The elite fields for the Manchester Road Race, held Thanksgiving morning in Manchester, Connecticut, are stacked with talent. Leading the charge is recent .US National Road Racing Championships winner Aaron Braun. He'll be joined by Olympian Donn Cabral, Sam Chelanga, Haron Lagat and many more in the men's race. On the women's side, Olympians Desi Davila, Beverly Ramos and Lisa Uhl pace the field.

MEN

AARON BRAUN:  Braun, 26, is the MRR’s defending champion.  He won last year’s road race in 21:19:37, tying the course record that Phillimon Hanneck set in 1995. Braun graduated from Adams State College in Colorado where he won six national championships and earned All-American status 16 times.  Braun has personal best times of 13:20 in the 5000 meters and 27:41 in the 10,000 meters, both run in 2012.

HARON LAGAT:  Lagat won the MRR in 2009 in 21:40 and was second last year behind Braun, with a time of 21:31.  Lagat, who is 30, was born in Kenya and now lives in Lubbock, Texas.  He also had a fourth-place finish here in 2010 (21:46).  Lagat’s personal records include a 3:58 indoor mile, a 7:50:81 clocking in the 3000 meters, and a 13:30 effort in the 5000 meters.

DONN CABRAL: A Glastonbury native, Cabral was the 2012 NCAA steeplechase champion and a finalist in that event at the London Olympic Games.  Cabral, 23, finished third at last year’s MRR in 21:33. The Princeton University All-American has run personal bests of 3:40.03 in the 1500 meters, 8:19.14 in the 3000 meters steeplechase, and 7:53.48 in the 3000 meters.

RICHARD MEDINA:  Medina, 24, is a 2013 graduate of the University of Colorado, where he was an All-American selectee in both cross country and track.  In 2012, he ran the 3000 meters in 7:53.02, his fastest time for that event.  His other personal records include a 3:48 clocking in the 1500 meters and a 13:44 effort in the 5000 meters.

MITCH GOOSE:  Goose, 24, is originally from Great Britain.  He competed at Iona College while pursuing graduate studies there.  He finished in eighth place at the CVS/Caremark 5K Race in Providence, R.I. on September 22^nd with a time of 14:08.  Goose has personal best times of 3:44.44 for the 1500 meters, 7:58.11 for the 3000 meters and 13:34.41 for the 5000 meters.

SAMUEL CHELANGA:   Originally from Kenya, Chelanga, 28, is a graduate of Liberty University, and was the NCAA Cross Country Champion in 2009. The nine-time All-American has personal bests of 13:09.57 in the 5000 meters and 27:08 in the 10,000 meters.  Earlier this year, Chelanga ran a 1:01.04 half-marathon, which is also a personal record.

GEORGE ALEX:  The 23-year-old Alex was a two-time All American runner at the University of Oklahoma. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona. This will be his first appearance at the MRR.   Alex has the following personal best times:  mile (3:58.76); 3000 meters (7:52.92); 5000 meters (13:29.55); 10,000 meters (29:09.40).

GIRMA BEKELE GEBRE:  Gebre is a 20-year-old distance runner from Ethiopia.  Earlier this year he had a time of 47:17 at the Broad Street 10-Mile Race and completed the Pike’s Peak 10-K Race in 28:23.  Gebre has also run the personal best time of 3:39.88 in the 1500 meters. 

STEPHEN FURST:   Furst, 28, lives in Raleigh, North Carolina and was an All-American at North Carolina State University.  He finished sixth in the 2009 MRR (22:04) and was fifth here the following year (21:46). Furst has run the 5000 meters in 13:29.05 and the 10,000 meters in 28:38.  He also has run a 1:05.6 half-marathon.

TYLER PENNEL:  Pennel, who is 26 years old, finished fifth at last year’s MRR in 21:36.  He was a two-time All-American at Western State College in Colorado and now competes out of Blowing Rock, North Carolina for the ZAP Fitness-Reebok Team.  Pennel has a personal best time of 28:23 in the 10,000 meters,

KEVIN SCHWAB:  Schwab, 24 also runs for ZAP Fitness-Reebok.  He was an All-American performer in track and cross country at the University of Oklahoma.  Schwab has run personal best times of 7:57.60 in the 3000 meters and 13:35 in the 5000 meters.

CAMERON BEAN:  Bean, 26, has steadily improved his times during his three prior attempts in Manchester.  An All-American at Samford University in Alabama, Bean finished 23^rd in 2010 (23:05), placed in 2011 (22:24), and was 12^th last year (21:55).  Bean is a 3000 meter steeplechase competitor was has run 8:32.57 in that event.  He also has personal bests of 8:15.74 in the 3000 meters and 14:31.71 in the 5000 meters.

JOE STILIN:  Stilin, 23, was an All-American who competed at Princeton University and the University of Texas.  He has run personal record times of 7:49 in the 3000 meters and 13:33 in the 5000 meters.  Stilin, who is a member of the ZAP Fitness-Reebok team, will be making his first appearance at the MRR. He finished in 5^th place earlier this year at the USA 5K Championship.

