when these two great ‘Irish Connection’ athletes rejoin us this year.”



The Treacy brothers are credited for starting the “Irish Connection” at the Manchester Road Race. Beginning with John’s victory in 1978, Irish athletes would win nine Manchester Road Race titles from 1978 through 1987.



John was a four-time winner of the MRR, taking home titles in 1978, 1979, 1984 and 1985. Perhaps his most famous victory came in 1979. After having defeated nine-time champion Amby Burfoot in 1978, John returned to Manchester in 1979 to run a time of 21:26 on the 4.75-mile course. The time shattered the course record by 55 seconds and would stand as the record until 1995. Ray would go on to finish second in 1979, a mere four seconds off the previous course record. It is the only time that siblings have finished first and second in the same race.



Ray was also a runner up in 1981 when he finished second behind legendary Irish miler, Eamonn Coghlan. Ray’s greatest impact upon the Manchester Road Race, however, have been the multiple athletes that he has coached to MRR titles. Ray has coached four athletes to 10 MRR titles. Amy Rudolph won the race three times in a row, from 1995-97 and then returned to win again in 2000 and 2002. Mark Carroll was twice a winner, in 1998 and 2000. Kim Smith won the race two years in a row in 2004 and 2005. Most recently, Emily Sisson won the 2017 edition of the race.



“(Ray is) a brilliant coach who has the respect of his athletes and the coaching fraternity at large,” said Jim Harvey, the MRR’s elite runner coordinator, and a friend of both Treacy brothers. “He is one of a very select group of coaches who are able to excel at the difficult task of coaching athletes at both the professional and collegiate level.”



-GO FRIARS!-



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