MAVERICK DARLING:  Darling, 24, earned All-American honors at the University of Wisconsin.  He finished fourth in the 5000 meters at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track& Field Championships. Darling’s personal best times include: 1500 meters (3:47.22); 3000 meters (7:50.97); and 5000 meters (13:27.93).   

WOMEN

LISA UHL:  Uhl was the runner-up at the 2012 Manchester Road Race.  She finished five seconds behind winner Delilah DiCrescenzo, with a time of 24:39.  The 26-year-old Uhl won three NCAA outdoor track championships when she competed at Iowa State University.  Her personal bests include times of 8:52.95 for the 3000 meters, 14:55.74 for the 5000 meters, and 31:12 for the 10,000 meters.

DESIREE DAVILA:  Davila, 30, represented the United States in the marathon at the 2012 London Olympic Games.  In 2011, she placed second at the Boston Marathon in 2:22.38, a personal record and the fastest time ever run by an American women.  The Arizona State University graduate also has personal bests of 15:08.84 in the 5000 meters and 31:37.14 in the 10,000 meters.

LINDSEY SCHERF:  The 27-year-old Scherf was an All=American runner at Harvard.  Her fastest times include a 32:51.20 effort in the 10,000 meters and a 1:11.45 half-marathon.  Earlier this year, Scherf ran a 10K road race in Vancouver, Canada in the time of 33:01.

HANNAH DAVIDSON:  Davidson, 23, was an All-American performer for Coach Ray Treacy at Providence College.  While at Providence, she set the United States freshman record for the steeplechase.  A resident of Syracuse, New York, Davidson has personal best times that include: 3000 meters (9:12); 5000 meters (16:20); and 3000 meters steeplechase (10:09).

KATIE MATTHEWS:  Matthews, 23, won All-American honors five times while competing for Boston University.  She is originally from Rocky Hill, and now lives in Allston, Massachusetts. Matthews has personal records of 9:05.73 in the 3000 meters, 15:42.27 in the 5000 meters and 32:44.58 in the 10,000 meters.

AMY VAN ALSTINE:  Van Alstine, 26, finished fifth in last year’s MRR with a time of 24:53.  Originally from Midland Park, New Jersey, she now resides in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Van Alstine’s best efforts include a clocking of 15:36.56 for the 5000 meters and a time of 16:01 in a 5K road race. Van Alstine starred in track and cross country at the University of Richmond.

JESSICA DRASKAU-PETERSSON:  A citizen of Denmark, Draskau-Petersson competed for her country in the marathon at the 2012 London Olympic Games.  The 36-year-old Danish athlete has personal best times of 1:13.28 in the half-marathon and 2:31.43 in the marathon.  In 2005, Draskau-Petersson finished fifth at the Las Vegas International Marathon.

AZIZA ALIYU:  Aliyu is a 28-year-old distance runner from Ethiopia who has been competing in the United States for the past five years.  She has run a 1:11.15 half-marathon.  Earlier this year, Aliyu finished in eighth place at the Crescent City Classic 10K Race with a time of 32:36.

MARY BALLINGER:  Ballinger, 25, was an All-American at the University of Southern Indiana.  She was the NCAA Division II steeplechase champion in 2009. Ballinger has run the 3000 meter steeplechase in 9:51. Her other personal bests include times of 4:21.98 in the 1500 meters and 16:02 in the 5000 meters. She now competes with the ZAP Fitness-Reebok team.

ALVINA BEGAY:  Begay, 33, was a long distance standout at Adams State College and Arizona State University.  She lives in Flagstaff, Arizona and was a member of the United States team at the World Half-Marathon Team Championships in Bulgaria.  Begay has run personal best times of 32:34 for the 10,000 meters, 1:12.25 for the half-marathon and 2:37.4 for the marathon.

REBEKA STOWE:  Stowe was an All-American runner at the University of Kansas.  She placed eighth in the 3000 meters steeplechase at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.  Stowe’s personal records include: 1500 meters (4:22.50); 3000 meter steeplechase (9:52.82); and 3000 meters (9:18:95).

CASEY MC DERMOTT:  McDermott, 24, competed for Drake University, where she set the school record for the 3000 meters steeplechase (10:44.48). Earlier this year, she finished in eighth place at the Iowa Long Distance Classic 20 K race with a time of 1:16.16.

BEVERLY RAMOS: Ramos, 26, competed for Kansas State University and resides in Puerto Rico. She was the gold medalist in both the 3000 meters steeplechase and the 5000 meters at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Sports Games.  Ramos has run personal best times of 9:39.33 in the steeplechase and 15:49.31 in the 5000 meters.

CHARLOTTE BROWNING: A citizen of Great Britain, Browning won NCAA titles in the mile and 1500 meters in 2010 while competing for the University of Florida. She previously ran at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.  Browning, 26, has a personal best time of 4:09.86 in the 1500 meters.  She ran a 5K road race in New York in 16:13 this past February.